Scroll tables sideways to compare both products.
Happy Scribe vs Otter vs ScreenApp
Consider Happy Scribe if the transcript itself is the deliverable. It is built around an editor, subtitles and translation, and it sells optional human proofreading on top of the AI transcript. Its free account accepted our meeting file and answered both prompts. The free allowance is small: 10 minutes of AI transcription to try, which one eight-minute file nearly used up.
Consider Otter if you mostly record live meetings and want the lowest Pro price. Otter Pro has the lowest listed annual price of the three. Its free Basic account also accepted the file and answered both prompts. Uploads are the tight spot: Basic allows 3 file imports for the life of the account.
Consider ScreenApp if you want the recording, the transcript and the AI answers in one place. Pro accepted the file on both test days and named an owner and a timestamp for the one task it treated as assigned. Its Pro plan is listed at the same annual price as Happy Scribe Pro and costs more than Otter Pro, and the timestamp it cited changed between runs.
All three completed the upload workflow. The rest of this page is the prices, the plan limits and what each tool returned from the same file and the same two prompts. Nothing here establishes which is more accurate or faster.
Quick Comparison
“Observed” means we saw it happen in an upload test. “Documented” means the vendor lists it and we did not exercise it.
| What We Checked | Happy Scribe Free | Otter Basic | ScreenApp Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same MP4 upload | Observed: accepted on 29 September | Observed: accepted on 22 September | Observed: accepted on both days |
| Transcript | Observed: numbered speakers, ending at 7:45 | Observed: text saved | Observed: role labels, ending at 7:51 on 29 September |
| Identical summary prompt | Observed: 130 words | Observed: answer returned, length not counted | Observed: 163 words on 29 September |
| Identical action-item prompt | Observed: no assigned task, 3 proposed tasks | Observed: one task, owner not stated, timestamp 0:00:00 | Observed: one task, a role label as owner, timestamp 6:26 on 29 September |
| Transcription languages | Documented: 60+ | Documented: 6 | Documented: 100+ |
| Translation | Documented: 80+ languages | Not checked | Documented: 99 languages |
| Human proofreading | Documented: optional, paid separately | Not checked | Not listed |
| Live meeting capture | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
| Accuracy and speed | Not established | Not established | Not established |
Sources, checked 2026-09-29: happyscribe.com/pricing, otter.ai/pricing, screenapp.io/alternatives/happy-scribe-vs-otter-vs-screenapp#test-results, screenapp.io/alternatives/otter-vs-fireflies-vs-screenapp#test-results, screenapp.io/accuracy#languages, screenapp.io/features/audio-translator
Sources for the documented rows: Happy Scribe plans and Otter plans, checked on 29 and 28 September 2026, and ScreenApp plans. Otter’s language count was checked on 12 September 2026. The observed rows come from our own upload runs.
Strengths and Trade-offs
Happy Scribe
The editor showed timestamps, numbered speakers and the closing passage of the meeting. Its AI chat returned the shortest summary of the three and kept the requested headings. Subtitles, translation and paid human proofreading are part of the same product.
The free allowance is 10 minutes, too little for more than one run of our eight-minute file. The editor also loaded text only up to the three-minute mark until we scrolled. Its action answer put the VS Code task under proposed work even though it named the speaker who volunteered.
Otter
The lowest listed annual Pro price of the three, and a monthly minute allowance on the free plan. Basic produced transcript text, a native summary and answers to both prompts without a payment.
Imports are limited: 3 for the life of a Basic account and 10 a month on Pro. Its action answer cited 0:00:00, the start of the recording, which the other two transcripts do not support.
ScreenApp
Recording, transcript and prompted answers open together. Both action answers named the task, an owner label and a supporting timestamp, and both used the same label, Developer.
The cited timestamp moved between runs: 6:32 on 22 September and 6:26 on 29 September, while its own transcript showed the offer at 6:32. Its 29 September summary also listed adding VS Code as an agreed decision. Pro is listed at the same annual price as Happy Scribe Pro and above Otter Pro.
Price Comparison
Standard USD prices from each vendor’s pricing page. Happy Scribe was checked on 29 September 2026 and Otter on 28 September 2026. The annual column is the monthly equivalent with annual billing, which is the view all three vendors lead with. Otter charges per user; Happy Scribe and ScreenApp list plan prices. Otter’s page also showed a promotional annual rate, which is excluded. Confirm checkout totals, taxes and team terms before buying.
