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Comparison
Sway vs. Otter.ai
Otter.ai is a meeting transcription service — it joins your call as a bot, records audio, and stores transcripts on its servers. Sway is something different: a real-time AI assistant that runs locally on your Mac, surfaces suggestions during the conversation, and never sends audio anywhere.
FeatureSwayOtter.ai
Real-time AI suggestions during the callYesNo
No meeting bot in your callYesNo
Audio processed locally on deviceYesNo
Meeting transcripts stored on company serversNoYes
Live transcriptionYesYes
Speaker identificationNoYes
Post-meeting summaryYesYes
macOS native desktop appYesWeb + mobile only
No bot joins your meetingYesNo
Pricing7-day trial, then $30/moPaid (Free tier with 300 min/mo)
Different tool, different job
Otter.ai is built for after the meeting — recordings, transcripts, and searchable history. If you want a verbatim record stored in the cloud, that's what it does.
Sway is built for during the meeting. It listens locally, surfaces relevant suggestions in real time, and disappears when the call ends. No bot in the participants list. No transcript on someone else's server.
When to choose Sway
- —You need help in the moment, not a transcript after
- —A bot joining the meeting is not acceptable (sensitive deals, board calls)
- —Your audio cannot leave your device for compliance reasons
- —You want invisibility on screen sharing — Otter cannot do this
Try Sway free
No bot. No transcripts stored. No account required.
macOS 13 Ventura or later