Avoma positions itself as a comprehensive AI meeting assistant that excels in transcription accuracy and offers robust features for sales and customer success teams. Its strengths include highly accurate transcriptions, strong CRM integration capabilities, and detailed meeting summaries broken down by topics. However, the platform can feel overwhelming for users with simple needs, and its premium pricing tiers may be prohibitive for smaller teams, while some users report occasional technical hiccups like late bot arrivals.

Fathom takes a more streamlined approach, focusing primarily on simplicity and ease of use with an exceptionally generous free plan. The tool delivers quick, accurate transcriptions and AI summaries within seconds of meeting completion, with an intuitive interface that doesn't overwhelm users. Its main limitations include being restricted to live online meetings only (no file uploads), lack of mobile app support, and having some advanced features locked behind paid tiers.

Avoma appears best suited for sales teams and larger organizations that need comprehensive meeting analytics, detailed CRM integration, and don't mind paying premium prices for advanced features. The platform works well for teams that conduct both in-person and online meetings and require extensive meeting data analysis. Its all-in-one approach serves users who want a single platform to handle complex meeting workflows and detailed follow-up processes.

Fathom targets individual users and smaller teams who prioritize simplicity and cost-effectiveness over advanced features. It's ideal for users who primarily conduct online meetings and want straightforward transcription and summary capabilities without complexity. While both tools offer integrations and automation, neither provides the depth of connectivity or actionable workflow capabilities that would truly transform how users leverage their meeting insights for meaningful productivity gains.

Comparison table

What users say about Avoma and Fathom

Avoma receives praise from users for its ease of use and comprehensive functionality. Users particularly appreciate how simple it is to set up with video calling systems like Zoom, and many highlight that the platform goes beyond just recording conversations to provide recaps and additional features. For client calls, users find it invaluable, with one reviewer noting that it significantly outperforms manual note-taking since they can't remember enough details or write fast enough during meetings.

Fathom users consistently emphasize the platform's speed, accuracy, and value proposition. Reviews highlight that Fathom delivers quick and accurate results while adding substantial value to meeting workflows, with users finding it easy to integrate with their existing applications and praising features like hyper-text links to videos as game-changers. The transcription quality receives positive feedback, with users reporting that Fathom's transcriptions achieve 85-90% accuracy and appreciating the ability to manually edit transcriptions when needed.

Users switch away from Avoma primarily due to its overwhelming complexity for simple transcription needs. The platform is designed as a comprehensive AI meeting assistant with extensive features, but this makes it feel like overkill for individual users or teams who just need basic transcription services. The hefty nature of the platform can be intimidating and unnecessary for those seeking a straightforward solution to capture meeting notes.

Technical issues and reliability concerns also drive users to seek alternatives. Some users report that the Avoma bot occasionally joins meetings late, causing them to miss important opening discussions. Additionally, there are occasional problems with speaker identification accuracy, which can make transcripts confusing to follow. These reliability issues can be particularly problematic for business-critical meetings where accuracy is essential.

The premium pricing structure becomes a significant barrier for cost-conscious users and small teams. While Avoma offers a free plan, the paid tiers are positioned at the higher end of the market, with plans ranging from $19 to $129 per user per month. Small teams or individual users may find these costs prohibitive, especially when compared to competitors that offer more generous free plans or lower-priced alternatives that meet their basic transcription needs without the extensive feature set.

One major reason users switch away from Fathom is its limited compatibility with in-person meetings and external audio sources. Unlike some competitors that offer mobile apps for recording offline meetings or the ability to upload external audio files for transcription, Fathom only works with scheduled online meetings on platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams. This restriction means users who frequently attend in-person meetings or need to transcribe pre-recorded audio files must look elsewhere for a more comprehensive solution.

The lack of mobile app support also drives users to seek alternatives. In today's mobile-first world, many professionals need the flexibility to access their meeting notes and recordings on their smartphones or tablets while traveling or working remotely. Fathom's desktop-only approach can be limiting for users who require on-the-go access to their meeting content, forcing them to switch to solutions that offer both desktop and mobile experiences.

Feature limitations in the free plan eventually push users toward other platforms as their needs grow. While Fathom's free tier is generous with unlimited meeting recordings, advanced capabilities like meeting templates with structured note sections are only available in paid Team editions. Users who start with the free plan but require more sophisticated organizational features may find themselves migrating to platforms that offer these capabilities at lower price points or include them in their free tiers.

Using Avoma

Does Avoma work for in-person meetings?

Yes, Avoma works for in-person meetings. It has a mobile app that can record offline/in-person meetings for later transcription.

Does Avoma require a meeting bot to join the meeting?

Based on user feedback, Avoma does use a bot that joins meetings, and some users have reported that the bot sometimes joins meetings late.

What do users say about the quality of Avoma transcriptions?

Users highly rate Avoma's transcription quality, with transcriptions being approximately 95% accurate even when dealing with jargon or accents. However, some users note that while the transcripts are detailed, they can be dense and difficult to skim quickly. There are also occasional issues with speaker identification.

How does Avoma help users follow up on action items?

Avoma generates organized notes broken into topics including next steps and actionable insights. It automates follow-up emails and can sync meeting information and action items directly into CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot.

Does Avoma integrate with software like Hubspot, Salesforce, or Linear?

Yes, Avoma integrates with HubSpot and Salesforce for CRM sync, capturing meeting information directly into these platforms. It also connects with other tools like Zoom and Slack, and can integrate with Notion via Zapier. However, Linear is not specifically mentioned in the available integrations.

Using Fathom

Does Fathom work for in-person meetings?

No. Fathom cannot import external audio files and only works for scheduled online meetings on platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams.

What do users say about the quality of Fathom transcriptions?

Users praise Fathom's transcriptions as quick and accurate. The AI-generated summaries appear just seconds after meetings, and users appreciate the simple, intuitive interface that allows them to trust Fathom to capture everything while they focus on being present in meetings.

How does Fathom help users follow up on action items?

Fathom automatically generates action items after meetings and can even create draft follow-up emails. It also has automation capabilities that push action items to CRM deals.

Does Fathom integrate with software like Hubspot, Salesforce, or Linear?

Yes, Fathom integrates with CRM systems like HubSpot and Salesforce to sync call notes. It also connects with Slack and Notion via Zapier. However, the context does not mention Linear specifically.

Another alternative: Circleback

Circleback provides best-in-class AI-powered meeting notes and automations. We support over 100 languages and automatic participant identification in both in-person and online meetings.

• Automatically-identified and assigned action items

• AI-enabled search across all meetings

• Automations with 100+ app integrations

• Industry-leading security with SOC 2 Type II, EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, and HIPAA compliance

• Ability to capture both online and in-person meetings with desktop and mobile apps