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Want to Use Otter Free for Chinese Meetings? Avoid These Pitfalls First
Many people search for "Otter Chinese software free," assuming Otter has a full Chinese version. In reality, while Otter's free plan offers 300 minutes, each recording is capped at 30 minutes, and only Simplified Chinese is officially supported—Traditional Chinese requires manual testing. If you primarily hold Chinese meetings, especially in Traditional Chinese, Otter may not be the best choice. In this article, I tested and compared three popular AI meeting note tools to see which one is better for users in Taiwan.
3 Key Factors When Choosing an AI Meeting Notes Tool
Chinese transcription quality: Don't just look at the official language list; test with real meeting recordings. Many tools claim to support Chinese, but recognition accuracy varies greatly for Traditional Chinese, Taiwanese accents, and mixed Chinese-English speech. Tinrec offers more complete support for Traditional Chinese and performed better than Otter in our tests for Taiwanese meetings.
Recording method: Do you want the tool to join meetings like a bot, or record your computer's audio directly? Otter typically requires you to paste a meeting link for the bot to join, and sometimes the host must approve it. Tinrec's desktop version captures system audio directly—no bot needed, so it doesn't disrupt the meeting.
Free plan limitations: Otter's free plan offers 300 minutes per month, with a 30-minute cap per recording, and only 3 lifetime uploads. Tinrec's free plan also has limits, but without the 30-minute cutoff, making it better for back-to-back meetings.
Tinrec — Our Top Pick After Testing
Tinrec is an AI meeting notes and collaboration tool that supports Traditional Chinese, available on iOS, Android, web, and desktop. It doesn't just transcribe; it also auto-generates summaries and action items, and supports AI Q&A and team spaces.
During a meeting, open the Tinrec desktop app, and it records your computer's audio directly—no need to invite a bot. It transcribes in real time, and as soon as the meeting ends, you get a full transcript, key takeaways, and action items. You can even ask Tinrec, "What was the conclusion of the meeting?" and it will answer based on the content, not just keyword search. This feature isn't available in Otter's free version.
In a test with a 10-minute Chinese meeting recording (including Taiwanese accent and mixed Chinese-English), Tinrec's Traditional Chinese recognition was noticeably more natural than Otter's Simplified Chinese transcription, and it handled proper nouns more accurately. Otter would write "專案" as "项目," while Tinrec preserves Traditional Chinese terms.
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Tinrec's free plan offers basic credits without the 30-minute per-recording limit, making it suitable for consecutive meetings. The paid version unlocks more import minutes and advanced features, but you don't need to pay upfront.
Who it's for: Professionals and students who need Traditional Chinese meeting notes, prefer not to use meeting bots, and want to ask AI for key points after recording.
Other Alternatives Besides Tinrec
Otter.ai: Excellent for English meetings, with a generous free 300 minutes/month. However, it only supports Simplified Chinese, so Traditional Chinese users need to test it themselves; the free version caps each recording at 30 minutes, requiring manual segmentation for longer meetings. Tinrec supports Traditional Chinese and bot-free recording, which Otter can't do.
Notta: Strong in transcription and translation, but the free plan is limited to 120 minutes per month and a strict 3-minute per session cap. Tinrec's free plan has no per-session time limit, and its bot-free desktop recording is better suited for online meetings.
Pitfall Guide: 3 Common Mistakes When Choosing AI Meeting Notes
Buying just because the official site says it supports Chinese: Many tools only support Simplified Chinese, so you need to test Traditional Chinese meetings. Use the free version to record a real meeting and check proper nouns and names.
Ignoring the recording method: Bots joining meetings appear as participants, which some companies don't allow. Tinrec's desktop version records system audio directly, making it more discreet.
Underestimating free plan limitations: Otter's free version caps each recording at 30 minutes, so long meetings must be split. Tinrec's free version has no such limit, making it better for longer meetings in Taiwan.
Summary: Which One Should You Choose?
If you need Traditional Chinese meeting notes, don't want to be interrupted by a 30-minute limit, and want to ask AI questions after recording → choose Tinrec; the free version is sufficient.
If you only record English meetings and need lots of transcription minutes → Otter's free 300 minutes is a good deal, but you'll need to test Chinese yourself.
If you have a $0 budget and just need simple transcription → try Tinrec's free version first, then decide whether to upgrade.
We recommend downloading Tinrec's free version and recording a real Chinese meeting to see the difference.
References
- Otter APK (Android App) - Free Download
- 2026 Otter.ai Review: Complete Chinese Guide, Features, Pricing, and User Experience | Meeting Notes & Automatic Transcription Helper - RosyArts
- Does Otter.ai Support Chinese? Simplified Chinese Limitation, Free 300 Minutes & Tutorial | Mason AI Lab
- OtterAI Transcribe Voice Notes - Google Play App
- Otter.ai | Learn AI
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