Otter.ai and Notta both record, transcribe and summarize audio, so you can review a lecture, an interview or a group-project call without scrambling to type every word. Otter.ai is one of the best-known lecture note takers, with a usable free plan and a student discount. Notta is a multilingual transcription app with apps on every major platform and an education discount. Here's how they compare on free-plan limits, recording length, languages, price and student deals.
Choose Otter.ai if you mainly want to record whole lectures for free — its 30-minute conversations and 300 monthly minutes go much further than Notta's 3-minute free limit — or if you'll use its student discount on Pro.
Choose Notta if you need transcription in languages beyond the six Otter supports, translated transcripts or recordings up to 5 hours, and you're willing to pay for a year of Pro, especially with its education discount.
| Feature | Otter.ai | Notta |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Recording full lectures, including on the free plan | Multilingual transcription, translation and long recordings |
| Free plan | 300 minutes/month, up to 30 minutes per conversation, 3 lifetime file imports | 120 minutes/month, up to 3 minutes per transcription, 50 file imports and 10 AI summaries/month |
| Main paid plan | Pro: $16.99/month, or $8.33/month billed annually | Pro: $8.17/month billed annually ($97.99/year) |
| Paid plan limits | 1,200 minutes/month, up to 90 minutes per conversation, 10 imports/month | 1,800 minutes/month, up to 5 hours per recording, 100 imports/month |
| Student deal | 20% off Pro with a school email ($79.99/year) | 50% education discount on Pro with a school email |
| Languages | English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese | 58 languages; transcript translation on paid plans |
| Platforms | Web, iOS and Android apps | Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension, Mac and Windows desktop apps |
| Online classes and calls | Joins Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams | Joins Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex; desktop app can record without a bot |
| AI features | Summaries, AI chat across recordings, study guides and quizzes from lecture notes | AI summaries, questions across your recordings, translation |
Prices and features as of October 2026 — check the official site for current details
Best for: recording full lectures, including on the free plan
Otter.ai records and transcribes live, then creates AI summaries and searchable transcripts you can ask questions about. Its mobile and web apps can record in-person lectures, and it can join Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls. Otter transcribes English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese. The free Basic plan includes 300 minutes a month, up to 30 minutes per conversation and 3 file imports for the life of the account. Otter Pro costs $16.99/month or $8.33/month billed annually, with 1,200 minutes a month, up to 90 minutes per conversation and 10 file imports a month. Students and teachers with a school email can get 20% off Pro ($79.99/year or $13.59/month), and Otter has added tools that turn lecture notes into study guides and quizzes.
Why students use it:
For recording lectures, Otter.ai is usually the better fit, because its free plan allows conversations up to 30 minutes while Notta's free plan caps each transcription at 3 minutes. Notta is a strong choice if you need many languages, translation or very long recordings and plan to pay for Pro.
Best for: multilingual transcription, translation and long recordings on a budget
Notta is an AI note taker with a web app, iOS and Android apps, a Chrome extension and desktop apps for Mac and Windows that can record a call without adding a bot. It can join Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex, transcribe uploaded audio, video and YouTube links, and Notta says it supports transcription in 58 languages, with transcript translation on paid plans. The free plan includes 120 transcription minutes a month, but each transcription is capped at 3 minutes, plus 50 file imports and 10 AI summaries a month. Notta Pro costs $8.17/month billed annually ($97.99/year) and includes 1,800 minutes a month, recordings up to 5 hours, 100 file imports and 100 AI summaries a month. Notta lists a 50% education discount on Pro for students and educators who sign up with a school email.
Why students use it:
Choose Otter.ai if you mainly want to record whole lectures for free — its 30-minute conversations and 300 monthly minutes go much further than Notta's 3-minute free limit — or if you'll use its student discount on Pro. Choose Notta if you need transcription in languages beyond the six Otter supports, translated transcripts or recordings up to 5 hours, and you're willing to pay for a year of Pro, especially with its education discount. Both have free plans, so test each with a short recording from one of your own classes first.
Always ask your instructor before recording a class, and tell classmates before a bot joins a group call — some states and countries require everyone's consent to record, and some schools limit recording unless you have an accommodation. If you have a documented disability, your campus disability services office may be able to arrange note-taking support. AI transcripts and summaries are a study aid, not a replacement for attending and engaging with the material.