An Otter.ai alternative built for European teams
Otter earned its popularity: it made meeting transcription mainstream, and within its six languages it does the job. The reasons teams look for an alternative are usually concrete: language coverage, where the data is processed, and what happens after the transcript. Here is the honest comparison.
01
What Otter does well
Otter is a mature product with real-time transcription, live captions, meeting summaries and an assistant that joins calls. For teams that work in one of its six languages and are comfortable with a US provider, it is a reasonable default, which is exactly why it is the benchmark to compare against.
02
Why teams look for an alternative
Three reasons come up again and again:
- Language: Otter transcribes in six languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese). A meeting in Swedish, Dutch, Italian or Portuguese is outside its range, and mixed-language meetings are harder still.
- Data processing: Otter is a US service. For European organizations, that means transfer mechanisms, subprocessor reviews and questions from the data protection officer that a US provider cannot answer with 'the data stays in Europe'.
- After the transcript: meeting notes are where Otter stops. Analysis across many conversations, structured reports from a chosen set of sources, and answers with verifiable citations are a different kind of tool.
03
Where Klang differs
Klang is built in Sweden and processes all data in Europe, with a data processing agreement, ISO 27001:2022 certification and a commitment that your conversations are never used to train AI. For organizations with stricter requirements, Klang also runs on-premise, fully offline if needed.
Transcription covers more than 40 languages with automatic speaker separation, and every sentence links to its place in the recording. Beyond the single meeting, Klang analyzes across conversations: ask questions over months of meetings, or build structured reports from exactly the sources you choose, with every claim citing the moment it comes from.
04
Switching is not a project
There is no migration to plan. Connect your calendar and Klang's assistant starts joining your Google Meet, Teams and Zoom calls; upload old recordings whenever you want them in the same searchable record. Try it on this week's meetings alongside your current tool and compare the output on your own conversations.
Otter and Klang side by side
Both transcribe meetings with an assistant that joins calls, summaries and speaker labels. The differences that matter:
| Otter.ai | Klang | |
|---|---|---|
| Languages | Six: English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese | More than 40, including all major European languages |
| Data processing | United States | Europe, with a data processing agreement |
| AI training on your data | Governed by Otter's policies | Never |
| Certification | SOC 2 | ISO 27001:2022 |
| Beyond one meeting | Chat and search within your meetings | Analysis across chosen sources with cited, verifiable answers |
| Deployment | Cloud only | Cloud in the EU, or on-premise down to fully offline |
Based on both providers' public documentation, August 2026. Check current details with each provider; Otter's language support and terms can change.
European AI
Transcription your DPO will approve of
Klang gives your team the assistant, the transcripts and the summaries, with data processed in Europe, no AI training on your conversations, and analysis that goes further than a single meeting's notes.
- Assistant for Google Meet, Teams and Zoom, mobile app and file upload
- Transcription in 40+ languages with speaker separation
- Ask across all meetings, answers cite the exact moment
- Data processed in Europe · ISO 27001:2022 certified · on-premise option
Used daily by parliaments, city governments and law firms
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Otter.ai?
It depends on why you are leaving. If the reason is language coverage beyond Otter's six, European data processing or analysis across meetings, Klang is built for exactly those three. Test both on the same real meeting and compare the transcripts.
Does Klang have an assistant that joins meetings like Otter?
Yes. Connect your calendar and Klang's assistant joins Google Meet, Teams and Zoom calls as a visible participant, records, and delivers the transcript and notes when the meeting ends.
Can I move my old recordings from Otter?
You can upload your audio and video files to Klang and they are transcribed like any new meeting. There is no lock-in in either direction: Klang lets you export your transcripts and data whenever you want.
Is Klang GDPR compliant?
Klang processes all data in Europe, offers a data processing agreement, never uses your conversations to train AI and is ISO 27001:2022 certified. That gives your data protection review straightforward answers.
What does Klang cost compared to Otter?
Klang has a free plan, no credit card needed, and paid plans listed on the pricing page. The honest answer to a price comparison is to check both pricing pages the week you decide; prices change.