HumlaOtter.ai alternative
The private, no-bot Otter alternative
Otter sends a bot to your calls and uploads every meeting to its cloud. Humla joins nothing and can keep it all on your Mac.
Which should you pick?
- Switch to Humla if you want a free, local, open source alternative that keeps meetings on your Mac.
- Stick with Otter.ai if you want deep sales/CRM automation, an AI sales agent, and a large integration catalog.
Why people leave Otter.ai
- A bot joins the call. Otter's notetaker shows up as a participant — awkward for confidential client calls.
- Your meetings live in Otter's cloud. Audio and transcripts are uploaded and stored on its servers.
- The free tier is tight — limited minutes and just 3 lifetime file imports before the paywall.
- Paid plans run $17–20/user/month.
What Humla does instead
Humla is the local, private alternative that never joins the call.
- No bot in the call. Humla records your Mac directly, so clients never see a recorder join.
- Your audio stays local. Run transcription and summaries 100% on-device — nothing is uploaded.
- Nothing to train on. Humla never uploads your audio, so there's nothing to feed a dataset.
- Free and unlimited. No minute caps or import limits — the app is free and open source.
- Open source. MIT-licensed and auditable end to end.
- Speaks your language. Around 99 languages via Whisper — on-device or with your own key — plus a dedicated Norwegian model and per-language routing.
When Otter.ai is still the better pick
Humla isn't for everyone. Stick with Otter.ai if:
- You want deep sales/CRM automation, an AI sales agent, and a large integration catalog.
- You need a mobile app and cross-platform (non-Mac) support — Humla is Mac-only.
- You'd rather have a fully managed hosted service you never think about.
Try it on one meeting before you decide
- 1.Record your next call with HumlaDownload the app. It's free, needs no account, and nothing joins the meeting.
- 2.Bring the recordings you already haveImport audio files and Humla transcribes them, on device or with your own key.
- 3.Add your team when you're readyHumla Cloud syncs notes across the team at $5 per user a month.
Read more before you switch
Questions and answers
Is there an Otter alternative that doesn't use a bot?
Yes. Humla records through macOS itself, so nothing joins the call and the other side sees nothing.
Can I keep my meetings off the cloud?
Yes — Humla can run fully on-device, so audio and transcripts never leave your Mac. Cloud engines are optional with your own key.
Is Humla really free?
The app is free and open source, with no minute caps. Optional team sync is $5/user/month.