Otter AI vs Fellow

Taking notes during meetings shouldn’t feel like a juggling act. That’s where AI note-takers step in — helping you stay focused while they handle the documentation. Otter AI and Fellow are two of the most popular options, but they approach note-taking in very different ways.

If you’re working with sensitive financial data, choosing the right tool isn’t just about convenience — it’s about security. That’s why private AI tools like Knapsack’s AI Note-Taker are gaining attention, offering advanced features without compromising data privacy.

So which one’s the better fit for your needs? Let’s break it down.

Otter AI vs Fellow: Quick Comparison

Feature

Otter AI

Fellow

Meeting Transcription

✔️ Real-time transcription with high accuracy

❌ No built-in transcription

Collaboration Tools

✔️ Shared notes and live edits

✔️ Agenda building, action items, and feedback

AI Summaries

✔️ Automatic meeting summaries

❌ No AI-generated summaries

Integration Options

✔️ Works with Zoom, Google Meet, and MS Teams

✔️ Integrates with calendars and project management tools

Security & Privacy

❌ Standard encryption

✔️ Advanced privacy features for sensitive data

Pricing

Freemium model; paid plans start at $10/month

Paid plans start at $6/user/month

Best For

Capturing and summarizing conversations

Structured meeting management and team collaboration

What Is Otter AI?

Otter AI is a popular AI-powered note-taking and transcription tool designed to simplify meeting documentation. It captures conversations in real-time, automatically generating accurate transcripts and summaries. Otter AI stands out for its ease of use and quick setup, making it a go-to for professionals who need fast and efficient note-taking. It also offers helpful collaboration features like shared notes and live editing. With mobile-friendly capabilities and simple integrations, it’s a solid choice for teams handling a light meeting load.

Key Features

• Real-time transcription: Captures and transcribes meetings with impressive accuracy.
• AI chat assistant: A smart assistant that helps manage and organize meeting notes.
• Mobile recording: Superior recording capabilities on mobile devices.
• Editable transcripts: Flexible editing tools to fine-tune and polish meeting notes.
• Basic integrations: Works seamlessly with tools like Slack, Google Docs, and Salesforce.

Pros

• Strong AI chat assistant for organizing and summarizing discussions.
• Excellent mobile recording for meetings on the go.
• Flexible and easy-to-edit transcripts.

Cons

• Limited customization for meeting summaries and action items.
• Best suited for teams with a lower meeting volume (5–10 meetings per week).
• Basic integration options compared to more advanced tools.

What Is Fellow?

Fellow is a powerful meeting management tool designed to keep teams organized and productive. It goes beyond simple note-taking, offering advanced features like customizable meeting agendas, action item tracking, and performance analytics. Fellow stands out for its wide range of integrations, making it easy to sync with tools like BambooHR and Asana. It’s built for businesses with a high meeting volume, helping teams manage multiple conversations without losing track of key decisions. If you’re looking for a comprehensive platform to enhance meeting efficiency and collaboration, Fellow delivers.

Key Features

• Customizable meeting notes: Tailor agendas, action items, and templates to fit your workflow.
• Advanced integrations: Connects seamlessly with tools like BambooHR, Asana, and project management platforms.
• Meeting analytics: Tracks meeting performance and team engagement for continuous improvement.
• Action item tracking: Keeps everyone accountable with clear follow-ups and assigned tasks.

Pros

• Highly customizable for detailed and organized meeting management.
• Extensive integration options, including HR tools like BambooHR.
• Comprehensive analytics for tracking meeting effectiveness and team performance.

Cons

• May feel overwhelming for teams with a lower meeting volume.
• Lacks built-in transcription and AI-generated summaries.
• Higher learning curve due to its advanced feature set.

Key Features Comparison

When choosing between Otter AI and Fellow, it all comes down to what you need from a note-taking and meeting management tool. Both offer unique strengths, but they focus on different aspects of the meeting experience. Otter AI shines with its real-time transcription and AI-powered summaries, while Fellow stands out with its advanced customization and team collaboration features.

Let’s take a closer look at how their key features stack up.

Ease Of Use

Both Otter AI and Fellow are known for their user-friendly designs, but they approach ease of use in slightly different ways. Let’s break down what each tool offers when it comes to simplicity and accessibility.

