Arc vs Otter.ai
A 2026 side-by-side comparison of Arc and Otter.ai — pricing, key features, platforms, API access, and the trade-offs of each, based on data collected from their official sites.

Arc
Experience a calmer, more personal internet in this browser designed for you.

Otter.ai
AI Notetaker, Transcription, Insights, and Conversational Knowledge Engine
Tagline
Experience a calmer, more personal internet in this browser designed for you.
AI Notetaker, Transcription, Insights, and Conversational Knowledge Engine
Pricing
Rating
Platforms
API
Open source
Description
Arc is a browser built by The Browser Company designed to reduce clicks, clutter, and distractions. It features split screen functionality, one-click account switching, Developer Mode, AI-powered utilities, weekly security updates, and deep integrations with productivity tools like Google Calendar, Gmail, Notion, and Google Docs.
Otter.ai uses artificial intelligence to empower users with real-time transcription meeting notes that are shareable, searchable, accessible, and secure. It offers AI meeting summaries, automated follow-ups, and tool integrations.
Key features
- Split Screen
- One-click Account Switching
- Developer Mode
- AI-Powered Utilities
- Google Calendar Integration
- Notion Calendar Integration
- Outlook Calendar Integration
- Gmail Integration
- Outlook Mail Integration
- Notion Integration
- Google Docs Notes Defaulting
- Word Docs Notes Defaulting
- Real-time transcription
- Automated AI meeting summaries
- Live AI chat
- Action items generation
- CRM sync
- Slide capture
- Audio & video file import
- Follow-up email generation
- Desktop application
- Chrome extension
- Integrations with Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams
Pros
- Features an integrated Split Screen view to view multiple pages side by side.
- Includes one-click account switching to jump between accounts seamlessly.
- Equipped with a built-in Developer Mode tailored for programmers.
- Provides AI-powered utilities to modernize how users browse.
- Receives weekly security updates and maintains SOC 2 certification.
- Integrates directly with Google, Notion, and Outlook calendars for a quick schedule peek.
- Offers preview capability for unread emails in Gmail and Outlook on tab hover.
- Allows users to set Google Docs, Notion, or Word as their default notes client.
- Integrates seamlessly with popular platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Slack.
- Provides up to 6,000 monthly transcription minutes and support for 4 hours per conversation on specific plan levels.
- Allows users to import and transcribe unlimited audio or video files.
- Captures meeting notes and slides automatically via proprietary real-time transcription.
- Enables recording on desktop with headphones on and without requiring a bot to join the meeting.
- Supports automatic exports of transcripts, summaries, and metadata to Airtable and Amazon S3.
- Extracts conversation information instantly using interactive AI Chat context queries.
- Offers dedicated mobile applications for both iOS and Android devices, as well as a Chrome extension.
Cons
- The site does not reference or provide any public API documentation.
- Details on product pricing plans are not listed on the website.
- The browser is not explicitly listed as open source and does not provide repository links.
- Specific supported desktop platforms like Windows or macOS are not clearly listed on the home page.
- Utilizing integration hover-previews requires keeping calendar and mail tabs pinned or favorited.
- Desktop application requires macOS 12.3 or later, limiting usability on older Apple systems.
- Desktop application is restricted to Windows 10 or later on PC systems.
- Exact pricing tier dollar amounts for paid plans are not disclosed in the provided page texts.
- No public developer API documentation or REST API details are referenced on the main pages.
- No explicit compliance certifications (such as SOC2, ISO, or HIPAA) are detail-listed in the scraped texts.
Pricing plans
Which one should you pick?
- Choose Arc if you need Split Screen.
- Choose Otter.ai if you need Real-time transcription.
- On budget: Arc is freemium, Otter.ai is freemium.