Comparison
EchoSphere vs Otter.ai, Fireflies and Teams transcription
They are great for one meeting. EchoSphere is built for many tables at once in one room.
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When you look for a tool to transcribe conversations, you quickly end up with Otter.ai, Fireflies or the built-in transcription in Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Those are good tools. They are made for one conversation at a time: an online meeting, a call or an interview. EchoSphere solves a different problem. It is made for sessions in which many groups talk at the same time in the same room, such as a World Café, an offsite in subgroups or roundtables at a conference. On this page we set out the differences honestly.
What meeting tools are good at
Otter.ai and Fireflies connect to online meetings and deliver a transcript, summary and action items of that one conversation. Teams and Zoom have transcription built in for the call you are on. If you mostly have online meetings or one-to-one conversations, those are logical choices and you probably do not need EchoSphere.
Where EchoSphere is different
In a physical session with ten tables, ten separate transcripts are of little use. You want to see them side by side. EchoSphere records per table with one phone, keeps tables and rounds apart and compares them: where tables agree, where they differ and how sentiment varies per table. The moderator follows this live on a dashboard and closes with a clickable slide deck. Participants install nothing and need no account.
Which fits your session?
A simple rule of thumb: if one group is talking, choose a meeting tool. If several groups talk at once in a room and you want to know what is going on across groups, choose EchoSphere. Many organisations use both: a meeting tool for the weekly meeting and EchoSphere for the offsite, the conference or the participation evening.
Comparison
| Feature | EchoSphere | Otter.ai / Fireflies | Teams / Zoom transcription |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Many tables at once in one room | One meeting or conversation | The current online call |
| Several groups at once, captured separately | Yes | Per conversation separately | No |
| Comparison across tables and rounds | Yes | No | No |
| Live moderator dashboard | Yes, with sentiment per table | Live transcript of the conversation | Live captions in the call |
| Summary | Per table, per round and overall | Per conversation | Depends on licence |
| Automatic slide deck | Yes | No | No |
| What participants need | Nothing, one phone per table | Join the call or use the app | Join the call |
| Pricing model | Credits per table per round | Subscription per user | Part of the licence |
Based on widely known features of these tools. Features and pricing of other vendors can change; check their own websites for the current situation.
How it works in 3 steps
- 1
Choose your session format
One group or many groups at once? That decides which tool fits.
- 2
Set up tables and rounds
In EchoSphere you create tables and rounds and prepare the questions.
- 3
Record, compare, share
One phone per table, a live dashboard for you and a deck for everyone.
What you get afterwards
- Transcript and summary per table
- Comparison across tables and rounds
- Sentiment per table side by side
- Overall session summary
- Clickable slide deck via a link
Pricing example: Session with 6 tables and 2 rounds
6 tables × 2 rounds = 12 credits × €39 = €468 excl. VAT
Frequently asked questions
Is EchoSphere a replacement for Otter or Fireflies?
Not for regular meetings. EchoSphere is meant for physical sessions with several tables at once. For online meetings, meeting tools remain a good choice.
Can I use Teams transcription for a World Café?
You could start a separate call per table, but you get separate transcripts without comparison between tables and without an overview for the moderator. That is what EchoSphere is built for.
Does EchoSphere work for online sessions?
EchoSphere is made for physical sessions where a phone at the table listens in. For fully online sessions, meeting tools fit better.
Why do I pay per credit rather than per user?
Because you use EchoSphere per event. You pay for the number of tables and rounds you use, without an ongoing subscription.
Further reading in the knowledge base
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