Remote Work · head to head
Otter.ai vs People.ai
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.
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/monthNo 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.
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.
SourcePeople.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.
SourceOtter.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.
SourcePeople.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.
SourceOtter.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).
SourceOtter.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.
SourceRelated pages
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- People.ai vs Allego
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- People.ai vs 6sense
- People.ai vs Gainsight
- People.ai vs Avoma
- People.ai vs Warmly
- People.ai vs PandaDoc
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- People.ai vs RevenueHero
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- People.ai vs Trumpet
- People.ai vs Twain
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