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Fathom Review
Reviewed by Carlos Gil · Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Updated 8 min readEditorially reviewed
Quick facts
- Starting price
- Free; Premium $16/mo billed annually ($20 monthly)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Founders, consultants, recruiters and sales teams who take a lot of video calls and want notes, summaries and CRM logging without typing
- Platforms
- Mac and Windows desktop apps, iPhone app, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack Huddles (Mac, bot-free), Chrome extension, public API and MCP
Pricing checked against the official Fathom pricing page on . See every plan or the pricing tracker.
BestStacked Score
Weighted average of 5 categories. Methodology below.
Quick answer
Is Fathom worth it?
For most people who live on video calls, yes. Fathom's free plan records and transcribes an unlimited number of Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls and writes a basic summary of each one. Advanced summaries are limited to your first 5 calls each month, and AI action items, follow-up emails and Ask Fathom need Premium at $16 a month billed annually ($20 monthly). Teams pay $15 per user (Team) or $25 per user (Business) billed annually, with a 2-user minimum. Enterprise is quote-based.
- Free plan
- Unlimited recording, transcription and storage, basic summaries on every call, advanced summaries on the first 5 calls each month.
- Plan to price
- Premium ($16/mo annually, $20 monthly) for one person; Team ($15/user/mo annually) once two or more people want shared call libraries.
- Sales teams
- Business ($25/user/mo annually, $34 monthly) adds CRM field sync, Deal View and coaching metrics.
- Skip it if
- You need bot-free recording on Windows, Linux support, or recording of phone calls. Fathom doesn't offer those today.
The Verdict
Fathom is one of the easiest AI notetakers to start with, because the free plan doesn't cap recordings, transcription or storage. You connect a calendar, Fathom joins your Zoom, Google Meet or Teams calls, and a summary is ready after the call. The free plan's real limit is the summary depth: advanced summaries stop after 5 calls a month, and action items, follow-up emails and in-call AI chat are paid. Paid plans start at $16 a month billed annually, and Business adds CRM field sync for sales teams. Watch for three gaps: bot-free capture is Mac only, custom data retention and SSO are Enterprise only, and Fathom's own pricing page disagrees with itself about which plan gets custom summaries. We score it 9.2/10.
Best for
Anyone who runs several video calls a week and wants recordings, transcripts and summaries without paying until they need action items or team features.
Skip if
You record in-person or phone calls on a desktop, need bot-free capture on Windows, or need data retention controls without an Enterprise contract.
The Background
What Is Fathom?
Fathom is an AI meeting assistant. It records Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls, either by sending a notetaker bot or, on Mac, through bot-free capture, then produces a transcript and an AI summary. Fathom says it supports transcripts in 38 languages. Paid plans add advanced summaries on every call, AI action items, AI follow-up emails and Ask Fathom, a chat assistant that answers questions about a call. Team plans add shared call libraries, folders, comments, trackers and keyword alerts, and Business adds CRM field sync, Deal View and coaching metrics. Fathom also has an iPhone app for in-person conversations, a public API, an MCP server, and ChatGPT and Claude integrations on every plan. Fathom renamed its team plans in August 2025: Team Edition Standard became Team and Team Edition Pro became Business.
The Product
Fathom Features: What You Actually Get
Unlimited recording and transcription
Every plan, including Free, records and transcribes an unlimited number of calls with unlimited storage, downloads and clips. Fathom lists 38 transcript languages and translated summaries in Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian and Dutch.
A consultant records every client call for a month on the free plan and keeps the full archive searchable without paying.
AI summaries and action items
Free users get an automated summary on every call and advanced summaries on their first 5 calls each month; after that only the General/Enhanced template is available. Premium and above get advanced summaries on every call, AI action items and AI follow-up emails.
A recruiter finishes an interview and sends the hiring manager a structured summary and next steps a few minutes later.
Bot or bot-free capture
You can choose per meeting between a notetaker bot and bot-free capture. Fathom lists bot-free modes for audio plus transcript and transcript only, and says bot-free video for Zoom is in limited beta. Bot-free capture is Mac only for now; Fathom says Windows is coming but gives no date.
A founder on a Mac records a sensitive investor call without a bot appearing in the participant list.
