Can I bring my Otter recordings over?

Not by importing them directly. Every Otter plan can export audio as mp3 (see source 1 below), so export the recording there and upload it here, keeping each file up to 500 MB.

Is PodText more accurate than Otter?

We do not claim that. Accuracy depends mostly on the recording itself, so run the same file through both: your signup credits cover a test run.

What if a recording costs more than my balance?

The first transcription on your account can run on pay later: it completes, but stays locked to a preview until you top up the missing credits. After that, a recording your balance cannot cover will not start.

How long do you keep my audio?

If a transcription is paid only with signup credits, and not on pay later, its audio is deleted after 7 days and the transcript stays. Audio paid with a credit pack or a subscription, or run on pay later, is kept.

Otter.ai Alternative

An Otter.ai alternative that counts minutes, not files.

If Otter stopped you at your fourth import or past the 30-minute mark, PodText charges a recording only by how long it is. Upload a file or paste a supported link.

Otter.ai details checked on 2026-09-23 · Sources at the end of this page

Create a transcript

Add a supported link or upload a recording to get searchable text.

Private

Podcast or episode link

Supported sources

YouTube
Apple
Spotify
iHeart
小宇宙
Direct

Link imports depend on source availability. YouTube requires accessible captions.

Where Otter stops you, and what PodText does at the same spot

Otter meters imported recordings three ways (how many, how long, and how many minutes a month), and each one changes with the plan. PodText charges a recording by its length, and its file limits are the same on every plan.

What you run into	Otter Basic	Otter Pro	Otter Business	PodText
Recordings you can import^1,2	3 per account, ever	10 a month, up to 1,200 min a month	Unlimited, up to 6,000 min a month	No lifetime or monthly file count
Length of one recording^1,2	30 min; the rest stays locked until you upgrade	90 min	4 hours	Up to 6 hours on every plan
Size of one file³	5 GB on every plan			Up to 500 MB on every plan
Pasting a link⁵	Not supported; for YouTube and other video sites, Otter says to download the file and import it			Supported podcast links, RSS feeds, and direct media links; for YouTube, captions from public videos only
Languages^1,4	6, the same on every plan			99+
Files at once³	Several; each file processes on its own			1 at a time on signup credits or credit packs; 2, 5, or 10 on a subscription
Free usage^1,2	300 min a month, resets monthly	Not applicable	Not applicable	60 one-time signup credits (60 minutes)
How you pay¹	Free plan, or a monthly or annual subscription; no pay-as-you-go			Credit packs that never expire, or a subscription

4 things stay behind at Otter

Otter joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet and transcribes while the meeting runs.¹
PodText works only on finished recordings: record the call in your meeting tool, then upload it. How meeting recordings work here
Otter names each speaker.¹
PodText splits a transcript into timestamped segments with no speaker names, and there is no workaround.
Otter lets you edit the text and the speaker tags.¹
PodText transcripts cannot be edited here; export one and edit it in your own editor.
Otter exports PDF and DOCX from the Pro plan up.¹
PodText exports TXT, Markdown, SRT, and VTT.

If items 1 or 2 are part of your every day, staying on Otter is the better call.

Frequently Asked Questions

What people ask before moving recordings from Otter.ai to PodText.

Sources

Otter.ai details checked on 2026-09-23. Otter may have changed these details since they were checked.

Otter.ai Pricing (plan comparison table)otter.ai/pricingMax number of pre-recorded audio/video files for import and transcription: 3 lifetime per user / 10 monthly per user / Unlimited
The row that caps imports by plan. The per-conversation length, monthly minutes, languages, meeting features, and export formats cited above come from the same table.
Conversation, import, and app limits on the Basic free planhelp.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/360047538094-Conversation-import-and-app-limits-on-the-Basic-free-planIf you exceed that limit, your recording or import will not stop, but you will only be able to access up to 30-minutes of the transcription.
On the free plan, anything past 30 minutes stays locked until you upgrade. The same page caps imports at three per account.
Import an audio or video filehelp.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/360047733574-Import-an-audio-or-video-fileYou can import files up to 5 GB in size.
The same page says several files can be dropped in at once, and each one uploads and processes on its own.
Supported languageshelp.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/360047247414-Supported-languagesOtter currently only supports English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Chinese (Simplified); however, we hope to expand to more languages in the future.
Six transcription languages, with no difference between plans.
Transcribe a YouTube videohelp.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/29295890009239-Transcribe-a-YouTube-videoWe do not support pasting a YouTube URL or link into Otter to be transcribed at this time.
Otter asks you to download the file and import it instead.

Bring the recordings that hit Otter limits

Upload a file or paste a supported link. Signup credits are one-time and need no credit card.

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