Quick verdict
- Pick Plaud for in person meetings and phone calls with a dedicated device.
- Pick Otter for video meetings with no hardware and a usable free plan.
- If you want a device without a minute meter, also look at Pocket .
Want the full field? See Pocket AI recorder alternatives .
Plaud vs Otter side by side
| Plaud | Otter | |
|---|---|---|
| Device price | Note Pro $189; Note and NotePin $159 | No device |
| Subscription | Starter free (300 min/mo); Pro $99.99/yr; Unlimited $20/mo billed annually | Basic free; Pro $16.99/mo or $8.49/mo annual; Business $30/mo or $24/mo annual |
| Form factor | Thin card on phone (Note, Note Pro) or wearable pin (NotePin) | Software: meeting bot, desktop, iOS and Android apps |
| Battery | Note Pro 30 to 50 hrs, Note 30 hrs, NotePin 20 hrs of recording | n/a |
| Transcription minutes | 300 / 1,200 / unlimited (up to 24 hrs a day) | 300/mo free (30 min per conversation); 1,200 on Pro |
| Call recording | Note Pro and Note; NotePin is in person only | Zoom, Teams, Meet; phone calls must be recorded with your phone and imported |
| Privacy and compliance | ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, EN 18031 listed; not used for training unless you opt in | SOC 2 Type II; HIPAA as an Enterprise add-on |
| MCP / Claude | Connectors for Calendar, Slack, Notion, Linear (preview); MCP not listed | Yes, official MCP server, included on the free plan |
Prices are US list prices as of October 2026.
Device versus bot
Plaud is hardware: a thin card that clips to your phone, or the NotePin you wear. Otter is a bot and an app that joins Zoom, Teams and Meet. Plaud also ships Plaud Desktop for online meetings.
Cost and minutes
Both start with 300 free minutes a month. Plaud Pro is $99.99 a year for 1,200 minutes and Unlimited is $20 a month billed annually, on top of a $159 to $189 device. Otter Pro is $16.99 a month, or $8.49 a month billed annually, for 1,200 recording minutes, with no device.
AI integrations
Otter has an official MCP server on every plan, including free. Plaud has Plaud Agent and connectors for Google Calendar, Slack, Notion and Linear in preview. An MCP server isn’t listed on Plaud’s public pages.
Privacy and compliance
Plaud lists ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR and EN 18031. Otter lists SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA as an Enterprise add-on.
A note on consent
Recording laws vary. Some states, including California and Washington, require everyone in the conversation to consent. Whatever you use, tell people you’re recording.
One more thing
Plaud’s Unlimited plan is capped at 24 hours a day, which is also how long a day is.