Ask Fathom
Ask Fathom answers questions about a single call on Premium and above. Account-wide Ask Fathom, which searches across calls, is a beta: Premium gets it for your own calls, Team adds limited lookback across team calls, and Business and Enterprise get it without that limit.
A product manager asks which customers mentioned a pricing objection across last month's calls.
Team call library
Team, Business and Enterprise add team members, a team recordings view, folders, comments and mentions, customer view, global search across team calls, playlists of highlights and trackers that tag future calls by topic.
A customer success lead builds a playlist of onboarding moments for new hires to watch.
CRM sync and Deal View
Fathom syncs calls to HubSpot, Salesforce and Close. Below Business, CRM sync is capped at 3 users per email domain. Business and Enterprise lift that cap and add CRM field sync, which writes summary content into deal fields, plus Deal View and coaching metrics with AI scorecards.
A sales manager gets each discovery call's summary written into the HubSpot deal without reps copying notes.
API, MCP and AI assistants
Every plan includes the public API, an MCP server and the ChatGPT and Claude integrations, so you can query your meeting library from those assistants. Fathom's API docs state a limit of 60 calls per minute across a user's keys.
An operations lead asks Claude to pull this week's customer call summaries into a single status report.
Feature recap
- Unlimited recording, transcription and storage on every plan
- 38 transcript languages
- Advanced summaries on 5 free calls a month, unlimited on paid plans
- AI action items and follow-up emails from Premium
- Bot-free capture on Mac (beta for Zoom video)
- Team libraries, folders, comments and trackers from Team
- CRM field sync, Deal View and coaching on Business
- Public API, MCP, ChatGPT and Claude on every plan
The Numbers
Fathom Pricing: Every Plan Explained
Fathom has a free plan and charges paid plans per user per month. Team and Business require at least 2 users. Fathom advertises "save 25%+" on annual billing; by our math the discount is 20% on Premium, 21% on Team and about 26% on Business. Every paid card shows a "90 day guarantee", but the pricing page doesn't explain its terms. Prices checked on October 11, 2026, with both the monthly and annual toggles.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Included Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | Unlimited recording, transcription and storage, basic summaries on every call, advanced summaries on the first 5 calls each month, clips, playlists, search, CRM sync for up to 3 users per domain | Individuals trying an AI notetaker |
| PremiumBest value | $20/user | $16/user/mo | Everything in Free plus unlimited advanced summaries, AI action items, AI follow-up emails, Ask Fathom, custom bot name and no in-meeting banner | Individual professionals |
| Team | $19/user | $15/user/mo | Everything in Premium plus team recordings, folders, comments, global search across team calls, shared playlists, trackers and keyword alerts. 2-user minimum | Small teams sharing call knowledge |
| Business | $34/user | $25/user/mo | Everything in Team plus CRM field sync, Deal View, coaching metrics and AI scorecards, no CRM user cap. 2-user minimum. Custom summaries: the pricing page conflicts, see below | Sales and customer success teams |
| Enterprise | Talk to sales | Talk to sales | Everything in Business plus SSO, Okta SCIM, custom data retention, org-wide security controls, signed HIPAA BAA, custom contracts, Launch Assist onboarding, dedicated success manager and priority support SLAs | Organizations with security or compliance reviews |
Pricing verified . Tools change pricing frequently — confirm at Fathom before purchasing.
Most individuals can stay on Free until 5 advanced summaries a month stops being enough, then move to Premium. Team is $1 a month cheaper per seat than Premium, but its 2-user minimum makes the entry price $30 a month billed annually. Business costs $10 more per user than Team on annual billing and is only worth it if you want summaries written into CRM fields, Deal View or coaching metrics, or more than 3 users syncing to your CRM. One conflict to check before you buy: the Business card lists "advanced call summaries, including custom summaries", the comparison table on the same page ticks custom summaries for Enterprise only, and Fathom's Free vs. Premium help article lists "custom AI summaries" under Premium. Ask Fathom which plan you need for custom summary templates. Enterprise pricing isn't published.
Pricing scenarios
What Fathom costs for 1, 2 and 5 users
These are our calculations from Fathom's published prices on October 11, 2026, not quotes.
