The 5 Most Secure Otter.ai Alternatives (Privacy-Focused Review)

Introduction

While Otter.ai is a leader in AI transcription, many users are seeking alternatives—whether due to price, feature limitations, or privacy concerns.

In today’s world, meeting notes and transcripts often contain sensitive business strategies, personal information, and intellectual property. That makes data security and privacy policies just as important as transcription accuracy.

In this review, we highlight five Otter.ai alternatives that stand out for their privacy and security measures. These tools are evaluated using strict criteria, so you can choose with confidence.

Our Security Review Criteria

We assessed each alternative against four Pillars of Security:

1. Encryption – Strength and scope of encryption in transit and at rest.
2. AI Training Policy – Whether your data is used to train AI models by default.
3. Compliance – Availability of HIPAA, GDPR, or SOC 2 Type II certifications.
4. Account Security – Features like Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and SSO.

1. Fireflies.ai

Pros:

• AES-256 encryption for data at rest; TLS for data in transit.
• HIPAA compliance available on Enterprise plan with BAA.
• Explicit opt-in only policy for AI training—content isn’t used without consent.
• SOC 2 Type II certified.

Cons:

• Some advanced admin controls are Enterprise-only.
• Data retention policies vary by plan.

2. Descript

Pros:

• Encryption at rest and in transit.
• GDPR-compliant; responsive data deletion process.
• Transparent policy on AI model training; allows opt-out for most accounts.
• Offers 2FA.

Cons:

• No HIPAA compliance.
• SOC 2 Type II status not public.

3. Fathom

Pros:

• End-to-end encryption for calls and transcripts.
• GDPR-compliant; supports data export and deletion.
• No AI training on user content without explicit consent.

Cons:

• No HIPAA or SOC 2 certification.
• Limited enterprise-level admin features.

4. Grain

Pros:

• Encryption at rest and in transit.
• GDPR-compliant; allows deletion of recordings on demand.
• Offers role-based access controls for teams.

Cons:

• No HIPAA compliance.
• No explicit SOC 2 Type II certification.

5. Sonix

Pros:

• AES-256 encryption at rest, TLS in transit.
• GDPR-compliant.
• Clear, opt-in policy for AI training.
• Offers 2FA.

Cons:

• No HIPAA compliance.
• SOC 2 Type II not listed.

Special Mention: The Privacy-First Alternative

Coming Soon: The Zero-Knowledge Alternative for Absolute Privacy

While the tools above offer varying degrees of security, we’re building a transcription platform from the ground up on the principle that:

Your data should never be seen by anyone—not even us—and should never be used to train any AI model.

Key principles:

• End-to-end encryption for every recording and transcript.
• Zero-knowledge architecture—we cannot access your data.
• No AI training on your content, ever.

Conclusion & Summary Table

The table compares each tool against the four security pillars:

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