Overheard
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Overheard vs Otter.ai
Otter.ai is a cloud transcription service whose assistant, OtterPilot, joins your Zoom, Teams and Meet calls as a participant. Overheard is a free, open-source Mac app that records the call from your own Mac, so no bot shows up, and keeps every meeting as files Claude can read.
you need Windows, a phone app or a web app, live captions shared with the team, or a notetaker that can attend a meeting you're not in.
you're on a Mac, don't want a bot in the participant list, don't want minute limits or a subscription, and use Claude Code, Claude Desktop or Codex.
Side by side
| Overheard | Otter.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, MIT licensed | Basic free; Pro $16.99 and Business $30 per user per month ($8.33 and $19.99 billed yearly) |
| Minutes | Unlimited | 300 a month on Basic, 1,200 on Pro, unlimited on Business |
| Longest meeting | No limit | 30 minutes on Basic, 90 on Pro, 4 hours on Business |
| Bot in the call | No — records your Mac's audio | OtterPilot joins Zoom, Teams and Meet as a participant |
| Account | None | Required |
| Where notes live | Plain Markdown and WAV files in ~/Meetings | Otter's cloud |
| Transcription | On your Mac, or ElevenLabs with your own key | Otter's cloud |
| MCP for Claude | Built in, all meetings, plus actions you can turn on | Otter MCP server, on every plan |
| Platforms | Mac with Apple Silicon, macOS 14.2+ | Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome |
| Team workspace | No | Yes, on paid plans |
| Source code | Open, on GitHub | Closed |
Where Otter is better
It goes where you can't. Because OtterPilot is a participant, it can join and transcribe a meeting you're not attending. Overheard only records what plays on your Mac, so you have to be in the call.
Every device, and the team. Otter runs in the browser, on Windows and on phones, and paid plans add shared workspaces and live transcripts other people can follow. Overheard is a Mac menu bar app with no accounts at all.
Nothing to set up. Otter transcribes in its cloud from the first minute. Overheard asks you to choose: download the on-device models once, or paste an ElevenLabs key.
Where Overheard is better
No bot in the grid. Overheard records the call with Core Audio process taps on your Mac, your voice on its own track. Nobody sees a notetaker join, so there's no awkward "who invited the bot?" — just tell people you're recording. How it works for Google Meet.
No minutes to count. Otter's free plan stops at 300 minutes a month and 30 minutes per conversation. Overheard has no plans and no caps: a three-hour workshop is recorded like a ten-minute standup.
Your meetings stay yours. Every meeting is a folder in ~/Meetings with the audio, the transcript and the summary as plain files. With on-device transcription, the audio never leaves your Mac.
Built for Claude. Overheard ships an MCP server and a Claude Code plugin: ask "what did we decide about pricing?" and Claude answers from your transcripts with the minute it was said. Summaries use the Claude Code or Codex subscription you already have. Read how it works.
Switching
Overheard starts from your next call. If you have audio files of older meetings, drop them into Overheard's Import to have them transcribed and searchable alongside the new ones. Install it, pick a transcription engine, and click Connect to Claude in Settings.
Sources: Otter pricing, opened on 31 October 2026 (prices shown in USD; Otter also runs regional promotions). Prices and plans change — check Otter's site for the current ones. Overheard is not affiliated with Otter.ai.