Otter.ai alternatives for confidential work: 5 options compared
Otter.ai is fast and convenient, and for a team stand-up it may be all you need. But if you record clients, patients or board discussions, the first question isn't accuracy. It's where your audio goes and what happens to it there. Here are five alternatives, compared on the things that matter for confidential work.
Why people look for an alternative
Otter processes your recordings on its servers. Its privacy policy (effective June 2026) says it trains its AI on de-identified audio recordings and on transcriptions, which "may contain Personal Information". In August 2025, a class-action lawsuit claimed its notetaker recorded people in meetings without their consent. For a lawyer, doctor or therapist, that's a lot of questions to answer before pressing record. Our guide Is Otter.ai safe for confidential meetings? looks at them in detail.
The four questions to compare
- Where is the audio transcribed? On your device, or on someone else's server?
- Is it used to train AI? And is that the default, or something you have to switch off?
- Who can read your notes? Could the company, or anyone who asks it, open them?
- Does it fit your day? Summaries, organization by client and export matter as much as the transcript.
Option 1: Fireflies.ai (cloud, no AI training)
Fireflies is the closest like-for-like swap: a meeting bot that joins your video calls, transcribes and summarizes them. Its security guide says your meeting content, including audio, transcripts and summaries, "is never used to train any AI models", including by AI vendors it works with.
- Good: team features, integrations, strong summaries, and a clear no-training commitment.
- Trade-off: your recordings are still processed and stored in the cloud, and a bot joining the call can make clients uneasy. You're relying on the company's policies and security, not on technology that keeps it out of reach.
Option 2: Apple Voice Memos and Notes (built in, free)
Since iOS 18, Voice Memos and Notes can transcribe recordings on the iPhone itself. It costs nothing and the audio doesn't have to leave the phone.
- Good: free, private transcription for short memos; Notes can be locked with Face ID.
- Trade-off: no summaries, no filing by client or matter, and recordings sync to iCloud if syncing is on. See how to transcribe voice notes on iPhone without the cloud for the details.
Option 3: Aiko (on-device transcription)
Aiko, by independent developer Sindre Sorhus, runs OpenAI's Whisper speech model on your iPhone or Mac. Its App Store listing says nothing leaves your device. It's a one-off purchase and supports about 100 languages.
- Good: accurate, private transcription of longer recordings, with no subscription.
- Trade-off: it's a transcription tool, not a workflow: no live transcription, no speaker detection, no summaries and no case organization.
Option 4: Otter.ai with tighter settings
If your firm is committed to Otter, you can reduce the risk: turn off automatic joining of meetings, tell everyone when you're recording, delete recordings you no longer need and, for health information, ask whether a business associate agreement is available on your plan. It reduces exposure, but your recordings are still on Otter's servers under its policy.
Option 5: Dictalock (on-device and encrypted, launching soon)
We're building Dictalock for exactly this gap. It records, transcribes and summarizes on your iPhone, works in airplane mode, and encrypts every note with a key only you hold. Recordings are filed by client, patient or matter, and you export to Word or PDF when you're ready. No account, no server receiving your audio, and nothing used to train AI. See how Dictalock works.
At a glance
| Transcribed | AI training | Summaries | Organized by client | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai | Cloud | Yes, per its policy | Yes | Folders |
| Fireflies.ai | Cloud | No, per its policy | Yes | Channels |
| Voice Memos / Notes | iPhone | No | No | No |
| Aiko | iPhone or Mac | No | No | No |
| Dictalock | iPhone | No | Yes, on device | Yes |
Which one should you choose?
- Internal team meetings, nothing sensitive: a cloud tool like Fireflies or Otter is fine.
- The occasional private memo: Voice Memos or Notes, locked.
- Long recordings you just need as text: Aiko.
- Client, patient or board conversations every day: look for on-device transcription, encryption you control and organization by client. That's what Dictalock is for.
Whatever you choose, check the current privacy policy yourself before recording anything confidential: policies change, and what matters is what they say on the day you press record.