Ottex
Mac, iOS
You want dictated emails to follow your saved writing instructions.
You need voice dictation on a Windows computer.
Three tools. Different strengths. Find your fit.
Each tool takes a different approach. Here’s a quick side-by-side to help you choose based on your workflow, platforms, and goals.
Mac, iOS
You want dictated emails to follow your saved writing instructions.
You need voice dictation on a Windows computer.
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web
You want structured notes from bot-free desktop meeting recordings.
You need to dictate text directly into other apps.
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web
You want meetings automatically captured and organized into structured notes.
You need voice dictation directly into your everyday apps.
Krisp Core is $16/seat/mo; Otter.ai Pro is $16.99/mo or $99.99/yr. Ottex Pro is $14/mo or $168/yr, with free app access using local models or your own API key (BYOK); provider usage can cost extra.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers. | PartialSource: krisp.ai/blog — checked Oct 2026Unlimited transcription; AI noise cancellation (60 minutes daily); AI summaries & action items (2 daily); Meeting history (limited) | PartialSource: otter.ai/start-for-free — checked Oct 2026300 monthly transcription minutes; 30 minutes per conversation; Import and transcribe 3 audio or video files lifetime per user |
| Subscription | $14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included. | $16/moSource: krisp.ai/pricing — checked Oct 2026Monthly billing is $16/mo/user and annual billing is advertised as $8/mo/user with Save 50%, without a published annual total. | $16.99/moSource: otter.ai/pricing — checked Oct 2026The monthly transcription pool is shared across recordings and imports, with the $99.99 annual total published at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/otter-transcribe-voice-notes/id1276437113. |
| One-time payment | Not applicableSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Application is free | NoNo one-time payment plan | NoNo one-time payment plan |
| Bring your own keyPay the model provider, not the middleman | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026OpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers. | No public claim | No public claim |
| Education discount | NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Same pricing for everyone. | No public claim | YesSource: otter.ai/pricing — checked Oct 2026Individual students and teachers using .edu email receive 20% off Pro: $13.59 USD monthly or $79.99 USD annually, advertised as $6.67 per month billed annually. |
Krisp and Otter.ai support Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Web. Ottex supports Mac and iOS, so choose either compared tool for Windows or Android.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, WebSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026 | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, WebSource: otter.ai/integrations — checked Oct 2026 |
| Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Native Swift app, ~50MB RAM. | No public claim | No public claim |
Krisp offers optional chat recording notices; Otter.ai's Notetaker offers chat recording notices. All three support bot-free capture; Ottex has an opt-in experimental macOS camera recording watermark, and disclosure does not prove consent.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026With speaker separation. | YesSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Core and Advanced support transcription-only, audio recording and screen recording modes. | YesSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Notetaker records Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams meetings. |
| Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026System-audio capture, no bot joins the call. | YesSource: krisp.ai/ai-meeting-assistant — checked Oct 2026Desktop recording can capture meetings without a bot joining the call. | YesSource: otter.ai/integrations — checked Oct 2026Desktop applications can capture meeting audio without Notetaker joining. |
| Camera recording watermarkShow recording in your camera video | PartialExperimental macOS virtual camera adds an Ottex icon to video; install/enable the extension, select it and turn video on. Guide covers Meet in Chrome and Zoom desktop; effects may obscure it. | No public claim | No public claim |
| Participant noticesRecording notices in chat or calendar | No public claim | PartialSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Notify others you're using Krisp enables chat or audio notices, with possible platform blocking and no verified calendar-invite notice or affirmative consent collection. | PartialSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Notetaker posts configurable meeting-chat notices and optional pre-recording emails, with Enterprise workspace enforcement and configured Teams calendar permission links. |
| Speaker separation | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | YesSource: linkedin.com/pulse — checked Oct 2026Krisp automatically applies speaker names in transcripts and notes while allowing manual edits. | YesSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Users can label speakers and train Otter to recognize speaker names in later transcripts. |
| Calendar detection | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Calendar-based meeting detection. | YesSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026With Note Taker enabled and audio devices configured, Krisp captures the next call automatically. | YesSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026The desktop application detects live meetings and can prompt the user to record. |
| Cross-meeting search | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | YesSource: linkedin.com/pulse — checked Oct 2026Global AI Chat answers questions across meetings and identifies which conversations informed the answer. | YesSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026AI Chat can query multiple conversations together through channels and additional conversation context. |
| Shared team memory | PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace. | YesSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026AI Chat supports All Meetings, folders and Shared with Me contexts containing accessible meeting content. | YesSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Channels collect shared recordings and let authorized members query their conversations with AI Chat. |
Krisp, Otter.ai and Ottex structure notes with meeting templates and offer transcript chat prompt libraries. Otter.ai drafts follow-up emails; Ottex also drafts CRM updates and Linear tickets, while Krisp sends recaps.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting template libraryTurn a transcript into a structured document | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Choose a ready-made document template to extract relevant information from a meeting transcript into a structured document, such as a product review or client-call report. | YesSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Ready-made templates such as Project Sync, Client Status Update and Hiring generate structured documents from transcripts and can be selected per meeting or set as the default. | YesSource: otter.ai/blog — checked Oct 2026Ready-made Team Meeting, Sales Call, and 1:1 templates extract transcript information into meeting-specific sections. |
