Otter.ai and Tana are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. Otter.ai: AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings in real time with an auto-joining meeting agent. Tana: AI workspace with a bot-less meeting notetaker that transcribes and summarizes meetings directly into a connected knowledge base. They overlap on ai-meeting-assistants, so the right pick depends on team size, budget, and which meeting workflows you automate.
For ai-meeting-assistants workflows, shortlist Otter.ai when real-time meeting transcription matters most, and Tana when transcribing and summarizing meetings without a bot in the call matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
Otter.ai is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Tana is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
Bot-less meeting capture using computer system audio
Standout feature
OtterPilot auto-join agent
Transcription and AI summaries for online and in-person meetings
Team usage
AI summaries and action items
Action items pushed directly to task boards in the workspace
Integrations
Searchable meeting notes
Links meeting notes to relevant people and projects
Languages & capture
Live highlights and comments
Automatic meeting detection on Mac
Best-fit workflow
Real-time transcription
60+ language support with automatic detection
Best for
Otter.ai
Choose Otter.ai if you need real-time meeting transcription — strengths include fast, accurate real-time transcription.
Tana
Choose Tana if you need transcribing and summarizing meetings without a bot in the call — strengths include captures meetings without adding a bot to the call.
Pros & cons
Otter.ai
+ Free plan with 300 transcription minutes per month
+ Strong live transcription with speaker identification
- Free plan capped at 300 minutes/month and 3 lifetime file imports
Tana
+ Captures meetings without adding a bot to the call
+ Meeting notes flow into a connected, structured knowledge base
- Requires the Tana desktop app and adopting its outliner workflow
FAQ
Is Otter.ai or Tana better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Otter.ai is strong for real-time meeting transcription, while Tana is strong for transcribing and summarizing meetings without a bot in the call. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Otter.ai and Tana compare on price?
Otter.ai is a free tier with paid upgrades and Tana is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Can I use both Otter.ai and Tana?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.
Otter.ai vs Tana: Pricing, Features & Recommendation | Hosiqo