Fathom
The assistant that records, transcribes, and summarizes your meetings — while you just need to participate.
By Thiago Lourenço Martins
The meeting secretary that never misses and never forgets anything
Fathom is a free AI meeting recorder. It joins your call — on Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams — records everything, transcribes word for word, and delivers a summary with key points and next steps as soon as you hang up. The difference from simply recording: you get the summary ready, no need to rewatch the entire video or type a single line. Think of it as a trusted assistant sitting next to you, taking notes and handing you the report before your coffee gets cold.
You leave the meeting — it delivers the report
Five calls in one day. Each with different decisions, owners, and deadlines. None properly documented. The following week, nobody knows who was responsible for what.
That is the cost of Fathom's free plan — with unlimited recordings and transcriptions. You pay nothing to never leave a meeting again without knowing what was decided.
Who uses it and for what
Has a packed calendar of calls. Turns on Fathom, participates in meetings 100% present, and at the end of the day forwards the automatic summary to the team. No "what was decided?" emails arrive the next morning.
Records client meetings and uses the summary as automatic meeting minutes. What was agreed stays documented — no relying on memory or rushed notes.
Before a follow-up, reviews the recording of the previous call and checks exactly what the client said they needed. Arrives at the next conversation knowing exactly where they left off.
From zero to your first automatic summary
- Go to fathom.video and create your account
Find the main button on the page and sign in with your Google or Microsoft account. No credit card required — the free plan has no payment needed.
- Download the desktop app
Right after signing up, the platform will prompt you to download Fathom for Windows or macOS. Install and open the app.
the desktop app enables bot-free recording — no visible bot window for other participants (new in 2026) - Connect your calendar
On first use, look for the option to connect Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook. Fathom will then automatically detect your upcoming meetings.
- Join your next meeting as usual
Fathom detects the call on Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams and starts capturing. You will see a notification or panel with the live transcription.
- During the call, highlight key moments
Use the "Highlight" button in Fathom's panel to flag decisions or critical action items you don't want to get lost.
- When you hang up, access the summary
Look for the "View Summary" button in the Fathom panel or dashboard. In moments you have the full transcript, executive summary, and action items.
the summary link can be shared with participants who don't have a Fathom account
A ready-made question for "Ask Fathom"
What decisions were made in this meeting? List the person responsible for each action and the agreed deadline, if mentioned.
Paste this question in the "Ask Fathom" field after the meeting and get the decisions organized, with owners and deadlines extracted from the transcript.
Tips & real limitations
Do this
- Enable "Auto-record" in settings — Fathom records every calendar meeting automatically without you having to remember to turn it on.
- Share the summary via the auto-generated link — any participant can access it, even without a Fathom account.
- Use "Ask Fathom" after the meeting to query decisions and owners by name — no need to read the whole transcript.
Real limitations
- Advanced summaries and full CRM integrations are paid — Salesforce, HubSpot, and custom templates require the Premium plan ($20/month).
- Bot-free recording requires the desktop app installed — without it, Fathom appears as a visible participant in the meeting. Some companies block bots in internal meetings.
- Transcription accuracy in non-English languages can vary — strong regional accents or very niche technical terms may reduce precision; review before sharing.
A video tutorial in Portuguese to go further
* Independent suggestion, chosen for content quality. We have no relationship or sponsorship with this channel.
Record your first meeting right now
Create a free account at fathom.video, install the desktop app, and schedule a 5-minute call with a colleague. When it ends, click "View Summary".
You succeeded if you receive the full transcript and automatic summary without having typed a single word.
How much Fathom costs
Fathom's free plan is one of the most generous in the category: unlimited recording, transcription and storage, forever. What the paid tier buys is unlimited advanced summaries with action items.
US$ 0 — unlimited recording, transcription and storage (Zoom, Meet, Teams). Advanced summary only on the first 5 calls/mo.
US$ 20/mo (US$ 16 annually) — unlimited advanced summaries and action items. In dollars.
