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.
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