Timeglass vs Otter
Compare how each tool records conversations, presents speakers, and supports the work your team does after a call.
By Timeglass. Last checked November 5, 2026.
Choose the meeting record your team needs.
Otter supports live transcription, summaries, speaker identification, and questions across meeting records. Its desktop apps provide another way to capture calls alongside its meeting participant bot.
Timeglass also records meetings, with speaker-labelled transcripts and playback of available recordings. It connects that conversation with desktop activity and reviewed client and project time. Start with the records your team uses each day.
Compare the features you will use.
Check the meeting features, access controls, and plan requirements against your team's daily work. Recording availability depends on your settings and the meeting being captured.
| Feature | Timeglass | Otter |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting capture | Desktop capture records supported calls using device audio and microphone input. | Use Otter Notetaker or capture through its Mac, Windows, web, and mobile apps. |
| Meeting records | Review summaries, action items, timestamped decisions, and transcripts. | Edit transcripts and review summaries, action items, and meeting audio. |
| Speaker diarization | Automatic speaker names, returning-voice recognition when enabled, and merged teammate recordings. | Speaker identification, editable names, and percentages help you review who spoke. |
| Video playback | Replay available recordings with synchronized transcripts and chapter controls. | Enterprise supports Zoom and Google Meet video replay. Video plays separately from the transcript. |
| Sharing | Create view-only meeting links with expiry and revocation controls. | Set viewing and editing permissions, and control conversation links and exports. |
| Client time | Review time entries from meetings and desktop work, assigned to clients and projects. | Use meeting records and integrations as inputs to your chosen reporting process. |
| Plans | Try Timeglass free for 14 days. | Basic is free. Pro, Business, and Enterprise offer additional capacity and controls. |
See how Otter handles a meeting.
Choose how Otter joins your conversation.
Otter Notetaker joins supported Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams calls as a participant. The Mac and Windows desktop apps capture microphone and system audio without adding that participant. Mobile and web recording support further recording situations, including conversations in person.
Return to speakers and decisions.
Otter provides speaker labels, speaking percentages, searchable transcripts, and audio playback. You can correct speaker names and use AI Chat with meeting context. Its video replay uses recordings made by the meeting platform. Zoom and Google Meet video plays within the conversation, separately from transcript playback.
Use meeting records in your existing tools.
Otter supports sharing with people and channels, with permissions for viewing, editing, and exporting. Its MCP server lets connected AI tools search accessible meetings and retrieve transcripts. Check plan limits and account permissions for the records your team needs to use.
Keep each speaker connected to the work.
Review the conversation in Timeglass.
Timeglass brings recordings, transcripts, and summaries together in a meeting record. Follow a live transcript during capture, then return to decisions and next steps after the call.
Return to the recording.
Play available video and audio beside the transcript. Use chapters and timestamps to find a passage, or review action items with captured owners, due dates, and completion status.
Find and share the call.
Search meetings and filter by date or team member. Copy the summary, download the transcript or available audio, and create a view-only link with expiry and revocation controls.
Keep the meeting in context.
Completed records show the date, start and end times, duration, and meeting platform. Connected AI tools can retrieve permitted summaries and transcript passages through Timeglass MCP.
Include the work before and after the call.
Client work continues through research, messages, documents, and revisions. Timeglass uses captured desktop activity and meetings to prepare time entries with client and project assignments. You can check descriptions, correct durations, and review assignments before submitting through your workspace's process.
Try both tools with a familiar client call.
Use the same questions when reviewing each result. Can you find the decision, identify its speaker, and share the relevant record? Check recording availability and the permissions an external reviewer receives.
For client reporting, follow the call and its preparation into a reviewed time entry. Timeglass combines meeting records with desktop work in this process. Check project assignments and the exported fields against your billing routine.
You can try Timeglass for 14 days free to see how its meeting tools and time records fit your team's workflow.
Check access and data handling.
Otter’s privacy policy describes training its own technology using de-identified audio and transcripts that may contain personal information. Enterprise workspaces are opted out of model training by default. Confirm the terms and settings for your chosen plan.
Enterprise supports custom retention policies. Review access, recording notices, and deletion with each vendor, including how downloaded copies are handled. Timeglass’s current notice defaults and retention terms need confirmation for the intended setup.
Timeglass has an independent SOC 2 Type II audit. Meeting access follows workspace permissions and sharing settings. Confirm participant notices, retention periods, and training terms for the configuration your team will use.
Read product, plan, and security sources
Questions to bring to your trial.
Can Otter record without a bot?
Yes. Its Mac and Windows apps capture meetings directly from the computer. Otter Notetaker can also join supported meeting platforms as a participant.
Does Otter show video beside the transcript?
Enterprise supports video replay for Zoom and Google Meet recordings. The meeting platform supplies the video, and playback runs separately from the transcript.
Can an AI assistant use Otter meetings?
Yes. Otter offers AI Chat and an OAuth-connected MCP server for searching accessible meetings and retrieving transcripts. Availability and usage depend on the plan and permissions.
What should a client-services team test?
Review a real call, correct its speaker labels, and share a sample record. Then check how meeting time and surrounding work reach the firm’s approved client reporting process.
Compare other meeting tools.
Try Timeglass with your next client meeting.
You can try Timeglass for 14 days free to see how its meeting tools and time records fit your team's workflow.