Acta vs Otter: beyond the live transcript
Otter is great at the transcript you watch during the call. Acta is built for what comes after it: answers across meetings and files, the right template for each meeting, and action items and decisions that are tracked, not just written down.
Acta vs Otter in short
Otter and Acta both record and transcribe Zoom, Google Meet and Teams meetings and let you chat across them (Otter AI Chat, Acta OneChat). Otter's free plan gives 300 minutes a month with a 30-minute limit per conversation, and Pro starts at about $8.33 per user per month. Acta adds OneChat over your files and web links, 42 templates that read the conversation, an action item tracker with daily follow-up emails and a decision log.
The report your role needs
A sales call becomes a MEDDPICC report, an interview a scorecard, a standup a project update. Acta picks the templates that fit.
Owners who get reminded
Action items don't just carry a name: they're tracked to done, and overdue ones go back to their owner in a daily email.
A memory of decisions
The decision log keeps every decision across meetings, and shows when and how it changed.
Acta vs Otter, feature by feature
OtterAsk across everything
After the meeting
Templates
Recording
Plans
Otter details are from their public website and reviews, checked October 2026. Products change: if something here is out of date, tell us at contact@acta.ai and we'll fix it.
What you get with Acta beyond Otter
Templates
From transcript to the document your team needs
42 templates for sales, hiring, engineering, healthcare, finance and more. Acta checks what was discussed, fills the right ones and marks the rest “Not relevant” instead of guessing.
- MEDDPICC, BANT, SPIN and SPICED for sales calls
- Shows what's missing and what to ask next time
- Marks a template “Not relevant” instead of making things up
From the call
“If we get each rep four hours back a week, that's the case.”
“Anything above fifty thousand goes to our CFO.”
“We need a SOC 2 report before procurement.”
Metrics
Champion
Economic buyer
Paper process
Ask next: who signs off above $50k?
Action item tracker
Assigned is not the same as done
Acta collects action items from all your meetings with owners and due dates, shows what's overdue or due this week, and sends a daily follow-up to the people who own them.
- Group by meeting or by person
- Overdue items flagged automatically
- Daily follow-up email to owners
Overdue
3
Due this week
4
Done
12
Daily follow-up, 9:00
Priya, 1 item is overdue: Send Acme the revised proposal.
OneChat
Chat with meetings, files and links together
OneChat answers across the meetings you choose plus the PDFs, Word and Excel files and web pages you add, and every line links back to its source.
- Choose meetings by date, people or type
- Contracts, price lists and playbooks in the same answer
- Click a source to play that moment
Yes. The contract allows a two-year price hold 1, and you agreed to it on the renewal call, subject to finance 2. Increases after that are capped at 5% 3.
Decision log
Know what was decided, and when it changed
Each decision is kept with who made it, who owns it, the quote and the moment it was said, and its history across later meetings.
- “Was 60 minutes, changed to 90 on Oct 8”
- The quote and the moment it was said
- Linked actions with progress
Recordings stop after 90 minutes
Discussed in 2 meetingsWas: 60 minutes · changed Oct 8
Oct 4 · Sprint review
“Recording should stop on its own after 60 minutes.” 14:11
Oct 8 · Recorder check-in
“Sixty is too short, let's make it 90 minutes.” 8:41
Actions
Every decision, from every meeting, in one log
Where Otter does well
- Live transcripts you can highlight and comment on during the call.
- AI Chat across your meeting library, during and after meetings.
- Action items with names attached.
Best for: People who want a live transcript to follow and highlight during the call.
Choose Acta if you want
- Role-specific reports filled from each meeting
- Action items tracked to done with daily follow-ups
- A decision log across meetings
- Answers that include your files
- Recording with or without a bot
How to switch from Otter to Acta
- 1
Start your free trial
Sign up and connect your Google or Microsoft calendar. The trial is free for 15 days.
- 2
Choose how to record
Let the Acta notetaker join from your calendar, or record without a bot using the desktop app for Windows and Mac or the Chrome extension.
- 3
Turn on what happens after the call
Pick your templates and turn on the daily follow-up, so action items and decisions are tracked from the first meeting.
- 4
Coming from Otter?
Connect your calendar and the Acta notetaker joins your Zoom, Google Meet and Teams meetings. The summary, templates and action items are ready when the call ends.
Acta vs Otter: questions
Is Acta an Otter alternative?
Yes. Acta records Zoom, Google Meet and Teams like Otter, and adds OneChat across meetings and files, 42 templates, an action item tracker with daily follow-ups and a decision log.
How is OneChat different from Otter AI Chat?
Both answer across your meetings. OneChat also reads PDFs, Word and Excel files and web links you add, lets you choose meetings by date, people or type, and links each line to the meeting moment or file page.
What does Otter's free plan include?
Reviews in October 2026 describe 300 transcription minutes a month with a 30-minute limit per conversation. Acta's 15-day free trial includes unlimited recordings and transcriptions.
Can Acta make reports, not just notes?
Yes. Acta's 42 templates turn meetings into deal reports, interview scorecards, PRDs, Jira tickets, post-mortems, lecture notes and draft clinical notes.
Can I try Acta for free?
Yes. Acta is free for 15 days with unlimited recordings and transcriptions. After that, Pro is priced per user on the pricing page.
Does Acta need a bot in my meeting?
No. Record with the Acta desktop app (Windows and Mac) or the Chrome extension without a bot, or let the Acta notetaker join from your calendar.
More comparisons
Switch from Otter in minutes
Connect your calendar and Acta takes notes from your next meeting. Free for 15 days.
Try Acta free