| Plan | Annual Billing, per Month | What It Counts |
|---|---|---|
| Happy Scribe Free | Free | 10 trial minutes, 3 AI chat files a month |
| Happy Scribe Basic | $8.50 | 120 AI minutes a month |
| Happy Scribe Pro | $19 | 600 AI minutes a month |
| Happy Scribe Business | $59 | 6000 AI minutes a month |
| Otter Basic | Free | 300 minutes a month, 3 lifetime imports |
| Otter Pro | $8.33 | 1,200 minutes and 10 imports a month |
| Otter Business | $19.99 | Per user; see vendor page for limits |
| ScreenApp Free | $0 | 3 trial uploads, 2 transcriptions |
| ScreenApp Pro | $19 | 50 transcriptions and 500 uploads a month |
| ScreenApp Max | $34 | Unlimited transcriptions and uploads |
Sources, checked 2026-09-29: happyscribe.com/pricing, otter.ai/pricing, ScreenApp pricing
Monthly billing costs more on all three. ScreenApp Pro is $30 and Otter Pro $16.99 when billed monthly; check Happy Scribe pricing for its monthly rates. We tested Happy Scribe Free, Otter Basic and ScreenApp Pro; the paid rows are there for the subscription decision.
Allowances and Limits
The three vendors meter different things. Happy Scribe counts AI minutes, Otter counts minutes and imports, ScreenApp counts transcriptions and uploads. Read down a column, not across a row.
| Allowance | Happy Scribe | Otter | ScreenApp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free transcription | 10 trial minutes of AI transcription, subtitling and translation | 300 minutes a month | 2 transcriptions |
| File uploads on the free plan | Limited by the trial minutes | 3 imports for the life of the account | 3 trial uploads |
| Longest recording on the free plan | 45 minutes | 30 minutes per conversation | 45 minutes |
| AI questions on the free plan | 3 files analyzed a month | 20 queries a month | 10 chats a month |
| Entry paid plan | Basic: 120 AI minutes and 10 AI chat files a month, meeting recordings up to 90 minutes | Pro: 1,200 minutes and 10 imports a month, 90 minutes per conversation | Pro: 50 transcriptions, 500 uploads and 50 AI chats a month, 2 hours per recording |
| Extra usage | Paid plans can buy AI minutes from $0.20 a minute | Not checked | Max removes the monthly caps |
| What our one upload used | 10 minutes shown before upload; AI chat afterwards showed 1/3 plan files analyzed | One import, leaving 2 | One Pro upload each day; allowance not reached |
Sources, checked 2026-09-29: happyscribe.com/pricing, otter.ai/pricing, screenapp.io/alternatives/happy-scribe-vs-otter-vs-screenapp#test-results, screenapp.io/alternatives/otter-vs-fireflies-vs-screenapp#test-results, ScreenApp pricing, screenapp.io/help/how-many-minutes-can-i-record, help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/17016733191703-Otter-AI-Chat-FAQs
Sources: Happy Scribe plans, checked 29 September 2026; Otter plan allowances, checked 28 September 2026; ScreenApp plans. The last row is our own observation from the test accounts.
Test Results
One File, Two Prompts, Two Days
We used the same trimmed Product Marketing Meeting recording every time: 480.04 seconds long and 12,341,615 bytes, with its SHA-256 hash recorded so the bytes were identical. It went to Otter Basic and ScreenApp Pro on 22 September 2026, and to Happy Scribe and ScreenApp Pro on 29 September 2026. ScreenApp therefore appears twice in the results, once per day.
After each upload we asked the same two questions in each tool’s own AI chat, summary first, then action items.
Read the Identical Test Prompts
Summary: Summarize this meeting in no more than 180 words. Use headings Discussion, Agreed Decisions, and Unresolved Proposals. Include only information supported by the transcript. Do not invent decisions, owners or deadlines.
Action items: List only explicitly assigned action items from this meeting. For each, give the task, owner, deadline including timezone if stated, and supporting timestamp. Write "Not stated" for missing details. Separately list proposed or unassigned work. Do not invent commitments.
Measured Results
| Result | Happy Scribe Free, 29 Sep | Otter Basic, 22 Sep | ScreenApp Pro, 22 Sep | ScreenApp Pro, 29 Sep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upload accepted | Yes, after a form submit; selecting the file alone did not start it | Yes, after file-picker retries | Yes | Yes |
| Transcript reached the end | Last passage at 7:45, after scrolling | Text saved | Text saved | Last passage at 7:51 |
| Speaker labels | Numbered speakers | Not recorded | Role labels | Numbered speakers and role labels |
| Summary length | 130 words | Not counted | Not counted | 163 words |
| Assigned tasks found | None | One | One | One |
| Proposed or unassigned tasks | 3 | Listed, not counted | Listed, not counted | 4 |
| Owner of the VS Code task | Not assigned; says Speaker 1 volunteered | Not stated | Developer, a role label | Developer, a role label |
| Timestamp cited for it | 6:27-6:35 | 0:00:00 | 6:32 | 6:26 |
| Deadline given | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Processing time | Not measured | Not measured | Not measured | Not measured |
| Accuracy against a checked reference | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored | Not scored |
Sources, checked 2026-09-29: screenapp.io/alternatives/happy-scribe-vs-otter-vs-screenapp#test-results, screenapp.io/alternatives/otter-vs-fireflies-vs-screenapp#test-results
Word counts use whitespace splitting on the isolated response text, headings included. Timestamps and labels are copied from the responses. None of these figures has been checked against a full listen to the audio.
