Private offline dictation, not cloud meeting transcription
Otter.ai and Echo solve different problems. Otter.ai joins your Zoom calls and records meetings. Echo lets you speak and have it type in any app — email, documents, code editors — all processed locally on your device with no account and no subscription.
If you need to transcribe meetings, Otter.ai works well — but your audio goes to their cloud. Echo is building meeting transcription support in a future release, so you'll soon be able to keep your meetings private too.
Download Echo FreeFeature by feature
| Feature | Echo | Otter.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Use Case | —Real-time voice dictation — speak, it types in any app | ✓Meeting transcription — joins Zoom/Teams/Meet calls |
| Price | ✓Free forever | ✗Free (300 min/month) · Pro $16.99/mo · Business $30/mo |
| Audio Processing | ✓100% local — nothing leaves your device | ✗Cloud-based — audio sent to Otter servers |
| Open Source | ✓MIT License — fully auditable | ✗Proprietary closed source |
| Account Required | ✓Never | ✗Mandatory signup |
| Platforms | ✓macOS, Windows, Linux desktop apps | ✗Web, iOS, Android (no desktop app) |
| Global Shortcut / Auto-Paste | ✓Yes — push-to-talk, pastes into any app | ✗No — meeting recording focus only |
| Speech Model | ✓Whisper Small, Medium, or Large (local) | ✗Proprietary cloud model |
| Free Tier Limits | ✓Unlimited — no caps ever | ✗300 minutes/month, English/French/Spanish only |
| Meeting Summaries / Action Items | —Not yet (on roadmap) | ✓Yes — AI-generated summaries |
| Zoom / Teams / Meet Integration | —Not available | ✓Yes — bot joins calls automatically |
| Multi-Speaker Diarization | —Not yet | ✓Yes — identifies different speakers |
| Data Retention | ✓Nothing leaves your device | ✗Audio stored on Otter servers |
Why Echo for privacy-conscious users
Different Tools for Different Jobs
Otter.ai is a meeting transcription tool — it joins your Zoom calls and generates summaries. Echo is a real-time dictation tool — you press a shortcut, speak, and it types in your email, document, or code editor. Most people searching for an 'Otter alternative' actually want the latter.
Completely Private
Every word you speak stays on your machine. Echo processes audio entirely offline using local Whisper models — no audio ever touches a server. Otter.ai sends your voice to their cloud every time you record, regardless of SOC 2 certification.
Free Forever, No Limits
Otter's free plan caps you at 300 minutes per month and limits you to three languages. Echo has no limits of any kind — use it all day, every day, for as long as you want, in any of 100 languages.
Ready to ditch the cloud?
No account. No cloud. Free forever.
Download Echo FreeFree forever · MIT License · Open source on GitHub