Otter is a fine transcript archive. But if you're reading this, something isn't working for you — the visible bot, the minute caps, or notes that arrive after the moment they'd have been useful. Here's the honest field.

Full disclosure: we build Cluely, the first tool below — so judge our ranking accordingly. But every factual claim here comes from each product's official site as of June 2026, and we've noted exactly who each tool is right for, including when that isn't us.

1. Cluely — live AI help during the call

Cluely is the alternative for people whose real complaint about Otter isn't the bot — it's that a transcript after the meeting doesn't help you in the meeting. Cluely captures audio on-device (nothing joins your call), watches your screen for context, and suggests answers in a translucent overlay only you can see, while the conversation is still happening. Notes, action items, and an AI-drafted follow-up email are generated automatically.

It works with any meeting app that plays audio through your Mac or Windows machine — Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Slack calls — with no per-app integration. The Pro + Undetectability plan adds OS-level content protection so the overlay stays out of screen shares and recordings. Pricing: free Starter plan (3 meetings, limited AI responses); Pro $11.99/mo billed annually or $19.99 monthly.

2. Granola — the AI notepad

Granola shares Cluely's no-bot architecture: it captures your computer's audio, so nothing appears in the participant list. Its philosophy is different — Granola is a notepad. You jot rough notes during the call, and afterward its AI enhances them into a polished summary using the transcript. Its chat can answer questions across past meetings, and pre-meeting briefs prep you from your calendar.

Tradeoffs: no suggested answers during the conversation, no screen awareness, no audio replay, and the free plan limits you to a rolling 30-day note history. Pricing: free; Business $14/user/mo, monthly billing only.

3. Fathom — the generous free recorder

Fathom's free plan is the most generous in the category: unlimited recordings and transcriptions, instant AI summaries, clips, and search — including full audio and video capture you can rewatch. It supports both a traditional meeting bot and a newer bot-free desktop capture mode (Mac, in beta as of mid-2026), and paid tiers add CRM sync to Salesforce and HubSpot.

During the call, Fathom shows live-updating summaries so you can catch up if you lose the thread — but it doesn't suggest answers or coach you; its AI assistance is after-the-fact. Pricing: free (unlimited recordings); Premium $16/mo billed annually or $20 monthly.

4. Fireflies.ai — the team archive

Fireflies is closest to Otter in shape: its bot ('Fred') joins meetings as a visible participant and builds a searchable, analyzable archive of team conversations, with transcription in 100+ languages, speaker recognition, and conversation intelligence. Its Live Assist feature adds real-time suggestions and answers during meetings, drawing on your team's knowledge base, via the desktop app on paid plans.

Like Otter, the bot is visible to everyone on the call, and video recording requires a paid plan. The free tier has unlimited transcription but only 400 minutes of storage per team. Pricing: free; Pro $10/seat/mo billed annually or $18 monthly.

How to choose

Decide on two axes. Capture: if a visible bot in the participant list bothers you or your clients, that removes Otter and Fireflies and leaves Cluely, Granola, or Fathom's bot-free mode. Timing: if you want help while the conversation is happening — not a recap after — the field narrows to Cluely (on-device, screen-aware, private to you) and Fireflies Live Assist (knowledge-base suggestions, bot-based, paid desktop app).

Want the deeper head-to-heads? Read Cluely vs Otter.ai and Cluely vs Granola, or start with what to look for in an AI notetaker.