Fathom vs Fireflies.ai for meeting automation

Here's what you should look for in an AI meeting automation tool:

• Transcripts that create a word-for-word record of the meeting. For example, a one-hour product development meeting generates a searchable document containing every feature discussion, technical requirement, and team decision.

• Action items are pulled directly from the conversation. When someone says "John will update the wireframes by Friday," the AI automatically creates a tracked task with the assignee and deadline.

• Meeting summaries distill hour-long conversations into 2-3 paragraphs. A 45-minute sprint planning meeting becomes a concise overview of sprint goals, resource allocation, and key decisions.

• Topic segmentation breaks discussions into labeled sections. A client call covering multiple projects is automatically divided into sections like "Website Redesign," "Q1 Marketing Campaign," and "Budget Review."

Other key features

In addition to the quality of these deliverables, we'll want to look at a number of other key factors:

• Ease-of-use: does it have a simple, intuitive setup that works for non-technical users?

• In-person meeting support: can it transcribe audio from live recordings or uploaded files, not just virtual calls?

• Security and privacy: how is customer data handled on the platform?

• Integrations: can it connect with your existing stack, like HubSpot, Notion, or Slack?

• Functionality: does it go beyond transcriptions and actually help you take action?

• Languages: can it transcribe and summarize meetings in different languages?

• Desktop and mobile apps: can you access it on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android for on-the-go meetings?

Understanding Fathom and Fireflies.ai

Fathom is an AI meeting notetaker that works with Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams. It records meetings, provides real-time transcription in 25+ languages, and generates summaries in different formats (bullet lists, action items, chronological). The system identifies speakers, allows highlighting key moments, and includes an "Ask Fathom" feature for querying meeting content. It's commonly used by sales representatives and anyone wanting to focus on conversation instead of note-taking.

Fathom offers a free plan with unlimited recordings and 5 AI summaries monthly, with paid tiers from $15-29/month adding features like unlimited summaries, team collaboration, and CRM integration. It requires a desktop app, lacks a mobile app, and doesn't support uploading external audio files. The tool integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, and Notion, and automatically generates summaries and action items that can be pushed to CRM systems.

Fireflies.ai is a cloud-based AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes, and summarizes discussions across various platforms including Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, and Webex. It functions by joining meetings as a bot participant ("Fred") and provides transcripts with speaker labels, AI-generated summaries, and action items. The system includes keyword search capabilities, an AskFred chatbot for querying meeting content, and integrations with tools like Slack, Asana, and CRM systems. It works with over 100 languages and offers both a mobile app for recording in-person meetings and the ability to upload files for transcription.

The service operates on a tiered pricing structure with a free plan that includes limited meeting credits and summaries. Paid plans start at approximately $10/user/month for the Pro tier (unlimited audio recording and transcripts), scaling to $19/user/month for the Business plan (adding video recording and advanced analytics). Some users report issues with transcription accuracy for heavy accents or technical jargon, and others note that the AI summaries can sometimes lose original phrasing or tone.

Comparing Fathom and Fireflies.ai

Fathom

• Fathom provides AI meeting transcription and summaries for Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams. Both its free tier (with 5 full AI summaries) and paid plans ($15-29/user) lack a mobile app and support for external audio uploads, limiting its utility for in-person meetings. Fathom offers real-time transcription in 25+ languages and integrates with CRMs, but its integration ecosystem remains relatively limited compared to robust workflow tools.

• Despite its accurate transcription and intuitive interface, Fathom falls short on enabling meaningful post-meeting workflows beyond basic CRM syncing. Users gain transcripts and AI summaries but must still manually implement action items and follow-ups, requiring additional tools to transform meeting intelligence into completed tasks.

Fireflies.ai

• Fireflies.ai operates as a cloud-based meeting bot that joins calls across multiple platforms to record, transcribe and summarize discussions. It offers mobile apps for iOS/Android, supports 100+ languages, and allows recording in-person meetings, but its free tier is more restrictive than Fathom's and its pricing ranges from $10-19/user/month.

• While Fireflies provides more integrations than Fathom, including connections to task management systems, users report issues with summary quality and transcription accuracy. The platform struggles to deliver actionable insights that meaningfully impact productivity beyond storing and retrieving meeting information.

Fathom is better suited for individual professionals who primarily conduct online meetings and value simplicity over extensive features. Its generous free tier and focus on user experience make it ideal for salespeople, consultants, and managers who need quick, accurate meeting summaries without complex setup. However, teams requiring mobile access or in-person meeting support will find its limitations frustrating.

Fireflies.ai works better for organizations with diverse meeting environments and teams using multiple platforms. Its mobile support, broader language capabilities, and ability to handle in-person meetings make it more versatile for global teams and field workers. Despite having more integrations than Fathom, both tools ultimately fall short in transforming meeting content into meaningful workflow automation that actually completes tasks rather than just documenting them.

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