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screenpipe captures your entire screen and audio 24/7, locally, with no caps. Otter.ai is a cloud-based meeting transcription tool that sends a visible bot to your calls and limits you to 6000 minutes per month.

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comparison

featurescreenpipeotter.ai
scope24/7 screen + audiomeeting audio only
screen captureall monitors, all appsnone
audio limitsunlimited6000 min/mo cap
data storage100% localcloud (Otter’s servers)
open sourceyes (MIT), 17k+ starsno
meeting presenceinvisible (captures on your device)visible bot joins your call
AI modelany (Claude, GPT, Ollama, local)Otter’s built-in AI only
price$400 lifetime$19.99/mo per user (Business)

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why screenpipe?

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no bot, no awkward moments

Otter sends a bot that visibly joins your meeting — everyone sees “Otter.ai” pop up. screenpipe captures audio and screen content on your device without joining the call. no notification to other participants.

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unlimited capture, no caps

Otter limits you to 6000 minutes per month. screenpipe runs 24/7 with no time limits — meetings, research, browsing, coding — everything captured automatically.

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screen content, not just audio

when someone shares a spreadsheet and says “look at the Q3 numbers,” screenpipe captures both the words and the actual numbers on screen. Otter only gets the audio.

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local-first, open source

all data stays on your device. MIT-licensed with 17k+ GitHub stars. 45+ app integrations and 16+ pipes in the store. full REST API and MCP server for custom workflows.

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get started

download the desktop app

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more comparisons

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frequently asked questions

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is screenpipe better than Otter.ai?

screenpipe and Otter.ai solve different problems. Otter is a polished meeting transcription tool with speaker identification and mobile apps. screenpipe captures your entire workday — meetings plus everything else — locally and privately. if you need more than meeting transcription, or if privacy and local storage matter, screenpipe is the better choice.

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does screenpipe send a bot to my meetings?

no. screenpipe captures audio and screen content directly on your device. no bot joins the call, no notification appears for other participants. this is a key difference from Otter.ai, which joins meetings as a visible participant.

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how does screenpipe compare to Otter.ai on price?

screenpipe costs 400lifetime.OtterBusinesscosts400 lifetime. Otter Business costs 19.99/user/month (240/yearperuser).fora10−personteam,Ottercosts240/year per user). for a 10-person team, Otter costs 2,400/year for meeting transcription alone — screenpipe’s $400 lifetime covers screen, audio, meetings, and API access with no per-user fees.