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Remote Work · head to head

Otter.ai vs People.ai

Otter.ai logo

Otter.ai

Remote Work

Transcription and meeting notes powered by AI

From
Free
Rated
-
People.ai logo

People.ai

Sales Enablement

AI Revenue Intelligence

From
$50/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Otter.ai has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Otter.ai two separate limits apply at once, a monthly minute allowance and a per conversation cap, so a long meeting can be cut short with allowance remaining; People.ai pricing per user adds up quickly for large sales teams
  • They diverge on capability: Otter.ai covers Automatic transcription, People.ai covers Activity capture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Otter.ai and People.ai actually diverge.

Attributes where Otter.ai and People.ai differ
AttributeOtter.aiPeople.ai
Starting priceFree$50/month
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, MacWeb
CategoryRemote WorkSales Enablement

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), founded (2016).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Otter.ai

  • Automatic transcription
  • Real-time transcription
  • Speaker identification
  • Searchable transcripts
  • Highlights and summaries
  • Sharing
  • Mobile apps
  • Microsoft Teams

Only in People.ai

  • Activity capture
  • Contact management
  • Deal intelligence
  • AI coaching
  • Revenue analytics
  • Microsoft Dynamics

Both cover

  • Zoom
  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Otter.ai

  • Meeting transcription and recordingnot People.ai
  • Live transcription for accessibilitynot People.ai
  • Multi-language meeting supportnot People.ai

People.ai

  • Customer Successnot Otter.ai
  • Ai Intelligencenot Otter.ai
  • Activity Capturenot Otter.ai

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Otter.ai

  • Two separate limits apply at once, a monthly minute allowance and a per conversation cap, so a long meeting can be cut short with allowance remaining
  • The free plan cuts off at 30 minutes per conversation and 300 minutes a month
  • The Pro plan still caps a single conversation at 90 minutes
  • Even unlimited plans cap a conversation at 4 hours
  • Imported file transcription has its own separate monthly limit, at 6,000 minutes on Business
  • Paying monthly rather than annually roughly doubles the rate, from $8.33 to $16.99 on Pro

People.ai

  • Pricing per user adds up quickly for large sales teams
  • Setup requires deep CRM configuration and change management
  • Activity capture can generate noise without proper filtering and customization
  • Forecasting accuracy depends on data quality and proper configuration

Pricing, plan by plan

Otter.ai

Free
  • BasicFree
    • 300 monthly transcription minutes
    • 3 lifetime audio/video file imports
    • Zoom, MS Teams, Google Meet support
  • Pro$16.99/month
    • 1,200 in-app recording minutes
    • 10 monthly audio/video file imports
    • Up to 90 minutes per meeting
  • Pro Annual$8.33/month
    • 1,200 in-app recording minutes
    • 10 monthly audio/video file imports
    • Up to 90 minutes per meeting
  • Business$30/month
    • Unlimited meetings and in-app recordings
    • Unlimited audio/video file imports
    • Up to 4 hours per meeting

People.ai

$50/month

No published plan breakdown. See the People.ai review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Otter.ai if

  • You need automatic transcription.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Mac.
  • You also want real-time transcription.

Choose People.ai if

  • You need activity capture.
  • You also want contact management.

Questions people ask

Is Otter.ai or People.ai better?
Neither clearly leads. Otter.ai starts at Free and People.ai at $50/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Otter.ai or People.ai?
Otter.ai has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Otter.ai and $50/month for People.ai.
Does Otter.ai or People.ai run on more platforms?
Otter.ai runs on Web, Ios, Android, Mac. People.ai runs on Web.
Can I use Otter.ai for free?
Yes. Otter.ai has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. People.ai starts at $50/month.
What is Otter.ai best used for?
Otter.ai is most often used for meeting transcription and recording, live transcription for accessibility, multi-language meeting support. Of those, meeting transcription and recording and live transcription for accessibility are not what People.ai is typically brought in for.
What can Otter.ai do that People.ai cannot?
Otter.ai covers Automatic transcription, Real-time transcription, Speaker identification, Searchable transcripts. People.ai covers Activity capture, Contact management, Deal intelligence, AI coaching. Both handle Zoom, Slack, Salesforce, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Otter.ai: What are the monthly transcription minute limits on Otter.ai plans?

Basic tier includes 300 monthly transcription minutes at no cost. Pro tier includes 1,200 in-app recording minutes. Business tier provides unlimited meetings and in-app recordings.

Source
People.ai: What is People.ai's core functionality?

People.ai automates activity capture from emails, calls, and meetings, then uses AI to provide pipeline visibility, forecasting insights, and engagement analytics.

Source
Otter.ai: What meeting duration limits apply to different Otter.ai tiers?

Pro tier supports up to 90 minutes per meeting. Business tier supports up to 4 hours per meeting. Enterprise tier offers custom configurations.

Source
People.ai: What is the starting price for People.ai?

People.ai pricing starts at 50 USD per user per month, with free PeopleGlass tier available for Salesforce users.

Source
Otter.ai: How much can you save with Otter.ai annual billing?

Pro annual plan costs $8.33 per month (51% savings compared to $16.99 monthly). Business annual plan costs $19.99 per month (33% savings compared to $30 monthly).

Source
Otter.ai: What integrations are available with Otter.ai Pro plan?

Pro tier includes integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zapier. Enterprise tier provides access to Otter API and custom webhooks.

Source
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