Fathom excels with its generous free plan that offers unlimited meeting recordings and full AI summaries for five meetings monthly, plus highly accurate transcriptions and intuitive interface design. The tool generates summaries within seconds of meeting completion and provides multiple summary formats including action items and draft follow-up emails. However, it's limited to live online meetings only with no support for external audio uploads, lacks a mobile app, and restricts advanced features like meeting templates to paid tiers.

Fireflies.ai offers broader platform compatibility and includes mobile apps for in-person meeting recording, plus the ability to upload external audio files for transcription. The service provides extensive language support with 100+ languages and delivers comprehensive summaries with searchable transcripts through its AskFred chatbot feature. Unfortunately, transcription accuracy can suffer with heavy accents or technical terminology, the interface can feel cluttered, and the free plan significantly limits advanced capabilities like video recording.

Fathom appears best suited for sales teams and professionals who primarily conduct scheduled online meetings and want a streamlined, distraction-free note-taking experience. The tool works well for users who value simplicity and don't need extensive customization or mobile recording capabilities. Sales representatives particularly benefit from its quick CRM integration and instant call recap features.

Fireflies.ai targets teams needing flexible recording options across various meeting types, including in-person sessions, with robust search and collaboration features. The platform suits organizations requiring extensive integrations and multilingual support, though users should expect some accuracy trade-offs. While both tools offer integrations with popular platforms, neither provides the deep workflow automation needed to truly transform meeting outcomes into actionable business results.

Comparison table

What users say about Fathom and Fireflies.ai

User reviews highlight Fathom as a valuable and user-friendly meeting tool with strong integration capabilities. According to Capterra reviews, users find Fathom quick and accurate, praising its easy integration with popular apps and innovative hyper-text links to video content. However, detailed testing reveals that Fathom's transcription accuracy ranges between 85% and 90%, though users appreciate the ability to manually edit transcriptions when needed.

Fireflies.ai receives consistently positive feedback for its reliability and comprehensive meeting management features. Users report that it functions as a reliable transcription tool with over 95% accuracy, automatically joining and transcribing virtual meetings without manual intervention. User testimonials emphasize how indispensable the tool has become for daily meeting management, with many users stating they would be lost without it, while G2 reviews highlight additional features like the Fred chatbot that helps summarize meeting content and makes work significantly easier.

Advanced Features Require Paid Plans

Users often switch away from Fathom because many of its advanced capabilities are locked behind paid subscriptions. While the free plan offers unlimited meeting recordings, key features like meeting templates with structured note sections are only available in the Team edition, forcing users to upgrade to access more sophisticated organizational tools. This feature gating can be frustrating for users who need more than basic transcription and summary capabilities but don't want to commit to a monthly subscription.

Limited Platform Flexibility

Fathom's restriction to live meetings only creates significant limitations that drive users to seek alternatives. Unlike competitors, Fathom doesn't support uploading external audio files for transcription, meaning users cannot process recordings from other sources or meetings that weren't originally captured through the platform. Additionally, the lack of a mobile app means users must rely on desktop applications, which limits accessibility and convenience for users who need to manage meeting notes on the go.

Distracting Interface Elements During Calls

Some users find Fathom's on-screen widgets and interface elements disruptive to their meeting experience. The live transcript displays, bars, and pop-ups that appear during calls can be distracting and interfere with users' ability to focus on the actual conversation. While these elements can often be hidden, the fact that they create visual interference by default has led some users to seek cleaner, less intrusive alternatives that don't compromise their meeting participation.

Users often switch away from Fireflies.ai due to limitations in the quality and usefulness of its AI-generated summaries. While the platform delivers summaries within minutes after calls, many users find them too high-level and lacking in nuance. The summaries frequently lose the original phrasing and tone of conversations, which can be problematic when specific wording or context matters for business decisions or follow-ups.

Transcription accuracy issues also drive users to seek alternatives, particularly when dealing with diverse speaking styles or specialized content. Users have reported problems with heavy accents being misunderstood, technical jargon being transcribed incorrectly, and speakers being misidentified during meetings. Additionally, the system struggles with slang and colloquial expressions, which can lead to important conversational nuances being lost in the final transcript.

The platform's feature limitations, especially on the free tier, create frustration for users who need more comprehensive functionality. Advanced features like video recording are restricted to higher-tier plans, and the free plan imposes limits on monthly meeting credits and AI summaries. Some users also find the interface cluttered and overwhelming, while others are bothered by excessive email notifications, leading them to explore more streamlined alternatives that offer better user experience and more generous free tiers.

Using Fathom

Does Fathom work for in-person meetings?

No, Fathom does not work for in-person meetings. It only works for scheduled online meetings on platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams, and cannot import external audio files.

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 quality of the transcription service.

How does Fathom help users follow up on action items?

Fathom automatically generates action items and provides draft follow-up emails after meetings. It can also push action items to CRM deals and integrates with systems like HubSpot and Salesforce to sync call notes, making follow-up tasks more streamlined.

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 through Zapier integrations.

Using Fireflies.ai

Does Fireflies.ai work for in-person meetings?

Yes. Fireflies.ai has a mobile app that can record in-person meetings and voice notes.

Does Fireflies.ai require a meeting bot to join the meeting?

Yes. Fireflies.ai works by sending a bot participant called "Fred" that joins meetings to record, transcribe, and summarize discussions across platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Webex.

What do users say about the quality of Fireflies.ai transcriptions?

Users report that Fireflies.ai accurately captures meeting content with good transcription quality, even in other languages like Dutch. However, transcription accuracy can decrease with heavy accents or technical jargon, and some users have noted issues with misidentified speakers or missed slang.

How does Fireflies.ai help users follow up on action items?

Fireflies.ai delivers summaries and bullet-point action items within minutes after a call, which users find extremely helpful for follow-ups. It can auto-log notes to CRM systems for contacts and deals, and can create tasks in project management tools like Asana.

Does Fireflies.ai integrate with software like Hubspot, Salesforce, or Linear?

Yes. Fireflies.ai offers dozens of integrations including native integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Slack, as well as connections through Zapier.

For those seeking alternatives to Fathom, there are several options that may address the platform's limitations. Similarly, users looking for alternatives to Fireflies.ai can explore solutions that might better suit their specific needs. The choice between these tools depends on your team's best meeting automation tool requirements, with considerations for accuracy, features, and workflow automation capabilities. Getting started with meeting automation can help teams make the most of whichever solution they choose.

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