Otter.ai vs Loom
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Otter.ai and Loom.
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Verdict: Loom wins
Loom scores 4.3/5, edging out Otter.ai at 3.8/5. Distributed teams that already live in Atlassian tools and want to replace status meetings and long emails with quick screen-and-face video messages.
Otter.ai AI meeting notes and transcription | Loom Record and share video messages effortlessly | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.8 (1 review) | 4.3 (1 review) |
| Pricing Model | freemium | freemium |
| Starting Price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Best For | Individuals and small teams with back-to-back calls who want live transcripts, searchable meeting memory, and a predictable per-seat price. | Distributed teams that already live in Atlassian tools and want to replace status meetings and long emails with quick screen-and-face video messages. |
| Free Tier | ||
| API Access | ||
| Team Features | ||
| Open Source | ||
| Tags | free tierteam features | api accessteam featuresfree tier |
| Visit Otter.ai → | Visit Loom → |
Otter.ai
Pros
- + Live transcription kept pace with a few seconds' lag and nailed team-vocabulary names in my runs
- + Meeting archive + AI Chat answered 'what did the client commit to?' with transcript citations
- + DOCX and SRT exports on Pro drop transcripts straight into client files and caption workflows
- + Transparent pricing page with real ceilings stated up front; 20% student discount on Pro
- + Free Basic tier genuinely usable for a weekly 30-minute meeting
Cons
- - 90-minute per-meeting cap on Pro truncated a 95-minute workshop mid-transcription in my testing
- - 1,200 monthly minutes drained in about two weeks of a heavy call schedule, with no rollover
- - Accuracy visibly degrades with overlapping speech and non-native accents — transcripts need an editing pass
- - CRM sync is metered per user (1 on Pro, 5 on Business) despite broad integration marketing
- - Free plan keeps only the 25 most recent conversations and allows 3 file imports for the account lifetime
Loom
Pros
- + Record-to-share loop is the fastest I have measured in this category — a five-minute take was shareable in under 30 seconds in my testing, with processing happening behind a live link
- + Transcriptions and closed captions in 50+ languages are now included on the free plan, which removes what used to be the main reason to upgrade
- + Edit-by-transcript and filler-word removal on the Business + AI plan save real editing time on narrated walkthroughs
- + Deep Atlassian integration (Confluence/Jira recording entry points, Rovo/MCP search) makes it a natural fit for teams already on that stack
- + Comments, emoji reactions, calls-to-action, and viewer insights turn a one-way video into an actual async conversation
Cons
- - Starter's 25-video and 5-minute caps hit fast — I reached the video ceiling in about three weeks of moderate use, and free users cannot download their own videos
- - Seat economics are confusing after the Atlassian migration: Creator Lite free seats are deprecated for new signups after February 2026 and billing differs between loom.com and atlassian.com
- - Loom AI cannot be bought as an add-on — getting AI titles/summaries means moving the whole team to the $24 tier
- - No contractual uptime SLA and no advanced retention/audit controls below Enterprise pricing
- - Editing is intentionally shallow (trim, stitch, overlays only) — anything production-grade needs an external editor
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Otter.ai or Loom?▼
Loom scores higher at 4.3/5 vs 3.8/5 for Otter.ai, making it the better-rated option in our comparison.
What is the difference between Otter.ai and Loom?▼
Otter.ai: AI meeting assistant that transcribes Zoom, Meet and Teams calls live, with summaries and action items. Free plan (300 min/mo); Pro from $8.33/mo billed yearly. Loom: Screen and camera recording tool with AI-powered editing and collaboration features for asynchronous video communication.
Is Otter.ai or Loom more affordable?▼
Otter.ai starts at €0/mo, Loom starts at €0/mo. Check the comparison table above for current pricing.
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