Fathom vs Microsoft Teams Copilot
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
Microsoft Teams Copilot rates higher overall, 3.9 out of 5 against Fathom's 3.7, across our 13 weighted criteria. Microsoft Teams Copilot leads on data retention & training transparency, real-time / live capability, platform support. Fathom still wins on transcription accuracy, integration ecosystem, pricing & value.
Fathom
#9 of 28Free AI meeting assistant with instant summaries
- Pricing
- Free tier available; paid from $16/mo
- Platforms
- Web, macOS, Windows
Microsoft Teams Copilot
#3 of 28Microsoft's native, agentic meeting AI built into Teams for the Microsoft 365 stack
- Pricing
- No free tier; from $21/user/mo (annual)
- Platforms
- Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
All 13 Criteria, Side by Side
| Criterion | Weight | Fathom | Microsoft Teams Copilot | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy & Data Security | High | 3 | 3 | Tie |
| Transcription Accuracy | High | 5 | 4 | Fathom |
| AI Analysis Quality | High | 4 | 4 | Tie |
| Recording Consent & Compliance | Med | 4 | 4 | Tie |
| Data Retention & Training Transparency | Med | 2 | 4 | Microsoft Teams Copilot |
| Real-Time / Live Capability | Med | 3 | 5 | Microsoft Teams Copilot |
| Recording Method | Med | 4 | 4 | Tie |
| Ease of Use | Med | 5 | 5 | Tie |
| Platform Support | Med | 4 | 5 | Microsoft Teams Copilot |
| Offline Capability | Med | 1 | 1 | Tie |
| Integration Ecosystem | Med | 5 | 4 | Fathom |
| Knowledge Connection | Low | 5 | 5 | Tie |
| Pricing & Value | Low | 4 | 3 | Fathom |
| Overall (weighted) | 3.7 | 3.9 | Microsoft Teams Copilot |
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…
- → Transcription Accuracy matters to you. Fathom scores 5/5 here against 4/5.
- → Integration Ecosystem matters to you. Fathom scores 5/5 here against 4/5.
- → Pricing & Value matters to you. Fathom scores 4/5 here against 3/5.
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 Microsoft Teams Copilot if…
- → Data Retention & Training Transparency matters to you. Microsoft Teams Copilot scores 4/5 here against 2/5.
- → Real-Time / Live Capability matters to you. Microsoft Teams Copilot scores 5/5 here against 3/5.
A genuinely strong, agentic meeting assistant for Microsoft 365 shops, but it is cloud-only, locked to Teams meetings, and the real meeting AI sits behind a paid Copilot license from $21/user.
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)
Microsoft Teams Copilot at a glance
Strengths
- +Native to Teams, no external bot joins the meeting
- +Strong agentic features via the Facilitator agent: live AI notes, agenda tracking, and auto task sync to Planner
- +Deepest integration with Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Planner, SharePoint, grounded in Microsoft Graph)
- +Enterprise-grade compliance: SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA with BAA, and no foundation-model training on your data
Limitations
- −Cloud-only with no offline mode
- −Works only inside Microsoft Teams meetings; in-person capture needs a Teams Rooms setup
- −The full meeting Copilot needs a paid Copilot license: $21/user/month for Copilot Business (up to 300 users) or $30 for enterprise
- −Limited native reach into non-Microsoft CRMs and task tools