Otter.ai and Tiro,
what is actually different?
Both transcribe meetings in real time. The differences show up in which languages you meet in, and what happens after the meeting ends.
Three things that set Tiro apart
No bot, in any situation
Otter's assistant joins the call and shows up in the participant list. Tiro captures system audio instead, so in-person conversations, phone calls, and offline recordings are covered in one click and nothing appears as a guest.
Korean, Japanese, and Chinese as the default
Tiro was built around Asian languages rather than added to them: 98% accuracy in typical rooms, above 90% on noisy sites, and abbreviations and loanwords come through intact.
Interpretation while the meeting is running
Otter takes one language per conversation and translation happens after the fact in Otter Chat. Tiro moves speech into 15+ other languages as it is spoken, so people who do not share a language can stay in the same meeting.
They look alike. They do different jobs.
Otter.ai made meeting transcription a habit for English-speaking teams. The Otter Assistant joins Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams from your calendar, transcribes live, and writes up summaries and action items. Tiro takes a different starting point: Korean, Japanese, and Chinese meetings, recorded without a bot, handed to agents afterwards.
Side by side, in detail
| Otter.ai | Tiro | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does best | Records and summarizes English meetings | Records Asian-language meetings and hands the context to agents |
| Transcription languages | 6 languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese), one per conversation | 15+ languages, including Korean, Japanese, and Chinese |
| Interpretation during the meeting | One language per conversation; translation afterwards in Otter Chat | 15+ languages while the meeting is running |
| Capture | Otter Assistant joins the call, plus Chrome extension, desktop, and mobile | System audio capture, in person, phone, and offline |
| Real-time transcription | Supported, within 0.5 seconds | |
| Agent and system integration | API and webhooks on Enterprise; Salesforce and HubSpot sync on mid tiers; Zapier on Business | MCP, API, Webhook, and CLI on every paid plan |
| Security certifications | SOC 2 Type 2; policies based on the ISO 27001 framework | SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified |
| Where data sits | United States | Cloud, centered on Korea and Asia (requirements handled case by case) |
| Getting started | Free plan (300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation). Pro $8.49 a month billed annually, $16.99 monthly | Free trial, then from $7 a month |
Different jobs call for different tools
Your meetings are mostly in English and run on Zoom, Meet, or Teams, and you work alongside teams that already live in Otter. A US-based service and an English-first product are no obstacle for you.
You meet in Korean, Japanese, or Chinese; you need in-person and phone conversations recorded without a bot; you need interpretation during the meeting; or you want notes flowing through MCP, API, Webhook, and CLI into internal systems and AI agents.
Which languages you meet in, and how far the notes travel afterwards, decide this one.
See what it saves you, in numbers
Pick your team size and get the estimated hours and cost saved, plus a rollout quote, right away.
Frequently asked questions
Does Tiro send a bot into meetings the way Otter does?
No. Tiro captures system audio directly, so no bot is needed and nothing appears in the participant list. Recording starts with one click and covers in-person conversations, phone calls, and offline recordings as well as video meetings.
Which one handles Korean, Japanese, and Chinese meetings better?
Tiro was built around those languages. Otter lists 6 transcription languages and takes one per conversation. Tiro records 15+ languages in real time, keeps 98% accuracy in typical rooms, and interprets between them during the meeting.
What does interpretation during the meeting actually mean?
While people are still talking, Tiro moves what was said into the language you asked for and shows it on screen. It does not wait for the transcript to finish before translating, so participants who do not share a language can keep the same conversation going.
Otter has an API too. What is different about Tiro's integration?
Where the output goes, and who can reach it. Otter's API and webhooks are on Enterprise. Tiro opens four channels, MCP, API, Webhook, and CLI, on every paid plan, so external agents such as Claude and your own systems can read the meeting directly.
How does the cost compare?
Otter's paid plans are per seat, with Pro at $8.49 a month billed annually, and the free plan caps you at 300 minutes a month and 30 minutes per conversation. Tiro bills each person for what they use from $7 a month, gives two months free on annual billing, and includes real-time transcription, live interpretation, and the MCP, API, Webhook, and CLI channels in every paid plan.
Is our meeting content used to train AI?
Tiro never uses customer data to train AI models and isolates encryption keys per customer. It is certified to SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO/IEC 27001:2022.