Lira vs Otter
Otter automates meeting notes: it joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, transcribes live and writes summaries with action items. Lira also transcribes and summarizes, but that is where its real work begins: during the conversation a live board prompts you with what to do next, and afterwards the commitments and the people are kept for you.
Two different categories
Otter joins Zoom, MS Teams and Google Meet to write and share notes automatically, transcribes live in its app, identifies speakers by name and writes summaries with action items and outlines. It has iOS and Android apps, desktop apps for Mac and Windows, and an MCP server.
Lira starts from the same audio and goes after a different outcome: what should happen because of this conversation. Think of it as an adviser across the areas of your life that tells you, on the go, what to do. It works on the web, iPhone, Android and Mac.
Otter alternative: which one to pick
Otter writes and shares the notes of your meetings; Lira advises you while the conversation is still going.
| Pick | Who it suits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Best for next steps Lira | Who it suits People who want advice during the conversation itself | Why Get live cues on every plan, in the browser, on iPhone or on Mac Get transcripts in 10 languages Record both sides of a Teams, Zoom or Meet call with the Mac app More: Live advice, Commitments, Pricing |
| Free pick Otter Basic | Who it suits Anyone recording short meetings for free | Why See who is speaking while the transcript appears live Record from your iPhone or Android phone Use the Otter MCP server, even on the free plan Free plan limits: 300 transcription minutes a month, up to 30 per talk, 3 imports in total Sources: Otter pricing, Limits of the free plan |
| For a team notetaker Otter Business | Who it suits Teams that want a notetaker in every call | Why Let the notetaker join your Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet calls Cover meetings of up to 4 hours From US$19.99 per user a month, billed yearly Source: Otter pricing |
During the meeting, Lira prompts you
Lira listens to the conversation as it happens and keeps a board of cues that updates while you talk. The board tells you what to do in the moment, and every cue names its reason. The same board runs on the web, iPhone and Mac, during the call, the negotiation, the medical consultation or the hard personal talk.
- What to ask next, with humble inquiry (Edgar Schein) and power negotiation (Roger Dawson, Secrets of Power Negotiating).
- How to say it: nonviolent communication (Marshall Rosenberg), and flags on filler words that blur your point.
- What to keep in view: key notes of what matters right now, and a fact check when a claim doesn't match what's already on record.
- You set how much noise the minor cues make, with one importance slider.
After the meeting, Lira keeps the follow-through
- Commitments: Every promise, yours and theirs, lands in one ledger: who owes whom what, by when, open or completed. An email each night reminds you of what's due.
- A page per person: Lira builds a CRM on its own: each person you talk to gets a page with the relationship summary, the recent topics and their open commitments. Voices are recognized across recordings only with explicit consent.
- Ask, weeks later: Ask in plain language about everything you have recorded. Every answer cites the recording and the exact passage where it was said.
From the conversation to the follow-up
| Workflow | Lira | Otter |
|---|---|---|
| Capture | Record your microphone; the Mac app also captures both sides of Teams, Zoom or Meet calls. Nothing joins the meeting. | Joins Zoom, MS Teams and Google Meet to write notes; live transcription in the Otter app. |
| Languages | Transcripts in 10 languages. | AI transcription in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese. |
| During the conversation | A live board of cues with their sources, on web, iPhone and Mac. | Live transcription; "Assist: call objectives + live coaching" is listed in the plan table. |
| Follow-through | A commitments ledger: who owes whom what, by when, open or completed; an email each night. | Summaries with action items. |
| People | A page per person across recordings. | Speaker identification by name, shared speakers. |
| Across conversations | Ask across all recordings, with the recording and passage cited. | AI Chat within and across meetings. |
| AI agents | MCP server and a Prompt tab for agents such as Claude Code. | Otter MCP server. |
Why we built Lira
We built Lira because we could not buy this, at any price: a recorder that advises you mid-conversation and keeps a CRM of the people in your life afterwards. That is the category Lira is in. Otter is a capable answer to the old question of meeting notes. Lira asks a new question: what should happen because of this conversation?
Check your setup before switching
Otter lists Windows apps, Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier integrations, SSO and HIPAA (Enterprise add-on). Equivalent Lira capabilities are not confirmed in this comparison. Verify any required integration before choosing a plan.
Try a typical conversation on your own devices. This comparison does not rank transcription accuracy, speaker recognition or summary quality.
Plans and billing
Lira
US$13/month, billed yearly, US$156 charged each year
US$19/month, billed monthly
Eligible annual subscriptions have a 3-day trial with a card required. At 5 recording hours the trial ends and the annual plan is charged. Prepaid or previously used trial cards can trigger an immediate charge. Monthly plans have no trial.
Otter
- Otter Basic: free, 300 monthly transcription minutes, up to 30 minutes per conversation, 25 most recent conversations.
- Otter Pro: US$16.99 per user/month billed monthly, US$8.33 billed annually; 1,200 minutes, up to 90 minutes per meeting.
- Otter Business: US$30 per user/month billed monthly, US$19.99 billed annually; up to 4 hours per meeting.
- Otter Enterprise: on request.
Questions
How much does Otter cost?
As of 9 October 2026: Otter Basic is free (300 monthly transcription minutes), Otter Pro is US$16.99 per user/month billed monthly or US$8.33 billed annually, Otter Business is US$30 per user/month billed monthly or US$19.99 billed annually, and Otter Enterprise is on request.
What is the difference between Lira and Otter?
Otter automates meeting notes. Lira is a different category: live advice during the conversation, then commitments and a CRM of the people you talk to.
Start 3-day free trial See pricing
Related
Official Otter documentation
Checked 9 to 16 October 2026. Prices and features can change.