An Otter.ai alternative for Windows that never joins your meeting
By the Call Transcriber team (TacAssist)Updated 6 min read
Otter.ai is a popular cloud note-taker. If you'd rather not have a bot in your meetings or send your calls to the cloud, and you work on Windows, here is how Call Transcriber compares and who each one suits.
Call Transcriber is a Windows app that transcribes both sides of any call (Zoom, Teams, Meet, WhatsApp, phone calls through Phone Link and more) on your own PC: no bot joins, the audio isn't uploaded, and you can copy what was just said during the call. It costs $14 a year with unlimited calls. Otter.ai is the better fit if you need AI summaries, team workspaces, file uploads, or apps on Mac and mobile.
Side by side
| Call Transcriber | Otter.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| How it hears the meeting | Your PC's microphone and speaker audio | A meeting bot (OtterPilot) joins, or you record in Otter's apps |
| Visible to others in the call | No, nothing joins the call | Yes, when the bot joins |
| Where speech is processed | On your PC, offline | Otter's cloud |
| Call apps | Any app on your PC; automatic for Zoom, Teams, Meet, WhatsApp, Skype, Discord, Telegram, Slack, Webex, Phone Link | Mainly Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet |
| Copy during the call | One click or global shortcuts: last message, last N lines, everything | Read the live transcript in Otter |
| AI summaries and chat | Not built in; paste the transcript into any AI assistant | Yes |
| Sharing with a team | Export files (TXT, Markdown, JSON, SRT) | Shared workspace |
| Devices | Windows 10 and 11 (2 PCs per plan) | Web, mobile and desktop apps |
| Price | $14 a year or $3 a month, unlimited calls, same price everywhere | Free plan with monthly minute limits; paid plans per user |
Choose Call Transcriber if…
- You don't want a bot in your meetings, or your clients and hosts don't admit them.
- Your calls shouldn't leave your computer: confidential sales, legal, HR, health or support calls.
- You need details during the call: paste the customer's exact words into a ticket, CRM or chat while you talk.
- Your calls happen in more than meeting apps: WhatsApp, Discord, Telegram or phone calls through Phone Link.
- You want a low, predictable price: $14 a year with no minute limits.
Choose Otter.ai if…
- Automatic AI summaries and action items after every meeting matter most.
- Your team shares and comments on transcripts together.
- You use a Mac or want to transcribe on your phone, or upload recorded files.
Using both
Some people keep a cloud note-taker for internal meetings and use Call Transcriber for client calls, phone calls and meetings where a bot isn't welcome. Because Call Transcriber needs nothing from the meeting, the two don't get in each other's way.
Try it on your next call
- Download Call Transcriber for Windows 10 or 11 and sign in with your email.
- Join your next Zoom, Teams, Meet or WhatsApp call as usual: the transcript starts by itself.
- Press Ctrl+Alt+T to copy what the other person just said.
Otter.ai and OtterPilot are trademarks of Otter.ai, Inc.; Call Transcriber is not affiliated with it. Comparison based on publicly available information as of 2026-10-22; check otter.ai for current features and prices.