Fathom vs Fireflies.ai (2026)

Fathom

by Fathom Video

Fireflies.ai

by Fireflies.ai

Pros

• ✓Number one AI notetaker on G2 with 6,769 reviews at 5.0 stars as of May 2026, HubSpot Most Used App 2025, and G2 2026 Best Software #69 -- the strongest third-party validation track record in the meeting intelligence category
• ✓Generous free tier with unlimited recordings, transcriptions, and basic AI summaries plus no time limit on storage, making Fathom accessible for evaluation without credit card or usage caps on core features
• ✓Business tier CRM field sync automatically maps and writes meeting insights into specific fields in Salesforce and HubSpot records, eliminating post-call manual CRM data entry for revenue teams

Limitations

• ⚠Bot-free recording is a Mac-only beta feature as of May 2026 -- most users still have a visible bot named in the participant list, which can create friction in client-facing calls and sensitive meeting environments
• ⚠Free and Premium tiers cap CRM sync at 3 users per domain and limit advanced AI features to 5 calls per month -- teams that rely heavily on AI summaries and CRM integration hit upgrade pressure quickly
• ⚠Bot-free mode, Deal View, CRM field sync, coaching metrics, and AI scorecards all require paid tiers with Business at $25/user/mo annual being the minimum for revenue teams, which prices out smaller sales organisations

Pros

• ✓Most comprehensive free tier in the meeting intelligence category with unlimited transcription, 100+ language support, API access, and mobile app at $0 -- enabling enterprise-level evaluation before commitment
• ✓SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and HIPAA compliance (Enterprise with BAA) covers the widest range of regulated industries including healthcare, finance, and legal -- broader compliance coverage than most direct competitors
• ✓200+ AI apps for post-meeting automation including sales call analysis, objection tracking, content calendar generation, and user research recording provide workflow depth well beyond simple transcription

Limitations

• ⚠AI credits are a one-time shared workspace pool that does not reset monthly on any plan -- heavy users of AskFred and advanced AI summaries exhaust the allotment and face unexpected upgrade pressure or additional credit purchases
• ⚠Visible Notetaker bot joins meetings as a named participant on all plans, which can create friction in sensitive client-facing calls; the Chrome extension bot-free alternative is available but less capable than the primary bot experience
• ⚠Video recording is locked behind Business at $19/seat/month annual -- teams needing to review what was shown on screen as well as what was said must upgrade past Pro even for moderate usage