An open-source alternative to Otter.ai
Otter.ai is a cloud meeting assistant: your meetings are recorded and processed on its servers, under an account. Echo does the same core job (recording, transcription, speaker labels and notes) entirely on your own Mac.
How they differ
- Where it runs. Otter.ai is a cloud service. Echo runs on your Mac and listens only on its loopback address.
- In the call. Otter.ai: yes; its notetaker joins Zoom, Teams and Google Meet. Echo never joins as a participant; its extension records your own meeting tab.
- Your data. Otter.ai stores meetings in Otter’s cloud. Echo keeps them in an encrypted library on your disk, with the key in the macOS Keychain.
- Price. Otter.ai: free Basic plan; paid Pro, Business and Enterprise plans. Echo is free and open source under the MIT licence.
When Otter.ai is the better fit
If you need team workspaces, sharing, mobile apps, CRM integrations, or don’t want to run software yourself, a hosted service like Otter.ai is the simpler choice. Echo is for one person on an Apple Silicon Mac who wants their meetings to stay on that Mac.
Try Echo
Follow the install guide (about ten minutes from a fresh Mac), or read the full comparison. The source is on GitHub.
Details about Otter.ai come from otter.ai/pricing, checked on 1 November 2026. Plans change; check Otter.ai for current details. Otter.ai is a trademark of its owner; Echo is not affiliated with it.