Fathom vs Fireflies.ai
Both scored against the same 13 criteria, from the same hands-on testing. Here is where each one actually wins.
Last updated October 2026 · 28 tools ranked
Fireflies.ai rates higher overall, 3.8 out of 5 against Fathom's 3.7, across our 13 weighted criteria. Fireflies.ai leads on ai analysis quality, data retention & training transparency, real-time / live capability. Fathom still wins on recording consent & compliance, ease of use.
Fathom
#9 of 28Free AI meeting assistant with instant summaries
- Pricing
- Free tier available; paid from $16/mo
- Platforms
- Web, macOS, Windows
Fireflies.ai
#6 of 28AI meeting assistant with CRM integration and conversation intelligence
- Pricing
- Free tier available; paid from $10/mo
- Platforms
- Web, Chrome extension, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
All 13 Criteria, Side by Side
| Criterion | Weight | Fathom | Fireflies.ai | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy & Data Security | High | 3 | 3 | Tie |
| Transcription Accuracy | High | 5 | 5 | Tie |
| AI Analysis Quality | High | 4 | 5 | Fireflies.ai |
| Recording Consent & Compliance | Med | 4 | 2 | Fathom |
| Data Retention & Training Transparency | Med | 2 | 3 | Fireflies.ai |
| Real-Time / Live Capability | Med | 3 | 4 | Fireflies.ai |
| Recording Method | Med | 4 | 4 | Tie |
| Ease of Use | Med | 5 | 4 | Fathom |
| Platform Support | Med | 4 | 4 | Tie |
| Offline Capability | Med | 1 | 1 | Tie |
| Integration Ecosystem | Med | 5 | 5 | Tie |
| Knowledge Connection | Low | 5 | 5 | Tie |
| Pricing & Value | Low | 4 | 4 | Tie |
| Overall (weighted) | 3.7 | 3.8 | Fireflies.ai |
Overall is a weighted average, not a mean: high-weight criteria count triple and low-weight criteria count once. See the formula.
Choose Fathom if…
- → Recording Consent & Compliance matters to you. Fathom scores 4/5 here against 2/5.
The best free option for individuals who want simple, no-fuss meeting notes, now backed by a transparent paid ladder and a real-time desktop app.
Choose Fireflies.ai if…
- → AI Analysis Quality matters to you. Fireflies.ai scores 5/5 here against 4/5.
- → Data Retention & Training Transparency matters to you. Fireflies.ai scores 3/5 here against 2/5.
- → Real-Time / Live Capability matters to you. Fireflies.ai scores 4/5 here against 3/5.
Best for sales teams who need deep CRM integration and conversation analytics, now with real-time meeting features layered on top.
Fathom at a glance
Strengths
- +Genuinely generous free tier
- +Very easy to use
- +Clean summaries
- +Bot-free capture and real-time summaries
Limitations
- −Cloud processing required
- −Only a limited number of advanced AI summaries on the free plan
- −Trains its own AI models on de-identified customer data by default (opt-out available)
- −No mobile app yet (iOS announced, not shipped)
Fireflies.ai at a glance
Strengths
- +Excellent CRM integrations
- +Strong conversation analytics
- +Good search across meetings
- +Real-time features now built in (live notes, voice-activated web search)
Limitations
- −Cloud-only processing
- −Bot joins calls by default (bot-free options exist for Google Meet and the desktop app)
- −Named in Illinois biometric privacy (BIPA) litigation; a motion to dismiss is pending
- −Advanced AI features metered by a credit system on top of seat pricing