Calculation 1, one person. Premium billed annually is $16 a month, or $192 a year. Billed monthly it is $20 a month, or $240 a year, so annual billing saves $48. If 5 advanced summaries a month is enough, Free costs nothing.
Calculation 2, a two-person team. Team billed annually is 2 × $15 = $30 a month ($360 a year), or 2 × $19 = $38 a month billed monthly. Two separate Premium seats would be 2 × $16 = $32 a month annually, so Team is $2 a month cheaper and adds the shared library.
Calculation 3, a five-person sales team. Business billed annually is 5 × $25 = $125 a month ($1,500 a year), or 5 × $34 = $170 a month billed monthly. Team for the same five people is 5 × $15 = $75 a month annually, so CRM field sync, Deal View and coaching cost an extra $50 a month ($600 a year). For comparison, Otter Business is 5 × $19.99 = $99.95 a month billed annually and Fireflies Business is 5 × $19 = $95 a month billed annually.
The Tradeoffs
Fathom Pros and Cons
What we love
- Free plan with unlimited recording, transcription and storage
- Paid plans start at $16 a month billed annually
- Works with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, plus an iPhone app for in-person conversations
- Public API, MCP, ChatGPT and Claude integrations on every plan
- CRM field sync and Deal View for HubSpot and Salesforce on Business
- SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA and GDPR listed in Fathom's trust center
What could be better
- Advanced summaries limited to 5 calls a month on Free; action items are paid only
- Bot-free capture is Mac only, and bot-free video is a limited beta
- CRM sync capped at 3 users per domain below Business
- Custom data retention, SSO and a signed HIPAA BAA need Enterprise
- Pricing page contradicts itself on which plan gets custom summaries
- No Linux or Chromebook support, and no phone call recording
The Audience
Who Should Use Fathom?
Best for: founders, consultants and recruiters
If you run back-to-back video calls, Free covers recording and basic notes, and Premium at $16 a month billed annually adds advanced summaries, action items and follow-up emails on every call.
Best for: small sales teams on HubSpot or Salesforce
Business at $25 per user a month billed annually writes call summaries into CRM fields and adds Deal View and coaching metrics. It also removes the 3-user cap on CRM sync.
Skip if: you need retention controls or Windows bot-free capture
Custom data retention is Enterprise only and set up by email, and bot-free capture is Mac only. Regulated teams that need those controls without an Enterprise contract should compare Fireflies or MeetGeek.
The Methodology
How We Reviewed Fathom
This is an editorial review, not a hands-on test. We didn't use a Fathom account. On October 11, 2026, we checked Fathom's pricing page with both the monthly and annual toggles and both the Individuals and Teams views, its full feature comparison table, its integrations page, its What's New page, its trust center, and help center articles on the free plan, languages, supported devices, the iPhone app, recording consent, HubSpot and Salesforce sync, the public API, retention policies, security, HIPAA and cancellation. The cost scenarios are our calculations from list prices. Fathom doesn't publish Enterprise pricing, the terms of its "90 day guarantee", which plans include API access beyond the comparison table, or a default retention period, so we don't state them.
Our editorial evaluation considers product information, official documentation, pricing, features and professional experience. It is not a claim of documented hands-on testing.
Our review methodology →What changed
- : Rebuilt in the full review format. Re-verified all plan prices on both billing toggles, free plan limits, CRM limits, bot-free capture, languages, security and integrations; prices are unchanged, and we added Fathom's 38-language support, the iPhone app and a third conflicting claim on custom summaries from its help center. Score unchanged.
The Field
Fathom vs The Competition
Fathom competes with other AI meeting notetakers. Starting prices were checked on each vendor's pricing page on October 11, 2026. Scores come from each tool's own BestStacked review where we have one.
