Otter alternative for Windows.
A9 Voice vs Otter.
Both record meetings on Windows with a desktop app, no bot in the call, and write transcripts and summaries you can search. A9 Voice differs on price (Notes $49 once, not $8.33 to $16.99 a month), offline models on your PC, your own keys, Markdown files. Otter differs on Mac, phone apps and team features.
Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit. One small installer, no admin rights.How they compare.
Otter works on Windows too, so the big differences are the price model and where the work happens. A9 Voice runs speech on your PC and keeps notes as files; Otter keeps them in its cloud, with free and monthly plans.
| A9 Voice | Otter | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit | Desktop app for Mac and Windows, iOS and Android apps, and a Chrome extension. Source |
| Free plan limits | Transcribe (dictation): no word limit and no account. Notes: free for 30 days, then $49 once. | Basic: 300 transcription minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation, 3 lifetime file imports, and the 25 most recent conversations kept. Source |
| Paid price | Notes $49 once, after a 30-day free trial. Transcribe stays free. | Pro $16.99 a month, or $8.33 a month billed annually. Business $30 a month, or $19.99 a month billed annually. Source |
| Joins the call as a bot? | No: records your mic and your computer’s audio | Its Notetaker joins Zoom, Teams and Google Meet as a participant. The desktop app can record supported meetings with no bot. Source, source |
| Names speakers how | Tag a voice once, or let it learn voices (opt-in); names show live, with no bot | You tag a speaker once and Otter learns the voice for next time; workspace members’ profiles are shared. Names show live only on Zoom, through its Notetaker. Source |
| Speech on your PC (offline) | Yes: Parakeet V2 and Whisper models, no key and no internet | Recording keeps going offline in the desktop and mobile apps; the audio is uploaded and processed when you reconnect. Source |
| Your own API keys | Yes, or none: models run on your PC | Not listed in its plans or help pages |
| Where notes are stored | Markdown files on your PC, in a folder you pick | Otter’s cloud, on AWS S3 storage with server-side encryption. A deleted conversation leaves the trash after 30 days. Source |
| Team features | None: built for one person on one PC | Shared speaker profiles and channels. Business: workspaces up to 25 billed users, activity logs, usage analytics. Enterprise: SSO and SCIM (100-user minimum), unlimited members. Source |
When Otter is the better pick.
Pick Otter if you need more than a Windows PC, or you’re buying for a team.
You need Mac, iPhone or Android
Otter has desktop apps for Mac and Windows and apps for iOS and Android. A9 Voice runs on Windows 10 and 11 only.
You’re rolling out to a team
Otter has workspaces, channels and shared speaker profiles, activity logs and usage analytics on Business, and SSO and SCIM on Enterprise. A9 Voice has no team features.
You live in Zoom and a CRM
Otter’s Notetaker names speakers live from Zoom’s participant names, and Pro and up connect to Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier. A9 Voice has no CRM connections.
When A9 Voice is the better pick.
Pick A9 Voice if you work on Windows and would rather own your tools than rent them.
You only use Windows
It’s built for Windows 10 and 11 and nothing else, with no Mac or phone app to compete for attention.
You don’t want a monthly bill
Notes is $49 once. Otter’s paid plans are $8.33 to $16.99 a month for one person, and its free plan stops each conversation at 30 minutes.
You want offline, or your own keys
Run speech models on your PC with no internet, or use your own provider keys and pay those providers directly.
You want notes as files
Every note is a folder of Markdown on your PC, so Claude, ChatGPT or any tool that reads files can use it.
What a year costs.
For one person, Otter Pro is $99.96 a year billed annually. A9 Voice Notes is $49 once, plus whatever your own providers charge, which is $0 on models that run on your PC.
| A9 Voice | Otter Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| First year | $49, plus provider costs | $99.96 billed annually ($8.33 × 12), or $203.88 billed monthly ($16.99 × 12) |
| Each year after | Provider costs only | $99.96 or $203.88 again |
| Provider costs | About 24 cents per 27-minute meeting and about 4 cents per hour of dictation on your own keys; $0 on models that run on your PC | Included in the plan, up to 1,200 minutes a month and 90 minutes per meeting |
An example: ten 27-minute meetings a month at 24 cents is $2.40 a month, or $28.80 a year. The first year is $49 + $28.80 = $77.80 against $99.96. If your meetings run under 30 minutes and add up to under 300 minutes a month, Otter’s free plan costs nothing too.
Our arithmetic from list prices checked on October 13, 2026. The 24-cent and 4-cent figures come from our own test, explained in the first answer on the features page; your usage will differ.Moving over takes three steps.
You can have A9 Voice dictating in a few minutes. Your Otter account can stay where it is until you’re happy.
1. Install
One small installer, no admin rights. Getting started walks through the first dictation.
2. Add your names and jargon
Put the words you use in the Dictionary so they come out spelled your way. How the Dictionary works.
3. Turn on Notes for your call apps
Pick Teams, Zoom or another call app and A9 Voice records when it opens the mic. How recording a meeting works.
Questions
Is there a free Otter alternative for Windows?
Yes. Transcribe, the dictation half of A9 Voice, is free with no word limit and no account. Notes, the meeting half, is free for 30 days and then costs $49 once. Otter has a free plan too, with 300 minutes a month and 30 minutes per conversation. If you use cloud keys you pay those providers directly; models that run on your PC cost nothing per use.
Does A9 Voice join my call as a bot?
No. It records your microphone and your computer’s audio on your PC, so nothing joins the call or shows in the participant list. Otter’s Notetaker does join as a participant, though its desktop app can record without one. Nothing announces the recording, so tell the people on the call: you’re responsible for any consent your location requires.
Does Otter work on Windows?
Yes. Otter has a desktop app for Windows and Mac, plus iOS and Android apps. You don’t need to leave it just to be on Windows; the reasons to switch are a one-time price, speech models on your PC, your own keys and notes kept as files.
Can A9 Voice run without internet?
Yes. Download a speech model in Settings › Speech models and dictation and meeting transcripts work with no internet. For summaries and Ask offline, point the app at a language model running on your PC. Otter’s apps keep recording when you’re offline and process the audio after you reconnect.
Can I use A9 Voice and Otter together?
Yes, they are separate apps. Record each meeting with only one of them so you don’t end up with two sets of notes, and give each its own hold-to-talk key if you dictate with both.
Try it next to what you use now.
Transcribe is free. Notes is free for 30 days, then $49 once. One small installer, no admin rights needed.
Download free Windows 10/11, 64-bit · Manual · Pricing · All comparisons