Notion Meeting Recorder vs Fathom for meeting automation

Notion Meeting Recorder

Notion Meeting Recorder captures meetings directly within your Notion workspace, using your device's microphone to record and transcribe conversations. It works for both virtual and in-person meetings, generating organized summaries with key points and action items as soon as the meeting ends. The feature is activated via a /meet command or by linking to events in a Notion calendar. All content stays in Notion, making it searchable alongside your other documents.

The tool requires the Notion AI add-on, which costs $10 per member per month (or $8 if billed annually). It works across platforms (desktop apps for Mac/Windows, mobile apps for iOS/Android) and supports 16 languages for transcription. Since it records audio locally through your device, it's compatible with any meeting format without needing specialized integrations, though it functions best when your team already uses Notion extensively for tasks and project management.

Fathom is an AI meeting notetaker that integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams. It records meetings, provides real-time transcription in over 25 languages, and generates various styles of AI summaries including bullet lists, action items, and detailed chronological summaries. Users can highlight key moments during calls, and after meetings Fathom offers overviews, action items, and draft follow-up emails, plus an "Ask Fathom" feature for querying meeting content.

Fathom operates on a freemium model with plans ranging from free (unlimited recordings, AI summaries for 5 meetings/month) to Team Pro ($29/user/month). It requires a desktop app, has no mobile version, and doesn't support in-person meetings or external audio imports. It integrates with HubSpot and Salesforce to sync call notes, and offers Slack/Notion integration via copy or Zapier.

Comparing Notion Meeting Recorder and Fathom

Notion Meeting Recorder

• Notion Meeting Recorder functions within the Notion workspace, recording and transcribing meetings to generate summaries and action items. It requires users to be immersed in the Notion ecosystem, limiting its utility for those who don't use Notion extensively for workflow management.

• While it handles in-person and virtual meetings through local audio recording, its integration capabilities are mostly limited to Notion's internal systems. The lack of robust external integrations means users must manually transfer meeting insights to other tools, reducing its effectiveness as a comprehensive meeting productivity solution.

Fathom

• Fathom operates as a standalone meeting assistant for Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams, providing real-time transcription and various AI summary formats. It offers a surprisingly generous free tier but restricts functionality to virtual meetings only, with no support for in-person meetings or uploading external recordings.

• Despite its direct CRM integrations for sales teams, Fathom lacks a mobile app and has limited workflow automation beyond its core meeting functions. These limitations hamper its ability to fully support the follow-through needed after meetings end, leaving users to manage implementation elsewhere.

Notion Meeting Recorder is best suited for teams already heavily invested in the Notion ecosystem who need seamless documentation within their existing workflow. The tool eliminates context switching and enables users to leverage meeting outputs directly within their Notion workspaces, but requires commitment to Notion as a platform and additional payment for the AI add-on.

Fathom serves standalone meeting participants who need reliable transcription and summaries without platform commitment. Its CRM integrations make it particularly valuable for sales teams tracking customer conversations, though the lack of mobile support and in-person meeting capabilities limits its flexibility for hybrid work environments.

Notion Meeting Recorder vs Fathom: What do users say?

Notion Meeting Recorder and Fathom are both AI note-taking tools, but with different approaches. Notion Meeting Recorder functions within the broader Notion ecosystem, letting users capture meetings directly in their Notion workspace. Users appreciate that it eliminates context switching, with AI notes living directly in Notion where they connect to other tasks and projects. The feature generates summaries and action items automatically, supports 16 languages, and works for both virtual and in-person meetings. Reviews point out that it's most valuable for those already invested in Notion, with some noting that the AI add-on price ($10/month per user) on top of existing plans can be a limitation. The recorder works across Mac, Windows, iOS and Android platforms.

Fathom, on the other hand, is a dedicated meeting assistant that primarily integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. Unlike Notion, it cannot record in-person meetings or import external audio. Users praise its generous free plan, accurate transcriptions, intuitive interface, and excellent customer service. Fathom supports 25+ languages and offers various AI summary formats. It integrates with CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce, and can push meeting notes to these platforms automatically. While it has a desktop app for Mac and Windows, it lacks mobile support and some advanced features are limited to paid plans (starting at $15/month).

For more information, readers can explore The Business Dive's Fathom review, verified user reviews on Capterra, Reddit discussions about meeting recording tools, and G2's comprehensive Notion reviews.

FAQs

• Would Notion Meeting Recorder work for in-person meetings? What about Fathom? Yes, Notion Meeting Recorder works for in-person meetings. It can capture in-person discussions using your device's microphone and works "with every meeting tool" including face-to-face meetings. You could set your phone or laptop in a conference room to transcribe the conversation.

Fathom does not work for in-person meetings. It cannot import external audio and only works for scheduled online meetings (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams).

• What about meeting bots? Does either of these tools require a meeting bot? Notion Meeting Recorder doesn't use a meeting bot. It records audio locally from your computer, capturing system output and microphone input directly without needing to insert a bot participant.

For Fathom, transcriptions are praised by users as "quick and accurate" according to reviews.

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