Dot and Otter.ai: what each does in your meetings
Otter’s AI Notetaker joins Zoom, Teams and Google Meet calls as a participant, from your calendar, and its desktop app and Chrome extension can record without it. Dot is the app on your computer: nothing joins the call, and when somebody says “Hi Dot” the answer appears on its screen.
Every row below was checked against Otter’s own website and links to the page it came from. Where a detail was not on Otter’s own pages, we left it out rather than guess.
Every row below was checked against Otter.ai’s own documentation on 29 September 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it and say when.
The comparison
| Dot | Otter | |
|---|---|---|
| How it hears the meeting | Through the Dot app on your computer. Nothing joins the call, unless your organisation has Dot’s meeting bot switched on, so telling the people in it is up to you | Its AI Notetaker joins Zoom, Teams and Google Meet calls from your calendar. The desktop app and Chrome extension can record without a botOtter, apps and integrations → |
| Computers it runs on | Mac, Windows and Ubuntu | Mac (macOS 12.3 or later) and Windows 10 or laterOtter, apps and integrations → |
| Phone apps | None. Dot is a desktop app | iPhone and AndroidOtter, pricing → |
| Answers a question asked out loud in the call | Yes. Anybody Dot can hear may say “Hi Dot” and ask. The answer appears on the screen of the person running Dot, and the whole call sees it when they present Dot’s window | Otter announced a voice-activated meeting agent in March 2025 that answers questions in the meeting: on Zoom first, with Teams and Google Meet to followOtter, the meeting agent announcement, March 2025 → |
| Answers from earlier meetings | Yes. It reads the notes of your last five meetings when it answers; presented to the call, only earlier meetings of the same series | Yes. Otter AI Chat works within and across meetings, up to a number of questions a month: 20 on the free planOtter, pricing → |
| Keeps a recording | No. Dot keeps the transcript and the notes, not the audio | Yes. Audio playback on every plan, and video replay for Zoom and Google Meet on EnterpriseOtter, pricing → |
| Where data is kept | In the region your organisation picks at sign-up: the UK (London), the EU (Frankfurt) or the US (Virginia) | In the United States: Otter lists Amazon Web Services there for customer data storageOtter, subprocessors → |
| Free plan | No. A free trial, then a paid seat | Yes. Basic has 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes a conversation, and your 25 most recent conversationsOtter, pricing → |
A notetaker in the call, or an app on your computer
Otter’s notetaker joins from your calendar as a participant in the call. Its desktop app and Chrome extension can record without it, and its iPhone app records meetings in person.
Dot is the app on your computer, and nothing joins the call. When somebody says “Hi Dot” and asks, the answer appears on Dot’s screen, and the whole call reads it when you present Dot’s window. Afterwards Dot keeps the notes, not the audio, in the region your organisation chose.
Otter announced a voice agent for questions in Zoom meetings in March 2025. If your calls are on Zoom and a voice agent in the call suits your company, try it. If a participant your customers can see is the problem, or your meetings have to be kept in the UK or the EU, Dot is built for that.
Where Otter is the better choice
Be honest with yourself about this, because it is often the right answer.
Otter keeps the audio on every plan, with video replay on Enterprise. Dot keeps no recording.Otter, pricing →
Otter has iPhone and Android apps, and its iPhone app records meetings in person. Dot runs on a computer only.Otter, apps and integrations →
Otter’s Basic plan is free, with 300 minutes a month. Dot has a free trial, then a paid seat.Otter, pricing →
Otter has a SOC 2 Type 2 report. Dot does not have one yet.Otter, privacy and security →
Otter syncs notes to Salesforce or HubSpot from its Pro plan: one user on Pro, more on the plans above. Dot does not connect to a CRM.Otter, pricing →
Questions
Does Otter join the call as a bot?
Its AI Notetaker does, and can join Zoom, Teams and Google Meet calls automatically from your calendar. Otter’s desktop app and Chrome extension can record without it. Dot listens from your computer, and joins a call itself only where your organisation has its meeting bot switched on.Otter, apps and integrations →
Can I ask either one a question out loud?
Otter announced a voice-activated meeting agent for Zoom in March 2025, with Teams and Google Meet to follow. With Dot, anybody in the call can say “Hi Dot” and ask, on Teams, Zoom or Google Meet, and the answer appears on Dot’s screen.Otter, the meeting agent announcement, March 2025 →
Where does Otter store data?
Otter lists Amazon Web Services in the United States as its customer data storage. Dot keeps each organisation’s meetings in the region it picks at sign-up: the UK, the EU or the US.Otter, subprocessors →