US$ 19/user/mo annually — global search and team features. In dollars.
US$ 34/user/mo annually — CRM sync (Salesforce, HubSpot) and coaching. In dollars.
Good to know: price is in dollars and there's no mobile app (Mac and Windows only). Official prices as of July 2026.
Who Fathom is worth it for
Fits well if you…
- have a week full of meetings on Zoom, Meet or Teams and want a ready summary the moment it ends.
- are a consultant, accountant, lawyer or freelancer serving clients over video calls and need to document what was agreed.
- are a salesperson or sales team wanting to review calls before follow-up — and, on Business, sync straight to the CRM.
Not for you if you…
- mostly have in-person meetings, phone calls or WhatsApp calls — Fathom doesn't record any of that today.
- work only from your phone or tablet — as of July 2026 there's no Fathom mobile app.
- need to transcribe already-recorded audio (interview files, class recordings, podcasts) — Fathom is meeting-only.
Our take on Fathom
4.3/5
If your week is a queue of meetings on Zoom, Meet or Teams, Fathom solves a real pain point: it joins the call, records, transcribes and hands you a ready summary with a shareable link the moment it ends — and the free plan is honestly generous, with unlimited recording and transcription. The limits are clear: on free, the advanced summary with action items only applies to the first 5 calls of the month, there's no mobile app (Mac and Windows only), and it only records online meetings — nothing in-person, over the phone or on WhatsApp. For anyone living in video calls, it's among the best. For anyone meeting in person or only on mobile, it doesn't work today.
Tested and checked against official sources on July 2, 2026.
What's in its favor
- Genuinely generous free plan, rare in the category: unlimited recording, transcription and storage, forever.
- Ready summary with key points right as the call ends, with a shareable link anyone can open, even without an account.
- Well served in Portuguese: transcribes in 38 languages, including Portuguese, and auto-translates the summary.
- Works with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, and on Mac already records with no visible bot on screen (beta).
- Corporate-grade security stated on the official site: SOC 2 Type II, GDPR and HIPAA, used by over 300,000 companies.
Where it falls short
- On the free plan, advanced AI summaries with action items only apply to the first 5 calls of the month.
- No mobile app: only Mac and Windows; doesn't run on Chromebook, Linux, tablet or iPad.
- Only records online meetings with a standard Zoom/Meet/Teams link — no in-person meetings, phone calls, webinars.
- The no-bot mode is still beta and Mac-only — on Windows, Fathom joins as a visible participant.
- The sales-team features most requested (CRM field sync, coaching, scorecards) require the Business plan.
Fathom vs Otter (and the others)
The natural comparison is Fathom vs Otter. The deciding factor for Brazilians: Fathom summarizes in Portuguese, while Otter only transcribes in English. If your meetings are in Portuguese, Fathom wins comfortably. Options on the table:
When your meetings are actually in English and you want detailed live transcription.
When you want meeting notes integrated with your own workspace and databases.
The most frequent questions about Fathom
Is Fathom really free, or just a trial?
It's genuinely free, forever: unlimited recording, transcription and storage on the free plan.
Does it work in Portuguese?
Yes, it summarizes and translates content into Portuguese, and transcribes in 38 languages including Portuguese.
Does it work on mobile?
No, as of July 2026 there's no mobile app — only Mac and Windows.
Does it work with WhatsApp or phone calls?
No, it only records online meetings via Zoom, Meet or Teams links.
Do other people see that I'm recording?
On Windows it joins visibly as a bot; on Mac there's a beta no-bot mode.
How much does the paid plan cost? Is there a price in reais?
Premium starts at US$ 20/mo; there's no official price in reais, only dollars.
Do I need to install anything?
No, it connects through your video call platform with no separate app install required for the meeting itself.
Is it safe to have a bot in my meetings?
Fathom states corporate-grade security standards (SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, HIPAA) on its official site.
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