Plaud, Pocket and Otter get compared a lot, but they are not the same kind of thing. Plaud and Pocket are recorders you carry. Otter is software that lives in your meetings. This is the three way version of my Pocket vs Plaud , Pocket vs Otter and Plaud vs Otter comparisons.
Quick verdict
- Pick Pocket if your important conversations happen in person or on the phone and you don’t want a minute cap.
- Pick Plaud if you want the longest rated recording time, a status screen, the widest list of security certifications, or a wearable pin.
- Pick Otter if you live on Zoom, Teams and Google Meet and don’t want hardware.
Side by side
| Plaud | Otter | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Recorder on your phone | Recorder on your phone (Note, Note Pro) or a pin (NotePin) | Meeting bot, desktop, iOS and Android apps |
| Device price | $129 (list $199) | Note Pro $189; Note and NotePin $159 | No device |
| Free plan | Unlimited transcription | Starter, 300 min/mo | Basic, 300 min/mo, 30 min per conversation |
| Paid plan | Pro $19.99/mo billed yearly | Pro $99.99/yr or $17.99/mo; Unlimited $239.99/yr or $29.99/mo | Pro $16.99/mo or $8.33/mo billed annually |
| Battery | Up to 4 days of active use | Note Pro 30 to 50 hrs, Note 30 hrs, NotePin 20 hrs of recording | n/a |
| Phone calls | Yes, contact mic, no speakerphone | Note Pro and Note; NotePin in person only | Record with your phone and import |
| Zoom, Teams, Meet | Desktop app (beta), no bot | Free Plaud Desktop app, no bot | Yes, built for it |
| MCP / Claude | Yes, official MCP server | Connectors listed; MCP not listed | Yes, official MCP server, free plan |
Prices are US list prices from heypocket.com, plaud.ai and otter.ai, checked October 28, 2026.
In person and phone calls
This is Pocket and Plaud territory. Both clip to the back of a phone, both start with one press, and both record phone calls through a contact mic without speakerphone. How Pocket does it is in how Pocket records phone calls . Otter can record a room from its phone app, but it can’t record a phone call directly.
Video meetings
Otter is built for Zoom, Teams and Google Meet. Plaud says its free Plaud Desktop app records online meetings without a bot joining. Pocket covers them too with its desktop app, which records your mic and the call audio without adding a bot to the meeting. Most of my work meetings are on a laptop, and that is how I record them. More in the Pocket desktop app .
Minutes
The free plans are where these split. Pocket’s free plan has unlimited transcription. Plaud Starter and Otter Basic are both 300 minutes a month, and Otter caps each conversation at 30 minutes on Basic. If you record a lot and don’t want to pay monthly, that difference matters most. The full price breakdown for Pocket is in Pocket AI price .
Claude and MCP
Pocket and Otter both have official MCP servers, so Claude can search your recordings. Otter’s is on the free plan. Pocket’s free plan supports search, and full transcripts and cross meeting questions need Pro. Plaud listed connectors for Calendar, Slack, Notion and Linear (preview), with no MCP server listed. My setup is in Pocket MCP server setup .
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.