What the Answers Said
The recording contains a moment where one speaker says they did not add VS Code to the list but can add it. Happy Scribe’s transcript puts that at 6:27 and ScreenApp’s at 6:32. The three tools read it differently. Otter and ScreenApp called it an assigned action item. Happy Scribe called it proposed work and said the speaker volunteered, which is arguably the more careful reading of “I can add that in”. Whether an offer counts as an assignment is a judgment call that only a human listen can settle.
The timestamps are where the answers part ways most clearly. Happy Scribe cited a range around its own transcript line. ScreenApp cited 6:32 on 22 September and 6:26 on 29 September for the same moment, a few seconds apart and both close to the offer. Otter cited 0:00:00, the start of the recording, which neither of the other transcripts supports.
The summaries all used the three requested headings, and both counted ones stayed under the 180-word limit. They disagreed on what was decided. ScreenApp’s 29 September summary listed adding VS Code integrations as an agreed decision. Happy Scribe kept its agreed decisions to grouping announcements into themes, reusing launch material and highlighting community contributions. Both left the monthly-active-users measurement unresolved. None of the summaries has been scored for omissions.
ScreenApp Action Items, 22 September
Otter Summary, 22 September
What We Did Not Test
Live meeting capture, the meeting bots, calendar sync, integrations, export file contents, sharing to another person, subtitles, translation, Happy Scribe’s human proofreading, languages other than English and speaker identity accuracy. We did not test any paid Happy Scribe or Otter plan and did not measure processing time. No word error rate exists because nobody has yet listened to the whole clip and corrected a reference transcript.
How We Tested
Dates: 22 September 2026 for Otter and ScreenApp, 29 September 2026 for Happy Scribe and ScreenApp. Input: the identical MP4 described above, previously processed by ScreenApp, so caching may have helped ScreenApp and no timing is reported. Environment: Chrome incognito on macOS in Sri Lanka, on the same machine. Accounts: Happy Scribe showing 10 available minutes, machine transcription in English (US), with the exact plan label not visible; Otter Basic set to English (US); ScreenApp Pro on its default transcription settings.
Method: assisted browser interaction in our own test accounts. Happy Scribe did not start uploading when the file was selected; submitting the upload form did. Its editor first showed text only up to about three minutes and loaded the rest as we scrolled, which is display behavior, not a length limit. Otter’s first file-selection attempts failed before its Browse Files route accepted the file. We saved each tool’s responses as text and as cropped screenshots, and exported a Word file from Happy Scribe and ScreenApp without verifying the downloaded contents. Happy Scribe’s terms were checked on 29 September 2026; running assisted uploads was our decision in our own accounts and does not imply either vendor’s consent.
Limitations: three different plans; one accepted upload per product per day; a reused file; no controlled timing; no human audio-verified reference; no word error rate. Happy Scribe’s free minutes allowed only one run of the file. Otter’s and ScreenApp’s 22 September summaries were not word-counted. Prices were checked on 28 and 29 September 2026.
ScreenApp Pty Ltd publishes this page and sells ScreenApp. Read the results with that in mind, and check the details against your own recording.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of the Three Is Cheapest?
On annual billing, Otter Pro has the lowest listed price, ScreenApp Pro and Happy Scribe Pro are listed at the same monthly equivalent, and Happy Scribe Basic is cheaper than both Pro plans. The plans ration different things, so compare them against your own usage: AI minutes on Happy Scribe, minutes and imports on Otter, transcriptions and uploads on ScreenApp. See the price table.
Which Is the Most Accurate?
We do not know. All three produced a transcript from the same file, but none has been scored against a reference a person corrected after listening to the whole recording. Happy Scribe publishes its own accuracy figures; we have not verified them. The action-item differences on this page are discrepancies to check, not a ranking.
Which Is the Fastest?
Not measured. Happy Scribe needed a form submit to start, Otter needed file-picker retries, and ScreenApp had processed the file before. A timing from these runs would mislead, so we do not publish one.
Which Is Best for Subtitles and Translation?
Happy Scribe is the one built around subtitles, translation and human proofreading, and it lists translation into 80+ languages on every plan. ScreenApp documents translation into 99 languages. We did not check Otter’s translation options and tested none of these features, so this answer comes from the vendors’ own pages.
Can I Try All Three for Free With the Same File?
Why Does ScreenApp Appear Twice in the Results?
The Otter and Happy Scribe runs happened a week apart, and the file was uploaded to ScreenApp again on each day as the comparison partner. Keeping both runs visible shows that ScreenApp’s owner label stayed the same while its cited timestamp moved.
Try the Same File Yourself
Open ScreenApp, explore Happy Scribe or explore Otter. Upload one recording to each, ask the same two questions, and check the owners, timestamps and decisions against the audio before you trust any of them.