Otter AI: Quick and Simple Setup

Otter AI is built for speed and ease. Its clean, intuitive interface makes it accessible even for non-technical users, so you can start recording and transcribing meetings right away.

• Simple interface: Clear buttons for recording, highlighting, and sharing notes make navigation easy.
• Mobile-friendly: Works smoothly on web browsers and mobile devices, so you can take notes from anywhere.
• Automatic transcription: Captures audio and transcribes in real-time with almost no effort on your part.
• Calendar and meeting platform integration: Automatically joins and records meetings from Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.
• Minimal learning curve: Essential features are easy to find and use without extensive training.

Fellow: Organized and Collaborative

Fellow keeps things simple while offering powerful organizational features. Its interface is intuitive, making it easy to manage meeting agendas, notes, and action items without getting lost in the details.

• Clean design: The user-friendly layout helps you quickly access and manage features.
• Meeting templates: Customizable templates save time and keep your meetings structured and organized.
• Seamless integrations: Works well with popular tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom, keeping everything connected.
• AI-assisted note-taking: Captures key points and action items automatically, reducing manual effort.
• Mobile app: Stay on top of meetings and updates from anywhere with Fellow’s mobile accessibility.

Both tools prioritize ease of use, but Otter AI’s strength lies in its quick transcription and simple interface, while Fellow stands out with its advanced organization and collaborative features.

Integrations

When it comes to integrating with other tools, Otter AI and Fellow take different approaches. Otter AI keeps things simple with essential connections, while Fellow offers a wider range of options for more advanced workflows.

Otter AI: Basic but Effective

Otter AI covers the basics, making it easy to connect with popular meeting and productivity tools. It’s designed for quick, automatic note-taking without a lot of setup.

• Meeting platforms: Integrates smoothly with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams for automatic transcription.
• Calendar syncing: Connects with Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook to join and capture scheduled meetings.
• Collaboration tools: Offers simple sharing options and the ability to export notes to Google Docs and other platforms.

Fellow: Extensive and Flexible

Fellow shines when it comes to integration capabilities, offering more advanced options that fit into a variety of team workflows.

• Project management: Works with Asana, Trello, and Jira, keeping action items linked to your team’s tasks.
• HR tools: Unique integration with BambooHR for tracking performance and meeting feedback.
• Communication platforms: Syncs with Slack and Microsoft Teams for real-time updates and collaboration.
• Calendar and video conferencing: Connects with Google Calendar, Outlook, Zoom, and more to keep meetings organized.

While Otter AI focuses on simple, straightforward integrations for fast transcription, Fellow offers a more flexible approach with deeper connections to project management and HR systems.

Recording Accuracy

Accuracy is crucial when it comes to capturing meeting notes. Both Otter AI and Fellow offer AI-powered features, but they differ in how well they handle transcription and note-taking.

Otter AI: Real-Time Transcription with High Accuracy

Otter AI is well-known for its real-time transcription capabilities, and it does a solid job of capturing conversations with impressive accuracy.

• AI-powered transcription: Provides fast, real-time transcripts with minimal lag.
• Speaker identification: Automatically distinguishes between different voices, making conversations easier to follow.
• Live captioning: Offers real-time captions during meetings, which can improve accessibility.
• Editing flexibility: Allows easy corrections to transcripts when the AI occasionally misses context or technical terms.

Fellow: Accurate Notes with AI Assistance

Fellow takes a different approach by focusing on structured note-taking rather than pure transcription. While it doesn’t offer live transcription, it ensures that meeting notes and action items are accurate and well-organized.

• AI-assisted note-taking: Captures key points and suggested action items based on meeting discussions.
• Meeting templates: Helps structure conversations, reducing the risk of missing important details.
• Performance tracking: Uses analytics to identify gaps and improve the quality of future meetings.
• Manual input: Relies more on user input, which can lead to more accurate, context-rich notes.

For real-time transcription and speaker identification, Otter AI takes the lead. But if you prioritize organized, well-structured notes with AI assistance, Fellow offers a more refined approach.

Security

Security is essential when choosing an AI note-taking tool, especially for businesses handling sensitive information. Both Otter AI and Fellow offer strong security features, but they cater to different needs.

Otter AI: Solid Security for Everyday Use

Otter AI provides reliable security features that work well for most businesses. It covers the basics without overcomplicating things.

