Otter AI vs. Descript vs. Wave: Which Is the Best?
10/29/2024
Transcribing meetings, lectures, and interviews can be tedious and time-consuming. But what if you have a tool that makes the process effortless, efficient, and accurate?
Otter AI, Descript, and Wave are popular transcription and audio editing tools. Let’s see how they compare.
Key Takeaways
- Wave allows unlimited audio recording in the background or while multitasking, making it convenient for busy settings.
- Wave uses AI for accurate transcription, supports multiple languages, and intelligent summarization.
- Wave offers three pricing tiers—Free, Standard ($12.99/month), and Pro ($21.99/month).
Otter AI vs. Descript vs. Wave at a Glance
| Feature | Otter AI | Descript | Wave |
| Transcription accuracy | High | High | Best-in-class |
| Speaker identification | Yes, shared speakers | Yes | Yes |
| Editing | Text-based | Multitrack audio/video | Text-based |
| Import files | Yes | Yes | Yes, including YouTube |
| Export options | Text, audio | Video, audio, text | Text, audio |
| Collaboration | Yes | Yes | Add teammates |
| AI tools | Some | Overdub, Studio Sound, Filler Words | Summarization, customization |
| Recording time (free) | 300 min/month | 3 hours free | 30 min/month |
| Recording time (paid) | 6000 min/month | 30 hours/month | Unlimited |
| Pricing | $8.33-$40/month | $12-$24/month | $12.99-$21.99/month |
Wave Overview
Wave is an AI-powered transcription app designed for effortless note-taking. It can record meetings, lectures, and phone calls and generate transcripts and summaries automatically.
It’s the perfect companion for students, researchers, journalists, and professionals who want to do more than just scribble notes.
Wave Core Features
Here’s what makes Wave better than other transcription apps:
1. Effortless Audio Recording
Wave makes recording audio a breeze, whether you’re using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
The app allows unlimited recording time and can even record in the background while you use other apps. With the tap of a button, Wave captures every word, even if your device is locked or you’re multitasking.
For phone calls, Wave can detect when you’re on a call and will prompt you to record. It then stores the audio and identifies speakers for easy reference later.
2. Automatic Transcription
Once your recording is finished, Wave begins transcribing the audio into text. The app uses advanced AI models to ensure high accuracy, even with multiple speakers or background noise.
The main features of Wave’s transcription are speed, multi-language support, speaker identification, and editing tools.
3. Intelligent Summarization
In addition to full transcripts, Wave can generate concise summaries of your audio using natural language processing.
This feature is a game-changer for long meetings or lectures. Instead of sifting through pages of text, you can quickly get the key points and action items.
Wave’s summarization features include customizability, quote extraction, and key points highlighting.
Wave Pricing
Wave offers three pricing tiers to suit different needs and budgets:
| Plan | Price | Recording Time | Key Features |
| Free | Free | 30 minutes per month | Audio and phone call recording, transcription, summarization |
| Standard | $12.99 per month | 5 hours per month | Unlimited recording length, transcription, summarization |
| Pro | $21.99 per month | Unlimited | Advanced features: unlimited summary customizations, web-based dashboard |
Download the Wave app for Android or iOS here.
Pros and Cons of Wave
| Positives | What Could Be Better |
| Works across devices and supports background recording. Uses advanced AI models for high transcription accuracy. Intelligent summaries help save time by highlighting key points. Easy to share transcripts and summaries with others. | Currently only available as a mobile app, a web-based dashboard would benefit desktop users. |
Otter AI Overview
Otter AI is an AI-powered transcription tool that automatically transcribes audio in real-time, allowing users to focus on the discussion rather than taking notes.
With Otter AI, you can easily record and transcribe meetings, lectures, interviews, and more. The app also provides powerful collaboration features, making sharing transcripts, adding comments, and assigning action items easy.
Otter AI Core Features
Here are its core features:
1. Real-time Transcription
Otter AI uses advanced speech recognition technology to transcribe audio in real-time. As participants speak, the app converts their words into text, creating a live conversation transcript.
Some key features of Otter AI’s transcription are accuracy, speaker identification, customizable vocabulary, and editing tools.
2. Speaker Identification
Otter AI’s speaker identification technology allows it to recognize and differentiate between multiple speakers in a conversation.
Here’s how it works:
- During the recording, Otter AI analyzes each speaker’s voice and assigns them a unique identifier.
- In the transcript, each speaker’s name or label appears next to their respective sections of text.
- Users can edit the speaker labels to match actual names, making the transcript easier to follow.
- Over time, Otter AI learns to recognize frequent speakers, improving its accuracy in future transcriptions.
This feature is handy for meetings or interviews with several participants, as it helps keep track of who said what.
3. Collaboration Tools
Otter AI offers a range of collaboration features that make it easy to share, comment on, and interact with transcripts.
Users can share transcripts, add comments, highlight key points, and assign action items.
These collaboration tools streamline communication and ensure everyone is on the same page, even if they couldn’t attend the original meeting or conversation.
