Comparison
Otter vs Sondeas: meeting minutes, or every recording you make?
Otter's plans are built around meeting minutes per user. Sondeas works on audio you record or upload, without a bot in your calls, and turns it into the documents you need next. Here is a fair look at both.
Otter prices and limits are as listed on otter.ai/pricing on that date. Each fact links to its source. We make Sondeas, so we have tried hard to be fair. Tell us if anything is out of date.
The short answer
Which one should you choose?
Choose Otter if
Choose Sondeas if
- You would rather not have a bot in your calls.
- Your recordings run long: Sondeas takes multi-hour files in one go.
- You need more than meeting notes: clean notes, email drafts, translation, voiceover or clinical notes.
- You want a passphrase lock on your notes.
- You record now and then and prefer paying $3 an hour of audio, with hours that never expire.
Side by side
Otter and Sondeas, fact by fact
Prices in US dollars, per user per month. Sondeas prices from our pricing page.
| Feature | Otter(public pages, 22 Oct 2026) | Sondeas |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | OtterBasic: 300 minutes a month, up to 30 minutes per conversation, 3 file imports in total.[1] | SondeasNo free plan; 7 days free on Pro and Clinician, card required. Every note, summary and translation made from them is included. |
| Main paid plan | OtterPro: $16.99 a month, or $8.33 a month billed yearly. 1,200 minutes a month, up to 90 minutes per conversation.[1] | SondeasPro: $15 a month, or $12 a month billed yearly. 10 fast hours a month, then unlimited standard-speed transcription. |
| Team plan | OtterBusiness: $30 a month, or $19.99 a month billed yearly. Unlimited meeting minutes, 6,000 import minutes, up to 4 hours per conversation.[1] | SondeasNo general team workspace. The Practice plan for clinics has seats, roles, pooled hours and an audit log: $45 per clinician seat a month billed yearly ($55 monthly), secretary seats $19, from 3 seats, with fast hours pooled. |
| Pay as you go | OtterNot among the plans listed on the pricing page.[1] | Sondeas$3 an hour of audio, from $6. Hours you buy never expire. |
| Long recordings | OtterPer-conversation limits: 30 minutes on Basic, 90 on Pro, 4 hours on Business.[1] | SondeasMulti-hour recordings in one file: MP3, M4A, WAV, MP4, WebM and OGG. |
| How calls are recorded | OtterNot checked | SondeasNo bot joins. Sondeas records your microphone, plus the call tab's audio in Chrome or Edge on desktop; otherwise use the desktop app or upload the recording. |
| What you get | OtterNot checked | SondeasTranscript with speakers, summary, action items, clean note, email draft, themes and quotes, and answers to questions about your notes. |
| Translation and speech | OtterNot checked | SondeasTranscription and translation in 100 languages with the original alongside, two-way conversation with Talk, and voiceover. |
| Privacy | OtterNot checked | SondeasEncrypted in transit and at rest. An optional passphrase lock encrypts your notes with a key we never hold, so our staff cannot read them. |
| Clinical notes | OtterNot checked | SondeasClinician plan: SOAP and other templates, every sentence linked to the recording, sign and lock, consent per encounter. |
Sources, read 22 Oct 2026: [1] otter.ai/pricing.
"Not checked" means we did not verify it from Otter's own pages on 22 Oct 2026. It does not mean the feature is missing; ask Otter.
Where each one wins
Strengths, stated plainly
Where Otter is stronger
- A free plan300 minutes a month on Basic. Sondeas has no free plan.[1]
- Cheaper for heavy meeting usePro billed yearly is $8.33 a month for 1,200 minutes. If meeting notes are all you need, that is hard to beat.[1]
- Plans for teamsOtter lists workspaces for up to 5 billed users on Pro and 25 on Business, with unlimited meeting minutes on Business.[1]
Where Sondeas is stronger
- No bot in your callsNobody sees an extra participant. You decide what is recorded.
- Long recordingsMulti-hour files in one go, instead of a cap per conversation.
- More than meeting notesThe same recording becomes an email draft, a clean note, a translation or a voiceover. Every output is included.
- A passphrase only you knowLock your notes with a key we never hold, so our staff cannot read them.
- Pay only when you record$3 an hour of audio with no subscription, and the hours never expire.
Switching
Bring your recordings with you
No migration tool needed. Your Otter account stays as it is until you decide.
- Step 1
Gather what you want to keep
The audio files of the conversations that matter, or their transcripts as text.
- Step 2
Upload or paste
Upload the audio to Sondeas for a fresh transcript with speakers, or paste a transcript you already have.
- Step 3
Pick what you need
Get a summary, action items, a follow-up email or a translation. Edit it, copy it or export it.
Questions
Otter vs Sondeas: questions
Is Sondeas cheaper than Otter?
Does Sondeas join Zoom, Meet or Teams calls?
Can I bring transcripts I already have?
Is there a free plan?
Do I need permission to record a meeting?
Which languages does Sondeas support?
Sources
- [1] otter.ai/pricing, Otter plans, prices and limits. Read 22 Oct 2026.
Related
Otter and Otter.ai are trademarks of their owner, used here only to identify the product. Facts about Otter come from otter.ai/pricing on 22 Oct 2026 and may have changed since.
Meeting notes, without a bot in the room.
Upload a recording you already have and compare for yourself. 7 days free on Pro and Clinician. Card required, cancel any time.