| Tool | Starting Price | Free plan | Best Feature | BS Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom | Free; Premium $16/mo billed annually ($20 monthly) | Yes | Unlimited recording and transcription | 9.2/10 |
| Otter | Free; Pro $8.33/user/mo billed annually | Yes | Live transcription and a low-cost Pro tier | 8.8/10 |
| MeetGeek | Free; Pro $9.99/user/mo billed annually ($15.99 monthly) | Yes | 100+ transcription languages and bot-free recording | 8.8/10 |
| Claap | Free Basic; Pro $32/user/mo billed annually ($40 monthly) | Yes | Meeting recording plus async video for teams | 8.5/10 |
| Fireflies | Free; Pro $10/seat/mo billed annually ($18 monthly) | Yes | Custom data retention and HIPAA on a published Enterprise price | 8.7/10 |
| tl;dv | Free; Pro $18/seat/mo billed annually | Yes | Unlimited free recordings and 5,000+ integrations on Pro | 8.5/10 |
Otter: Otter's free plan caps transcription at 300 minutes a month and 30 minutes per conversation, while Fathom's free plan has no recording cap. Otter Pro is cheaper than Fathom Premium, but its 1,200 minutes and 90-minute meeting limit still apply.Read our Otter review →
MeetGeek: MeetGeek lists bot and bot-free recording and 100+ languages, but its free plan has 3 hours of transcription a month and Pro has 20 hours. Fathom is the better pick if you record many hours of calls.Read our MeetGeek review →See Fathom vs MeetGeek →
Claap: Claap combines meeting notes with async video messages and a sales-focused Business tier. It costs more per seat than Fathom, and its free Basic license is limited to 10 videos and 300 minutes.Read our Claap review →
Fireflies: Fireflies publishes an Enterprise price ($39 per seat a month, annual only) that includes custom retention and HIPAA. Its free plan has limited AI summaries and 400 minutes of storage per team.Read our Fireflies review →
tl;dv: tl;dv's free plan also has unlimited recordings, with AI notes on 10 meetings. Its Pro tier is pricier than Fathom Premium but includes MCP, API and webhooks.Read our tl;dv review →
In The Wild
How People Actually Use Fathom
A solo consultant
Connect Google Calendar, let Fathom record every client call on Free, and upgrade to Premium when you want action items and follow-up emails on every call instead of 5 advanced summaries a month. $16 a month billed annually.
A four-person startup
Put the founders and early hires on Team at $15 per user a month annually so customer calls land in one searchable library, with playlists of key moments and trackers for topics like pricing or churn.
A sales team on HubSpot
Use Business so each call summary writes into HubSpot deal fields and action items become HubSpot tasks, then review coaching metrics and AI scorecards in weekly one-on-ones.
The Ecosystem
Fathom Integrations
Fathom records calls on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams and connects to CRMs, automation tools and AI assistants. Most integrations are on every plan; CRM limits depend on the plan.
- →Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams
- →Slack (including Slack Huddles via bot-free capture on Mac)
- →HubSpot, Salesforce and Close CRM
- →Asana and Notion
- →Zapier and Make
- →ChatGPT and Claude (every plan)
- →Glean, Dust, Composio, GetAccept and Superhuman Go
- →Public API and MCP server
Below Business, CRM sync is limited to 3 users per email domain, and Fathom's HubSpot article lists up to 3 HubSpot connections per user on Free and Team. Writing summaries into CRM fields needs Business or Enterprise, and Salesforce supports one connection per team. Free includes personal-use Zapier only. API keys are created per user and see only meetings you recorded or that were shared with your team.
Common Questions
Fathom FAQ
The Final Word
Should You Use Fathom?
Fathom's free plan doesn't cap the basics: unlimited recording, transcription and storage, with a summary on every call. Paid plans are reasonably priced, from $16 a month for Premium to $25 per user for Business on annual billing, and the API, MCP, ChatGPT and Claude integrations come with every plan. The trade-offs are clear: advanced summaries stop after 5 free calls a month, bot-free capture is Mac only, CRM sync is capped below Business, and retention controls need Enterprise. Confirm which plan includes custom summaries, because Fathom's pricing page and help center give three different answers. We score Fathom 9.2/10.
Yes, if
You run several Zoom, Google Meet or Teams calls a week and want recordings, transcripts and summaries for free, with a cheap upgrade for action items or a team library.
No, if
You need bot-free recording on Windows, phone call recording, Linux support, or retention and SSO controls without an Enterprise contract.
Fathom Is Part Of These Stack Packs
About the reviewer
Carlos Gil
Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Carlos Gil is the bestselling author of The End of Marketing, a LinkedIn Top Voice, and founder of The Best Network. He brings 15+ years in marketing to practical reviews of AI, SaaS, email marketing, creator, and ecommerce software.
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