Otter AI Pricing
| Plan | Price | Transcription Minutes | Key Features |
| Basic | Free | 300 minutes per month | Limited features |
| Pro | $8.33/month (billed annually) | 1,200 minutes per month | Advanced search, export options |
| Business | $20/user/month (billed annually) | 6,000 minutes per month | Features for teams: centralized billing, user management |
Pros and Cons of Otter AI
| Positives | What Could Be Better |
| High-quality transcripts, even in challenging audio environments. Automatic transcription eliminates the need for manual note-taking. Sharing, commenting, and highlighting tools facilitate teamwork. Recognizes and labels different speakers, improving transcript clarity. | Formatting can sometimes be inconsistent or hard to read. Some users experience crashes or recording difficulties. Plans may be expensive for individuals or small teams with high transcription needs. |
Descript Overview
Descript is an all-in-one audio and video editing platform that simplifies creation. It’s designed for podcasters and video creators who want to produce professional-quality content minus the steep learning curve of traditional editing software.
With Descript, you can record, transcribe, edit, and export your projects in one place. The app uses AI-powered transcription to convert your audio or video into text, allowing you to edit your content like a document.
Descript Core Features
Here are its core features:
1. Multitrack Audio/Video Editing
The standout feature of Descript is its ability to edit audio and video by editing the transcript. This revolutionary approach makes editing more intuitive and accessible to creators unfamiliar with complex editing software.
Some key aspects of Descript’s multitrack editing feature are a drag-and-drop interface, precise editing, automatic syncing, and multitrack support.
2. Screen Recording
Descript offers a built-in screen recorder that captures your screen and webcam simultaneously. This feature helps users create tutorial videos, product demos, or remote interviews.
The screen recording feature includes picture-in-picture (recording your screen and webcam simultaneously), a custom recording area, and automatic transcription.
3. Overdub AI Voice Generator
Overdub allows you to create realistic voice overs using text. With Overdub, you can train the AI to mimic your voice or choose from a variety of pre-built voices.
Here’s how to use Overdub:
- Record a few minutes of your voice to create a custom AI model that can generate speech in your voice.
- Write the text you want the AI to speak in the Overdub editor.
- Click a button, and the AI will generate a realistic voice-over based on your text, using your custom voice model or a pre-built one.
- Adjust the pacing, intonation, and pronunciation of the generated speech accordingly.
Descript Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key Features |
| Free | Free | Get started with text-based editing and explore AI tools |
| Hobbyist | $12 | 10 transcription hours/month 1080p export Watermark-free 20 uses/month of Basic AI suite 30 minutes/month of AI speech with stock/custom voices |
| Creator | $24 | 30 transcription hours/month 4k export Watermark-free Unlimited Basic/Advanced AI suite 2 hours/month of AI speech Unlimited stock library access |
| Business | $40 | 40 transcription hours/month Free Basic seats for collaboration Unlimited Professional AI suite 5 hours/month of AI speech 2 hours/month of dubbing Priority support |
| Enterprise | Custom | Tailored solutions with enterprise-grade security for large or growing teams |
Pros and Cons of Descript
Here are the positives and areas for improvement of Descript:
| Positives | What Could Be Better |
| Transcript-based editing makes it accessible for creators of all skill level. Combines screen recording, transcription, and Overdub, streamlining workflows. Automates tasks like transcription and voice generation, saving time and effort. Multiple users can collaborate on the same project simultaneously. | Some users experience performance issues with larger projects or on less powerful computers. Advanced features may require some time to master, especially for new users. Audio effects and processing options are limited compared to specialized audio editing software. |
How Otter AI vs Descript vs Wave Compare: Overall
| Feature | Otter AI | Descript | Wave |
| Transcription Accuracy | High-quality transcription with speaker identification. Users can add custom terms for improved precision. | Fast transcription with options for automatic or White Glove services. Supports multiple languages. | Best-in-class transcription with advanced AI models. Supports speaker identification and works well in noisy environments. |
| Collaboration Features | Robust tools for sharing, commenting, highlighting, and assigning action items. | Multi-user collaboration on audio/video projects. Easy sharing. | Easy sharing of transcripts and summaries via URL, PDF, or direct messaging. Intuitive organization features. |
| AI Capabilities | AI-powered speaker identification. Automatic transcription. Otter Assistant for Zoom, MS Teams, and Google Meet. | AI for filler word removal. Voice cloning (Overdub). Audio enhancement (Studio Sound). Video editing. | AI-powered transcription and concise summaries. Custom vocabulary. Speaker identification. Audio translation. |
| Pricing | Starts at $8.33/month Business plan at $20/user/month for 6000 transcription minutes. | Free plan includes 3 hours of transcription. Paid plans from $12-$24/month for 30 hours of transcription. | Free plan offers 30 minutes of recording. Paid plans start at $12.99/month for 5 hours, with unlimited transcription at $21.99/month. |
Otter AI vs. Descript vs. Wave: Which Should You Choose?
To make this simple for you, here’s a feature comparison table scored on a 5-point scale:
| Feature | Otter AI | Descript | Wave |
| Transcription Accuracy | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.9 |
| Speaker Identification | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.7 |
| Collaboration Features | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.8 |
| AI Capabilities | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.9 |
| Ease of Use | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.8 |
| Pricing Value | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.7 |
| Average Score | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.8 |
Get Started with Wave
Simply put, Wave has the best-in-class transcription accuracy and intelligent summarization features. It efficiently captures vital points and action items, saving time and effort when reviewing meeting notes or lectures.
Its seamless integration across devices ensures a hassle-free experience. Moreover, collaboration is made easy with its intuitive sharing options, allowing you to quickly distribute transcripts and summaries to your team.
The app’s AI capabilities, including speaker identification and customizable summaries, provide a comprehensive and efficient solution for all your transcription needs.
Wave’s competitive pricing offers great value without sacrificing essential features. With unlimited transcription in its Pro plan, Wave ensures you have the tools needed to keep up with your workload.