An Otter.ai alternative that keeps your meetings on your device
I make Karl, so read this knowing that. Otter and Karl both turn a meeting into a transcript and a summary. The difference is where that happens. Otter uploads your audio and does the work on its servers. Karl does all of it on your phone or Mac, and nothing is sent to us.
Side by side
| Karl | Otter.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it transcribes | On your phone or Mac | On Otter's servers |
| Account | None | Required |
| Bot in your call | Never. On the Mac, Karl records the call's audio directly. | Otter's Notetaker joins Zoom, Meet and Teams calls. Its desktop app can also record without one. |
| Free plan | Unlimited recording and transcription, with no time limit per meeting | 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation |
| Paid plan | Pro is $1.99 a month, $14.99 a year, or $24.99 once | Pro is $16.99 a month, or $8.33 a month billed yearly |
| Offline | Works fully offline once a language is downloaded | Records offline. The transcript comes after the upload. |
| Summaries | Written on your device: Apple Intelligence on iPhone and Mac, Gemini Nano or a downloaded model on Android | Written in Otter's cloud |
| Runs on | iPhone (iOS 26), Mac (macOS 26) and Android (8 or later) | iPhone, Android, web, Mac and Windows |
Otter's details come from its own pricing and help pages, checked in September 2026. The prices are list prices before any promotion. Check otter.ai/pricing before you decide.
When Otter is the better pick
- You're on Windows, or you work in a browser. Karl runs on iPhone, Mac and Android, and on Apple devices it needs iOS 26 or macOS 26.
- You want integrations. Otter connects to other tools. Karl has no Zapier, no CRM link and no API.
- You're setting it up for a team. Otter has shared workspaces and admin controls. Karl is made for one person.
- Your iPhone or Mac can't run Apple Intelligence. Karl still records and transcribes, but on Apple devices the automatic summaries need it.
When Karl is
- You'd rather keep your meetings to yourself. Audio, transcripts and summaries stay on your phone or Mac, and with Pro on iPhone and Mac in your own iCloud. The App Store privacy label says Data Not Collected.
- You're tired of counting minutes. There's no monthly cap and no limit per meeting, because the work runs on your own chip.
- You don't want a bot in the participant list. Karl hears remote people through your Mac's audio, even with headphones on.
- You'd rather pay once. The free app is complete. Pro adds sync between your iPhone and Mac through your own iCloud, speaker names, folders and Ask Karl, for $24.99 once.
Bringing old recordings
If you have the audio files, Karl imports them and transcribes them on your device. There's no limit on imports.
Also compared with Granola. Or read how to record a Zoom call on Mac without a bot, or about Karl itself.