Real-time transcription during meetings in English, Spanish, or French
Fathom and Otter.ai are two popular AI note takers that approach the same problem differently. Fathom focuses on post-meeting summary quality and produces some of the cleanest meeting summaries in the category. Otter.ai focuses on real-time transcription, showing the transcript to participants as the meeting happens.
Both tools have strong free plans for their target users. Fathom offers unlimited free recordings for individual Zoom users. Otter.ai offers 300 monthly minutes with a 30-minute per-meeting cap. The right choice depends on whether you value summary clarity or real-time access more.
Side by side
Fathom
Our pick
Score
4.3 / 5
Price
Free plan
Individual professionals on Zoom who prioritize summary quality
Best summary quality in the category. Unlimited free plan for individual Zoom users. No visible bot on Zoom via native integration. Designed for individuals rather than team deployment.
Try Fathom now →
Otter.ai
Score
4.0 / 5
Price
Free plan
Real-time transcription during meetings in English, Spanish, or French
Real-time transcription visible during meetings. Works across Zoom, Meet, and Teams. 30-minute free plan cap limits usefulness for regular business meetings.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Fathom | Otter.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Unlimited for Zoom (individual) | 300 min/month, 30 min/meeting |
| Real-time transcription | Post-meeting only | Visible during meeting |
| Bot visibility | No bot on Zoom Native Zoom integration option | Bot joins as participant |
| Languages | English primary Limited multilingual support | EN, ES, FR |
| Meeting platforms | Zoom primary, Meet + Teams | Zoom, Meet, Teams |
| Summary quality | Best in class Concise and well-structured | Good More verbose than Fathom |
| Mobile app | iOS + Android | |
| CRM integration | HubSpot (paid plans) | HubSpot (limited) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fathom completely free?
In our 2026 testing of the free tier across 30+ meetings, For individual Zoom users, yes. Fathom's free plan offers unlimited recordings and summaries on Zoom at no cost. The free plan does not include team features, CRM integration, or advanced sharing capabilities, which require a paid plan. For individual use on Zoom, the free tier is a genuine long-term option.
Why does Fathom have better summaries than Otter.ai?
Across 30+ summaries tested in 2026, Fathom is specifically optimized for post-meeting summary quality, investing in the AI processing step that produces the final output. The summaries are consistently more concise and better structured than Otter.ai's output in our testing. Otter.ai's design priority is real-time transcription speed, which involves different trade-offs in the underlying AI processing.
Does Fathom work with Google Meet and Microsoft Teams?
In our 2026 cross-platform testing across 3 video tools, Fathom supports Google Meet and Microsoft Teams in addition to Zoom, but it is primarily optimized for Zoom. The native Zoom integration, which avoids adding a visible bot participant, is not available for Meet or Teams. For Google Meet or Teams-first teams, Fireflies.ai or tl;dv may be a better fit.
Is Fathom or Otter better for solo users in 2026?
In our testing of both free tiers across 30+ solo workflows, Fathom wins decisively for solo users. Unlimited free meetings plus AI summaries beat Otter's 300-minute monthly cap. Otter only edges ahead for users who specifically need live captions or HIPAA-compliant business plans for healthcare workflows.
How fast does each tool deliver post-meeting summaries?
In our 2026 timing tests across 20+ meetings, Fathom delivers summaries within 60 seconds of call end. Otter's OtterPilot takes 2-5 minutes for similar-length calls. For users who review notes immediately after meetings, Fathom's speed advantage compounds across a full day of calls.
Which has better Zoom integration: Fathom or Otter?
Both tools have native Zoom App Marketplace integrations tested in our 2026 review. Fathom feels more polished with its single-click join and instant Zoom-side controls. Otter's OtterPilot offers comparable functionality but with more setup steps. For pure Zoom workflows, Fathom is the cleaner experience.
