Otter.ai

Otter.ai transcribes meetings in real-time and generates summaries with action items. Join Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams calls and it automatically records and transcribes. The AI identifies speakers, highlights key points, and extracts action items. Free tier includes 300 minutes/month, which covers 6-8 meetings. Paid plans unlock more minutes and integrations.

Perfect for remote teams running 5-10 meetings weekly, journalists conducting interviews, and anyone who needs meeting notes without manual typing. The automated summaries save 10-15 minutes per meeting. Search your meeting history to find when something was discussed. It's like having a junior assistant taking notes.

Where it struggles: transcription accuracy dips with accents, technical jargon, or poor audio quality (90-95% is typical, not 99%+), and the free tier caps out fast for heavy users. Also, recording meetings without consent has ethical/legal considerations — always notify participants. Good tool for internal meetings, not for mission-critical transcription.