An Otter.ai alternative for Europe, without a subscription
Otter.ai is a meeting assistant built around English-speaking teams. Voqia is a French transcription service: it transcribes live or from files, covers more European languages and Arabic, also clones voices, and is paid per use instead of per month. This comparison only uses information published by each service.
10 free minutes, no credit card required.
Information checked on .
In short
- Otter.ai suits teams who want a meeting assistant: it can join Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet calls and write and share notes, with summaries and action items.
- Voqia suits people who transcribe in several European languages or in Arabic, who also need file transcription or voice cloning, and who prefer paying for what they use rather than a monthly plan.
- Otter.ai's free plan gives more minutes each month; Voqia's free plan is a 10-minute trial.
Otter.ai vs Voqia
| Criterion | Voqia | Otter.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription languages | English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Turkish | English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese |
| Free plan | 10 minutes in total, 1 cloned voice, no credit card | Basic: 300 transcription minutes per month, 3 lifetime audio or video file imports |
| Paid plans | One-time packs, no subscription: €4.99 (1 h), €9.99 (3 h), €24.99 (10 h) | Per-user subscriptions: Pro $16.99 per month ($8.33 per month billed yearly), Business $30 per month ($19.99 per month billed yearly), excluding promotions |
| Live meeting transcription | Yes: captures the computer's audio or the microphone in the browser, no bot in the call | Yes: an assistant can join Zoom, Teams and Google Meet to write and share notes; desktop apps for Mac and Windows |
| File transcription | Yes, up to 500 MB per file, with speaker separation | Yes, with a number of imports that depends on the plan |
| Voice cloning and text-to-speech | Yes, 9 output languages | Not presented on its Pricing page |
| Billing | One-time payment, prices set in euros | Prices in US dollars, per user, monthly or yearly |
Where Otter.ai is strong
- A meeting assistant that joins scheduled calls on its own.
- Automated summaries with action items and outlines.
- A free plan with 300 minutes per month.
- Plans designed for teams (Business, Enterprise) and desktop apps for Mac and Windows.
Where Voqia is strong
- More European languages: Italian, Portuguese and Russian are transcribed as well as English, French, Spanish and German, plus Arabic and Turkish.
- No subscription: one-time packs of minutes that never expire. Good for occasional needs, like a few interviews a month.
- No bot and nothing to install: Voqia listens to your computer's audio in the browser, so other participants do not see an extra attendee.
- File transcription up to 500 MB, with speaker separation and Word export.
- Live AI transformations: translate, rewrite, answer questions, check claims, summarize.
- Voice cloning and text-to-speech in the same account.
- Published by a French company, hosted on a server in France.
Which one fits your needs?
You run English meetings all week with a team
A per-user meeting assistant such as Otter.ai, which joins your calls automatically and shares notes, is designed for that.
Your meetings are in Italian, Portuguese or Arabic
These languages are not in the transcription languages listed by Otter.ai on October 7, 2026. Voqia transcribes them, live or from a file.
You transcribe now and then
With Voqia you pay only for the hours you use: €4.99 for 1 hour, with no renewal. Over a year, that can cost less than a monthly plan you rarely use.
You would rather not add a bot to client calls
Voqia transcribes the call from your own computer's audio, in the browser.
Method
Information about Otter.ai was checked on October 7, 2026 on its public Pricing page. Otter.ai prices are shown in US dollars, per user, as displayed on its site, excluding temporary promotions. Plans change: check the publisher's site before choosing.
Voqia is not affiliated with Otter.ai. Otter.ai is a trademark of its owner.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Otter.ai alternative without a subscription?
Voqia sells one-time packs of minutes: 1 hour for €4.99, 3 hours for €9.99, 10 hours for €24.99. Minutes never expire, and the first 10 minutes are free.
Does Otter.ai transcribe Italian, Portuguese or Arabic?
On October 7, 2026, Otter.ai's Pricing page lists English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese. Voqia transcribes Italian, Portuguese and Arabic as well.
Can Voqia transcribe a Teams, Zoom or Google Meet call?
Yes. Live mode transcribes your computer's audio during the call, directly in the browser, without a bot joining the meeting.
Can I upload recordings to Voqia?
Yes. File mode accepts MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, OGG, FLAC, WebM, MP4 and MOV files up to 500 MB, with speaker separation.
Sources
Try it with your own voice: your first 10 minutes are free.
Try Voqia for free