| Transcript chat prompt libraryReady-made prompts for AI chat about meetings | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Use ready-made reusable prompts in AI chat to ask questions, analyze discussions and extract information from meeting transcripts. | YesSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Core and Advanced users can select reusable suggested prompts such as Summarize call by speakers and List Q&A in a meeting's Ask Anything tab. | YesSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026AI Chat supplies selectable starter prompts and reusable examples for extracting decisions, summarizing discussions, and generating content across meetings. |
| Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Decisions with owners extracted. | YesSource: krisp.ai/ai-meeting-assistant — checked Oct 2026Meeting notes identify key decisions and next steps, and action items can be assigned to participants. | YesSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Otter generates action items from meetings and automatically assigns responsibilities. |
| Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Drafted from templates or your own. | PartialSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Krisp can email meeting recaps to invitees, but a dedicated editable follow-up email drafting workflow is unverified. | YesSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026AI Chat generates email drafts using meeting content and requested formatting. |
| CRM update / ticket draft | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Structured for the target app. | PartialSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Meeting notes can be sent automatically or manually to a selected HubSpot contact, company or deal, without a verified CRM-field draft review workflow. | PartialSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Configured Salesforce integration exports meeting notes and insights to matching CRM records for eligible calendar meetings with external guests. |
| Your rough notes steer the result | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result. | YesSource: linkedin.com/pulse — checked Oct 2026Users' manual notes are incorporated into generated summaries, with visual cues distinguishing their contributions from AI content. | No public claim |
Krisp and Otter.ai cannot dictate into other apps. Ottex automatically formats dictation, applies saved writing instructions before insertion, recognizes custom dictionary terms and expands voice triggers into saved text.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Engines | Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Source: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local. | No public claim | No public claim |
| Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device. | NoSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | NoSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
| Model selection per task | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Choose the model per task and per provider. | NoSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | NoSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
| Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching. | NoSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | NoSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
| Automatic formatting | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Dictation automatically fixes punctuation, groups ideas into paragraphs and formats enumerations as lists. Formatting toggles and profile rules customize output. | NoSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | NoSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
| Custom dictionary | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Add or delete names and specialist terms with preferred spellings; entries provide recognition context during transcription. | NoSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | NoSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Custom vocabulary applies to conversation transcription rather than system-wide dictation. |
| Voice snippetsSay a saved phrase to insert a link or text | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Save a voice trigger and expansion text; saying the trigger while dictating inserts the saved URL or text in place. | NoSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | NoSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
| Custom voice instructionsFree-form rules applied after dictation | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Saved profile instructions automatically process dictation before insertion; rules can include writing examples, personal phrasing and email signatures. | NoSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | NoSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
| Tone presetsChoose a predefined writing style | YesSelect built-in Messaging or Email profiles for casual or professional dictation; assigning apps or websites enables automatic profile activation. | NoSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | NoSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
| Text transforms / AI ShortcutsApply an AI action to existing text | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Select or copy existing text, open Omnibar and run an AI Shortcut to rewrite, translate, summarize or apply a custom prompt; the result is copied/pasted. | PartialSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Core and Advanced users can summarize and analyze meeting transcripts through AI Chat with saved response instructions; arbitrary selected-text actions are unverified. | PartialSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026AI Chat and custom meeting prompts can summarize, reformat, or translate conversation content, with no documented selected-text workflow across other applications. |
| Per-app output rules | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email. | NoSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | NoSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
Choose Krisp for bot-free desktop summaries guided by your manual notes, or Otter.ai for follow-up email drafts and shared meeting channels. Choose Ottex for dictation that follows saved writing instructions or meeting output drafted as CRM updates and Linear tickets.
Krisp Free has unlimited transcription, two daily AI summaries and action items, and limited history. Otter.ai Basic has 300 minutes/month, 30 minutes/conversation and three lifetime file imports; Ottex has free local-model and BYOK app access, with possible provider charges.
Krisp Core costs $16/seat/mo, or $192 per seat for 12 monthly payments. Otter.ai Pro is $16.99/mo or $99.99/yr; Ottex Pro is $14/mo or $168/yr, with free local-model and BYOK app access, though providers may charge.
Ottex is the choice for local processing: Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device, while BYOK involves a provider. Krisp and Otter.ai have no local option; their audio routing is unspecified.
Switch to Otter.ai if you need follow-up email drafts; stay with Krisp if manual notes guiding summaries matters more. Choose Ottex if your reason for switching is dictation into other apps or drafting CRM updates and Linear tickets.
Yes, Krisp and Otter.ai support both Windows and Android. Ottex supports Mac and iOS, so it does not cover either platform.
Krisp, Otter.ai and Ottex can capture meetings without a bot; Otter.ai also uses Notetaker to join calls. Krisp has optional chat or audio recording notices, Otter.ai has Notetaker chat or email recording notices, and Ottex has an opt-in experimental macOS camera recording watermark; none proves consent.