ENDoes Otter work offline? An offline alternative for Android
Checked by the Murlivo team.
Quick answer
Otter can keep recording without internet, but it cannot make the text without it. When the connection drops, the live transcript pauses; when the connection comes back, Otter uploads the audio and makes the transcript then. If you need the text with no internet at all, use an app that transcribes on the phone itself. On Android, Murlivo does that for free, with no account.
What Otter does without a connection
Otter's help center has a page about this. In short:1
- Recording goes on. If your phone or computer loses its connection, "Live transcription will pause", but Otter keeps recording the audio.
- The text waits for the internet. When the connection comes back during the recording, the live transcript starts again. If you stop the recording while offline, Otter waits for a stable connection, then uploads the audio and makes the transcript.
- Keep the app open. Otter says to keep the app or browser tab open until the upload is complete, because closing it before then "may result in lost audio or conversation data".
Otter's Android listing says the same thing in its requirements: an "Internet connection for transcribing" and "Account creation". It also says it transcribes in real time "when online", and that it works in "English, Spanish, French only".3
So Otter is fine for a short drop in signal, such as a train tunnel. It is not made for places with no internet for a long time, such as a flight, a remote site or a building with no signal, if you need the text there.
Otter's free plan and prices
Otter has a free Basic plan. On its pricing page, Basic includes 300 transcription minutes a month, at most 30 minutes per conversation, 3 audio or video file imports in total, and only the 25 most recent conversations.2
The paid plans, in US dollars per user per month as shown on the pricing page: Pro costs $16.99 billed monthly or $8.33 billed yearly, and Business costs $30 billed monthly or $19.99 billed yearly. Enterprise has no public price. The page also showed short-term offers, and prices can differ by country.2
Otter and Murlivo side by side
| App | Text with no internet | Account | Price | Where your notes live |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murlivo | Yes, on the phone, after a one-time model download | None | Free, no ads | Markdown files in a folder you choose |
| Otter | No: it records, then transcribes after you reconnect | Needed | Free plan with limits; Pro from $8.33 per user per month, billed yearly | Otter's cloud |
The offline alternative on Android: Murlivo
Best for: voice notes, dictations, interviews and lectures you want as text with no internet and no account.
Murlivo is a free voice recorder for Android phones with Android 11 or newer. It turns speech into text on the phone itself. The speech model downloads once, on first run; after that, recording and transcription work offline, even in airplane mode. How fast the text comes depends on your phone. There is no account, no subscription and no ads.45
Each recording is added to a plain Markdown note, one file per day, in an Inbox folder inside a folder you choose, such as an Obsidian vault. The audio is kept in a subfolder. Murlivo detects the spoken language by itself, or you choose one of 20 languages. Recordings stop and save themselves after 2 hours by default, and you can change or turn off that limit in Settings.4
If you have a Wear OS 3 or newer watch, you can also start a recording from your wrist. The phone app works fully on its own.4
Where Otter wins
- Online meetings. Otter joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet to write and share notes.2 Murlivo is not a meeting bot: it only records what the phone's microphone hears.4
- Sharing and teams. Otter shares notes through channels and public links, and team members can view, edit and comment on them.23 Murlivo has no sharing between users and no team workspace.4
- More devices. Otter has apps for Android and iPhone and works on the web.23 Murlivo is for Android only.4
- AI on top of the text. Otter writes summaries and has an AI chat for your meetings.23
Where Murlivo wins
- Offline. You get the text with no internet at all, after the one-time model download.4
- Private. The speech is turned into text on your phone, and there is no server copy of your notes. The anonymous usage data that is on by default never contains audio, transcripts or note text, and you can turn it off.4
- No account. No sign-up, no email, no password.4
- Free. No subscription, no trial and no in-app purchase, so there is no paid plan to upgrade to.5
- Your own files. Notes are plain Markdown in a folder you choose, so any notes app can open them.4
How we checked
We make Murlivo and wrote this page, so read it knowing that. We read Otter's own help center, pricing page and Google Play listing on , and every claim about Otter links to its source in the References. Prices and plans change often, so check Otter's pricing page before you buy. If anything here is wrong or out of date, write to support@murlivo.com and we will fix it.
Questions
Does Otter work offline?
Partly. Otter keeps recording when you lose the connection, but the live transcript pauses. Otter uploads the audio and makes the transcript after you reconnect, and you should keep the app open until the upload is complete.
Can Otter transcribe without internet?
No. Otter's Android listing lists an "Internet connection for transcribing" as a requirement. For text with no internet, use an app that transcribes on the phone, such as Murlivo.
Is Otter free?
Otter has a free Basic plan with 300 transcription minutes a month and at most 30 minutes per conversation. Paid plans start at $8.33 per user per month, billed yearly, as shown on Otter's pricing page on 22 October 2026.
Is there an offline Otter alternative for Android?
Yes. Murlivo records and transcribes on an Android phone with no internet, after a one-time speech model download. It is free, needs no account, and saves each recording as text in a Markdown note in a folder you choose.
Can Murlivo join Zoom or Teams meetings like Otter?
No. Murlivo is not a meeting bot. It records what the phone's microphone hears, so it works for meetings in a room, lectures and interviews, but it does not join video calls.
References
- Otter Help: Record with Otter offline or without an internet connection, checked .
- Otter pricing, checked .
- OtterAI on Google Play, checked .
- Murlivo product facts, checked .
- Murlivo pricing, checked .