Users have mixed reactions to Otter.ai, with significant concerns about its core functionality alongside recognition of its ease of use. Reddit users particularly criticize the platform's ability to handle multi-speaker transcripts, with some describing it as "absolutely horrible" at distinguishing between different speakers in meetings. However, CNET reviews acknowledge it as an easy-to-use recording and transcription service, though they note there are hard limits on its capabilities, and Trustpilot reviews indicate ongoing issues with bugs affecting core features and concerns about pricing transparency.

Notion Meeting Recorder receives feedback suggesting it serves as a basic solution rather than a comprehensive meeting assistant. Reviews characterize it as a clever and lightweight feature that provides a tidy way to record conversations within the Notion ecosystem. However, users emphasize that this tool should not be considered a serious meeting assistant, positioning it more as a simple recording utility integrated into Notion's broader workspace functionality.

For more detailed information, see: 1 2 3 4

Notion Meeting Recorder offers tight integration within the Notion ecosystem, automatically generating summaries and action items that seamlessly connect to existing project databases and task management workflows. The tool excels for teams already using Notion as their primary workspace, providing a unified environment where meeting notes, tasks, and documentation coexist without context switching. However, it requires significant setup and configuration to maximize its potential, and the $8-10 monthly AI add-on fee can be difficult to justify for teams not fully committed to the Notion platform.

Otter.ai provides straightforward transcription and note-taking capabilities with a generous free tier and easy setup across multiple meeting platforms. The tool handles real-time transcription well and offers useful features like speaker identification and the ability to highlight important moments during meetings. Its main weaknesses include verbose, poorly structured transcripts that make finding key information difficult, and occasional accuracy issues with complex audio or speaker identification.

Notion Meeting Recorder works best for teams already embedded in the Notion ecosystem who need meeting notes to integrate directly with their existing project management and documentation workflows. Otter.ai suits individuals or teams seeking a simple, standalone transcription solution without requiring deep integration with other productivity tools. Both tools, however, offer limited depth in their third-party integrations and fall short of providing comprehensive automation that truly transforms meeting outcomes into actionable workflows.

While both tools can capture and summarize meetings effectively, they lack the sophisticated integration capabilities and follow-through automation needed to ensure meeting insights translate into completed tasks and measurable outcomes. Users often find themselves manually transferring information or creating additional workflows to bridge the gap between meeting notes and actual productivity gains.

Why users switch away from Notion Meeting Recorder or Otter.ai

Users switch away from Notion Meeting Recorder due to its requirement for full Notion ecosystem adoption. The feature requires users to configure Notion pages and databases to extract maximum value, creating a learning curve for teams not already using Notion heavily. Users report falling into a "build your setup" trap, where the tool assumes users manage tasks and notes within Notion's system rather than functioning as a standalone solution.

The additional cost burden drives users to seek alternatives. Notion AI Meeting Notes requires a $10 per member per month add-on (or $8/member/month annually) on top of existing Notion plan fees. Each user who wants to transcribe meetings needs this separate AI subscription, making it expensive for teams compared to dedicated meeting tools with inclusive pricing structures.

Technical limitations around audio capture cause reliability concerns for users. Unlike dedicated meeting tools that use bots to join calls, Notion relies on the user's device audio setup. If the device fails to capture audio properly, users miss their meeting notes entirely. The tool also faces challenges with extremely large or long meetings due to usage limitations, and mobile versions can only capture microphone input rather than full system audio on iOS devices.

Users switch away from Otter.ai due to transcription quality issues. The accuracy suffers with complex audio environments, leading to mistakes in transcription and speaker identification. This creates unreliable meeting records that require additional editing and verification.

The verbosity and poor structure of Otter.ai's transcripts present another switching factor. Users report that transcripts are overly long and lack organization, making it difficult to quickly locate key takeaways or action items from meetings. This defeats the purpose of having an efficient note-taking solution.

Meeting management problems drive users to seek alternatives. Otter.ai's assistant can spam calendar invites and join unwanted meetings when not properly configured. Additionally, the free version's 40-minute limit on Zoom meetings creates interruptions for users who need longer transcription sessions.

FAQs

Would Notion Meeting Recorder work for in-person meetings? What about Otter.ai?

Yes, both tools work for in-person meetings. Notion Meeting Recorder can capture in-person discussions using your device's microphone - you could set your phone or laptop in a conference room to transcribe the conversation. Otter.ai can also transcribe live in-person conversations via its app.

Does either of these tools require a meeting bot to join the meeting?

No, Notion Meeting Recorder does not require a meeting bot - it records audio locally from your computer by capturing system output and microphone input directly. Otter.ai has the option to use an assistant that can join meetings in real time for platforms like Zoom and Teams, but it can also record audio via its web or mobile app without requiring a meeting.

What do users say about the quality of transcriptions?

For Notion Meeting Recorder, early users report that the AI does a good job extracting key points from dense conversations and making them accessible and actionable for the team. For Otter.ai, users have mixed feedback - while they appreciate the real-time transcript capability, some note that accuracy can suffer with complex audio, with mistakes in transcription or speaker identification. Additionally, Otter.ai transcripts can be overly verbose and lack structure, making it hard to quickly find key takeaways.

Do these tools help a user follow up with action items from the meeting? How so?

Yes, both tools help with action items. Notion Meeting Recorder automatically generates a summary with action items as soon as the meeting ends. These action items can be converted into checkboxes, assigned to owners, or moved into your task database within Notion with minimal manual effort. Otter.ai's "OtterPilot" feature auto-generates summaries and follow-up emails to help with post-meeting tasks.

Do these tools integrate with software like Hubspot, Salesforce, or Linear?

Notion Meeting Recorder integrates deeply within the Notion ecosystem but does not directly push into third-party calendars or CRMs out-of-the-box. However, you could potentially route meeting notes to other systems via Notion's API or tools like Zapier. Otter.ai does integrate with HubSpot and can push notes there via OtterPilot, and also integrates with other platforms like Zoom and Slack.

Another alternative: Circleback

Circleback provides best-in-class AI-powered meeting notes and automations. We support over 100 languages and automatic participant identification in both in-person and online meetings.

• Automatically-identified and assigned action items

• AI-enabled search across all meetings

• Automations with 100+ app integrations

• Industry-leading security with SOC 2 Type II, EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, and HIPAA compliance

• Ability to capture both online and in-person meetings with desktop and mobile apps