Fathom vs Fireflies: free and polished vs built for the sales floor
Disclosure: I make MeetMouse, which competes with both. I've already said Fathom is the best free notetaker on the market and I'm not walking that back. Here's how it stacks up against Fireflies.
What each tool is
Fathom joins your Zoom, Meet, or Teams call as a bot, records it, and hands you clean summaries and action items. The free plan is absurdly generous. I don't know how their unit economics work and honestly it's not my problem.
Fireflies also joins as a bot and records, but it's built around what happens after the notes: integrations, search across every call, conversation analytics, manager dashboards.
Head to head
| Fathom | Fireflies | |
|---|---|---|
| Bot joins the call | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Generous — unlimited recordings | Unlimited recording, metered AI |
| Paid | Team from $19/user/mo | Pro from $18/user/mo |
| Summaries out of the box | Excellent | Good |
| Integrations and analytics | CRM, Slack | Deeper — the whole pitch |
| Where AI runs | Cloud | Cloud |
Where Fathom wins
- Free. You cannot out-value "unlimited and $0." Nobody can, including me.
- Summaries. Clean and useful with zero setup.
- For individuals. It's built for the person on the call.
Where Fireflies wins
- Integrations. More places for your calls to go automatically.
- Search and analytics. Better for mining calls across a whole team.
- Built for managers. Scorecards and talk-time across reps.
The part neither fixes
Both need a bot, both keep your calls on their servers, and both tell you what happened after it's too late to change it. MeetMouse is the third corner: no bot, transcription and AI on your Mac, and live coaching cues during the call — plus notes after. Free for 3 meetings a week, $20 once for unlimited. Plenty of people run Fathom for the record and MeetMouse for the rep. Full comparisons: vs Fathom · vs Fireflies.
Questions
- Is Fathom or Fireflies better?
- Fathom for individuals who want excellent free notes. Fireflies for teams that need integrations, search, and analytics.
- Is Fathom really free?
- Yes — the free plan is genuinely generous for individuals. Team plans start at $19/user/month.
- Do Fathom and Fireflies both use bots?
- Yes. Both join meetings as a participant. MeetMouse and Granola capture audio on your computer instead.
- Is there a private alternative to both?
- MeetMouse runs transcription and AI on your Mac by default, with no bot and no account. It's free for 3 meetings a week, or $20 once for unlimited.
Try MeetMouse
Free to start: unlimited your first week, then 3 meetings a week, and your notes are never locked. Invite 2 friends or pay $20 once for unlimited. No subscription, no account.
Download MeetMouse freeI checked prices and features for the tools here in September 2026. This stuff changes constantly, so double-check before you buy.