Voice Dictation
Hold the Globe key, talk, let go. The cleaned-up text lands wherever your cursor is.
Explore Voice Dictation →Compare · Meetings
An Otter alternative for Mac that turns calls into to-dos
Both can record a call without a bot.
Last checked
Pick Otter if you want
Pick SwitchDesk if
you want
During the call
4 suggested todos
Press Stop on the pill: the notes are written and the to-dos are suggested.
TL;DR
Otter has a free Basic plan: 300 minutes a month, up to 30 minutes per conversation (as of Oct 4, 2026).
Otter lists action items in each meeting’s summary. SwitchDesk ends each call with suggested to-dos, and “Add all” files them in your to-do list under their category.
Otter Pro is $8.33/mo billed yearly for 1,200 minutes (20 hours) a month. SwitchDesk Essential is $12/mo billed yearly for 25 hours, plus dictation, screen videos and a to-do list.
Meeting notes, row by row
SwitchDesk and Otter, compared
| SwitchDesk | Otter | |
|---|---|---|
| Price1 | Essential $12/mo billed yearly ($15 monthly), 25 h/mo of meeting notes. Pro $18/mo billed yearly ($23 monthly), unlimited meeting notes. | Pro $8.33 per person/mo billed yearly ($16.99 monthly), 1,200 minutes/mo. Business $19.99 ($30 monthly). |
| Free plan1 | No free plan. A 14-day free trial. | Yes — Basic: 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation, 3 file imports in total. |
| Suggested to-dos24 | Yes — each call ends with suggested to-dos. “Add all” files them in your to-do list under their category. | Action items are captured and assigned in each meeting’s summary. |
| Where the recording lives234 | Saved on your Mac first: the audio, the transcript and the notes as ordinary files. | In your Otter account. The pages we checked don’t say whether a copy stays on your computer. |
| How it records234 | Nothing joins the call. Your mic and the call’s audio are recorded as two tracks on your Mac. | Two options: an AI Meeting Agent that joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, or the Mac and Windows desktop app, which records without a bot. |
| Live transcript24 | Yes — transcribed live during the call, with a live captions drawer you can switch on. | Yes — live transcription in multiple languages, with speaker recognition. |
| Ask across meetings24 | Yes — “Ask me about any past meetings”. Answers cite their sources and open the transcript at that moment. | Yes — AI Chat answers across your meetings and connected apps. |
Sources and the dates we read them are listed under the FAQ.
Meeting Notes
Press Stop, then “Add all”, and the to-dos land under Fernhill.
Record from the countdown pill with nothing joining the call; press Stop, then pick which suggested to-dos go on your list.
Try it: hover the pill, press Open Meeting, then Record.Tap Open Meeting, then Record.
Send Lumora the revised proposalFernhill
Set up the pilot workspaceFernhill
Share the pilot pricing with LumoraFernhill
Book a pilot check-in with JoeFernhill
SwitchDesk to-do window, Beige theme: Fernhill: Send Lumora the revised proposal; Set up the pilot workspace; Share the pilot pricing with Lumora; Book a pilot check-in with Joe; Reply to Daniel about the Q4 hiring plan (in progress); Record Lumora pilot walkthrough.
4 suggested todos
- Open
- Record
- Stop
- Add all
The call window is a neutral stand-in, not a real call app. SwitchDesk doesn’t announce itself in the call, so tell people you’re recording. Laws vary by place. Rows landing in the list are animated for this page.
Local-first
Every call is saved on your Mac first.
The recording, the transcript and the notes are ordinary files on your Mac. Here’s what goes out, and when.
Saved on your Mac
Lumora kickoff · saved on this Mac
- Your mic and the call’s audio, as two tracks
- The transcript
- The notes, as Markdown
Sent, and why
During the call
Your mic and the call’s audio stream to our transcription provider for the live transcript. The recording files stay on your Mac.
After the call
The transcript, with speaker names when they were identified, goes to an AI model for the notes, suggested to-dos and Ask.
Meeting exports
Only to destinations you set up, signed and relayed by our server.
After the call
Ask what you promised Lumora, then open the transcript at 8:41.
Type into “Ask me about any past meetings”. The answer names its sources; pick one and the transcript opens at that moment.
The “Try a question” chip and the “Pick a source” hint are added for this page. Names are demo names.
Ask across all past meetings: "What have we promised Lumora so far?" — answered "A 12-seat pilot for their support team starting next month, a revised proposal by Thursday, and the security questionnaire you said you'd send after the intro call." Sources: Lumora kickoff · Today · 8:41; Lumora kickoff · Today · 12:11; Lumora intro call · Thu last week · 5:12.
A 12-seat pilot for their support team starting next month Lumora kickoff · Today · 8:41, a revised proposal by Thursday Lumora kickoff · Today · 12:11, and the security questionnaire you said you'd send after the intro call Lumora intro call · Thu last week · 5:12.
↑ Pick a source
Lumora kickoff · Today · 8:41
The Lumora kickoff transcript, opened at 8:41.
At 8:41
Joe Raman8:41
We'd want twelve seats to start, for the support team, starting next month.
Joe Raman12:04
If the pilot goes well, we'd roll it out to all forty agents. Can you share the pilot pricing before then?
Me12:11
Great — I'll send the revised proposal by Thursday.
Maya Chen12:26
I'll set up the pilot workspace.