• Encryption: Protects data in transit and at rest with standard encryption protocols.
• Access controls: Lets users manage who can view or edit notes through permission settings.
• Cloud-based storage: Stores data securely on Otter’s servers.
• Compliance: Meets common privacy standards, though it may not offer advanced certifications.

Fellow: Security with More Customization

Fellow offers similar security features but adds more options for businesses needing extra control and compliance.

• Strong encryption: Safeguards data with advanced encryption methods.
• Granular permissions: Allows more detailed control over who can access and edit meeting notes.
• Compliance standards: Includes SOC 2 compliance for businesses with higher security requirements.
• Flexible storage: Provides options for data storage preferences.

Both tools take security seriously, but the right choice depends on your needs. Otter AI offers simple, effective protection, while Fellow provides more flexibility and advanced compliance for businesses with stricter requirements.

Pricing

Cost is often a deciding factor when choosing an AI note-taking tool. Otter AI and Fellow offer different pricing structures designed for various needs and budgets.

Otter AI: Affordable with Scalable Plans

Otter AI provides budget-friendly pricing with flexible options for individuals and teams.

• Free plan: Offers limited transcription minutes and basic features — good for occasional use.
• Pro plan: Starts at $10 per user/month, with more transcription time and advanced features like automated meeting capture.
• Business plan: $20 per user/month, includes team collaboration tools, advanced search, and admin controls.
• Enterprise plan: Custom pricing for large teams needing additional security and support.

Otter AI’s pricing is accessible, especially for smaller teams or those with light meeting needs.

Fellow: Higher Cost for More Features

Fellow’s pricing reflects its focus on comprehensive meeting management and advanced features.

• Free plan: Limited to basic meeting agendas and note-taking — best for individuals or small teams testing the platform.
• Pro plan: Starts at $9 per user/month, with better integrations and templates.
• Business plan: $15 per user/month, offering advanced analytics, performance tracking, and team collaboration tools.
• Enterprise plan: Custom pricing with enhanced security and tailored support.

Fellow’s higher-tier plans offer more customization and analytics, making them a better fit for businesses managing frequent, high-stakes meetings.

In short, Otter AI is more affordable and suits teams needing strong transcription features. Fellow’s higher cost comes with deeper meeting management capabilities and advanced analytics, ideal for larger teams with more complex needs.

Which Should You Choose?

Deciding between Otter AI and Fellow comes down to what matters most for your meetings. Each tool has strengths tailored to different needs, so the best fit depends on your priorities.

If accurate transcription is your top concern, Otter AI stands out. With a speech-to-text rating of 8.8, it captures conversations with impressive precision. Its automated note-taking feature also scores high at 8.9, making it a solid choice for seamless documentation. Plus, Otter AI offers better voice recognition and flexible transcript editing, which can save time when reviewing meeting notes.

On the other hand, Fellow excels in meeting organization and team collaboration. Its agenda management feature earns a 9.4 rating, helping teams plan and structure meetings more effectively. Fellow also leads in action item tracking (9.0), making it easier to assign and follow up on tasks. Its integration capabilities — including BambooHR — and advanced meeting analytics provide a more comprehensive management experience.

When it comes to support, Fellow takes the lead with a 9.3 rating, praised for its responsive and helpful customer service. Otter AI’s support, while still solid at 8.5, doesn’t quite match the same level of satisfaction.

So, which one’s right for you?

• Choose Otter AI if you prioritize accurate transcription, real-time note-taking, and mobile-friendly features.
• Choose Fellow if you need detailed meeting agendas, action tracking, and advanced analytics for team performance.

Both tools offer useful features, but if data privacy is your top priority, you might also want to consider Knapsack. As one of the first private AI note-takers, it’s designed specifically for professionals handling sensitive financial information — like portfolio managers and investment bankers — ensuring your data stays secure.

Final Thoughts

Both Otter AI and Fellow bring valuable features to the table, but the right choice depends on your needs. Otter AI shines with its accurate transcription and ease of use, making it perfect for those focused on capturing conversations quickly and clearly. Fellow, on the other hand, stands out with its advanced meeting management tools and action item tracking, ideal for teams looking to stay organized and accountable.

Take a close look at your priorities and pick the tool that fits your workflow best!