Shortlist
Fathom alternatives
Current prices, honest strengths, and who each one is actually for.
The short answer
The main alternatives to Fathom are Granola, Otter, tl;dv, Fireflies and Axelize. Fathom's free tier already records and transcribes every call with AI summaries, so the alternatives worth paying for are the ones doing a different job: Granola if you want notes without a bot in the call, Axelize if you want the seller's next line during it rather than a record afterwards.
Every option, with what it costs
Prices checked on each vendor's own pricing page on 2026-09-23. This category reprices often, so treat anything older than a quarter as a starting point rather than a quote.
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom | Free AI meeting notes | $20 per user per month | Yes, unlimited recordings |
| Granola | Bot-free notes across every meeting | $14 per user per month | Yes, 30 days of meeting history |
| Otter.ai | General-purpose transcription | $16.99 per user per month | Yes, 300 minutes a month |
| tl;dv | Recordings with sales playbook checks | $18 per seat per month, billed annually | Yes, unlimited recordings, AI notes for 10 meetings |
| Fireflies | Transcripts with team conversation analytics | $10 per seat per month, billed annually | Yes, unlimited transcription, limited AI summaries |
| Claap | Recording, scoring and CRM autofill | €24 per user per month, billed annually | Yes, 10 recordings per user |
| Read AI | Meeting notes with live metrics | $15 per user per month, billed annually | Yes, 5 transcripts a month |
| Gong | Enterprise revenue intelligence | Not published, reported from $1,300 per user per year plus a platform fee | None |
| Axelize | Live in-call coaching | See the pricing page | None. A free trial of 14 days or 5 calls, no card |
Axelize appears on this list because we make it. Every other row is here because a buyer comparing Fathom would be wrong not to look at it.
Every option, and when to pick it
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Granola
Pick it if you want no bot in the call, today. Granola captures audio on your own device, while Fathom's bot-free mode is still in beta. Skip it if the free plan is the attraction. Granola's keeps 30 days of meeting history, where Fathom's free plan has no cap on recordings.
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Otter.ai
Pick it if you transcribe more than meetings. Otter also imports recorded audio and keeps a long, searchable archive of it. Skip it if you want a free plan without limits. Otter's stops at 300 minutes a month and 30 minutes per conversation.
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tl;dv
Pick it if you want calls checked against a sales playbook, with objection handling flagged. Those come with its $29 Business seat, billed annually. Skip it if free AI notes are the point. tl;dv's free plan writes them for 10 meetings, where Fathom summarises every call.
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Fireflies
Pick it if you want analytics across the team's meetings. Conversation intelligence and team insights come with the $19 Business seat, billed annually. Skip it if you want every summary free. Fireflies' free plan limits AI summaries and storage, and its bot joins unless you record through the Chrome extension.
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Claap
Pick it if your team is outgrowing notes and wants calls scored against a sales method and written into HubSpot or Salesforce. Claap's Business seat does both. Skip it if the free plan is what keeps you on Fathom. Claap's free tier stops at 10 recordings per user.
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Read AI
Pick it if you want notes plus a live dashboard of the transcript and meeting metrics while the call runs. Skip it if you want a generous free plan. Read AI's covers 5 meeting transcripts a month, capped at an hour each.
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Gong
Pick it if you have outgrown notes and need pipeline reporting, deal risk and forecasting across a large sales team. Skip it if you are used to paying nothing. Gong publishes no price, and buyers report $1,300 or more per user per year plus a platform fee.
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Axelize
Pick it if notes were never the problem and what you need is help in the moment a sales call goes sideways. Axelize writes the next line while the buyer talks. Skip it if you want free notes or recordings, or your calls run on Zoom or Teams. Axelize has no free plan and works with Google Meet, with Zoom and Microsoft Teams on the roadmap.
Frequently asked questions
- Is anything actually better than Fathom's free plan for notes?
- For pure note-taking value, not really. Granola wins on being bot-free and Otter on transcription minutes across non-meeting audio, but if the free plan covers you there is no strong reason to move.
- What does Fathom not do?
- It does not help you during the call. Every output arrives after the meeting ends, which is the gap that live tools exist to fill.