Me12:49
Let's book a pilot check-in with you two weeks in.
The Lumora intro call transcript, opened at 5:12.
At 5:12
Joe Raman0:52
We're looking at tools for our support team — about forty agents.
Me1:10
Happy to walk you through how the notes and follow-ups work.
Joe Raman4:38
Security will want to see your answers before anything else.
Me5:12
I'll send over our security questionnaire after this.
Candidly
Where Otter is better
If one of these is what you need most, Otter is the better pick. Each point is from Otter’s own pages.
A lower price. Otter Pro is $8.33 a month billed yearly; SwitchDesk Essential is $12.1
A free plan. Basic gives 300 transcription minutes a month, up to 30 minutes per conversation.1
Speaker names on more calls. Otter recognizes speakers; SwitchDesk names people only on Google Meet and labels other transcript lines “Me” and “Them”.2
Phone apps and Windows. Otter has iOS and Android apps and a Windows desktop app. SwitchDesk is a Mac app; its iPhone app is coming soon to the App Store.23
File imports. Upload audio and video to transcribe: 3 in total on Basic, 10 a month on Pro, unlimited on Business. SwitchDesk has no importer.1
It can attend without you. Schedule Otter’s agent to join Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet calls. SwitchDesk records only calls you’re in, on your Mac.2
Price and switching
Prices as listed, and how to move from Otter
Prices Last checked
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| SwitchDesk Essential | $12/mobilled yearly$15 monthly | 25 h/mo of meeting notes, plus dictation, screen videos and your to-do list |
| SwitchDesk Pro | $18/mobilled yearly$23 monthly | Unlimited meeting notes, plus Recap |
| Otter Basic | $0free | 300 minutes/mo, 30 minutes per conversation, 3 imports in total |
| Otter Pro | $8.33/moper person, billed yearly$16.99 monthly | 1,200 minutes/mo, up to 90 minutes per meeting, 10 imports a month |
| Otter Business | $19.99/moper person, billed yearly$30 monthly | Unlimited meetings, up to 4 hours per meeting, unlimited imports |
Source: otter.ai/pricing. Prices in US dollars, per person.
Switching from Otter
Keep what you have in Otter, and let new calls start in SwitchDesk.
Export what you want to keep from Otter.
There’s no importer, so keep your Otter transcripts and notes with your files.
Turn on “Countdown before meetings”.
A pill counts down to each meeting you’ve accepted and offers Record.
Settings → CalendarCountdown before meetings
A countdown appears next to the timer ahead of a meeting and runs down to its start time. Click it to dismiss.
Optionally, turn on “Auto-record when opening a meeting”.
Skip it if you’d rather press Record yourself.
Settings → MeetingsAuto-record when opening a meeting
Clicking Open Meeting also starts the recorder. Stop any time from the Recording pill.
Set “How much to suggest”.
Start with the default, “Concrete tasks only”.
Settings → Meetings → End-of-meeting to-dosHow much to suggest
How picky the after-meeting list is — you still choose which suggestions to add.
By the way Shown in the Midnight Blue theme
SwitchDesk also does dictation, screen videos and to-dos by voice.
One subscription covers four tools. The to-dos you say and the ones your calls suggest land in one list; a screen video becomes a link.
Create Video
Record your screen with your camera on. The link is on your clipboard at Stop.
Explore Create Video →Prep pricing slides for ThursdayFernhill
SwitchDesk to-do window, Midnight Blue theme: Fernhill: Prep pricing slides for Thursday; Reply to Daniel about the Q4 hiring plan (in progress); Record Lumora pilot walkthrough.
To-Do List
Hold Globe, say “add a todo prep pricing slides for Thursday”, let go. It’s filed under Fernhill.
Explore the To-Do List →Rebuilt from the app’s screens, with demo names. The row landing is an animation added for this page.
Before you switch from Otter
More in Help →Does anything join the call?
No. SwitchDesk records your mic and the call’s audio as two tracks on your Mac. It doesn’t announce itself in the call, so tell people you’re recording. Laws vary by place.
Can I import my Otter conversations?
No. SwitchDesk has no importer. Keep your Otter exports with your files; new calls are saved on your Mac.
Does it know who said what?
On Google Meet, yes: names come from Google Meet’s own captions. On other call apps, transcript lines read “Me” and “Them”.
Is there a free plan?
No. There’s a 14-day free trial, then a paid plan.
Does it work on Windows, iPhone or the web?
Not today. SwitchDesk is a Mac app (macOS 14.6 or later). The iPhone app is coming soon to the App Store.
How much does it cost?
Essential is $12/mo billed yearly ($15 monthly) with 25 hours of meeting notes a month. Pro is $18/mo billed yearly ($23 monthly) with no cap on meeting notes.
Sources · last checked
- Otter — Pricing (plans, prices, minutes, imports) · accessed
- Otter — Home (the AI Meeting Agent, the bot-free desktop app, live transcription and speaker recognition, AI Chat, action items, mobile apps) · accessed
- Otter — Desktop app (“record any conversation without a bot”) · accessed
- SwitchDesk — Settings → Calendar, Settings → Meetings and the meeting recorder, checked in the app’s source · accessed
Prices and limits are as each company listed them on the date shown; we re-check this page every 90 days. Otter is a trademark of its owner; SwitchDesk isn’t affiliated with it.