Fathom vs Granola

A side-by-side look at Fathom and Granola — pricing, features and where each one wins. Both are reviewed independently on Curata AI.

FathomGranola
SummaryFree AI meeting recorder with unlimited recordings and a generous no-cost tier.AI meeting notes app that runs in the background — no bot joins your call.
PricingFreemiumFreemium
CategoryProductivityProductivity
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
Key features
  • Unlimited Free Recording & Storage
  • AI Summaries & Action Items
  • Custom Prompt Templates
  • Zapier Integration
  • Team Admin Controls & SSO (Team plans)
  • No-Bot Background Capture
  • AI-Enhanced Notes
  • Ask Questions About Past Meetings
  • Notion/HubSpot/Slack/Zapier Integrations
Pros
  • Genuinely unlimited free recording, transcription and storage
  • End-to-end encryption and SOC 2 Type 2 compliance
  • Does not use customer data for AI training and supports full data deletion
  • No visible bot joins the call — popular with founders and VCs for that reason
  • Polished, well-organized AI notes rather than a raw transcript dump
  • Doesn't allow third-party AI providers to train on your data
Cons
  • Free plan's AI summaries are capped at just 5 calls per month
  • Premium price increased from $15 to $19/month in early 2026
  • Less enterprise depth (CRM breadth, AI Skills) than Fireflies
  • Free plan caps meeting history at 25 notes total
  • Desktop app only (Mac and Windows) — no browser-only option
  • No annual billing available, unlike most competitors

Read the full Fathom review

Fathom records, transcribes and stores unlimited Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls for free — the catch is that AI-generated summaries, action items and follow-up notes are capped at 5 calls per month on the Free plan. Premium unlocks unlimited AI summaries plus advanced actions, custom prompt templates and deeper Zapier integration. It's a common recommendation as the best genuinely free option for teams with light AI-summary needs but heavy recording volume.

Read the full Granola review

Granola takes a different approach to meeting notes: instead of a bot joining your call, it runs quietly in the background on your desktop (Mac and Windows) and captures system audio, then turns it into polished, organized notes at the end of the meeting. You can ask questions about past meetings, surface relevant context mid-conversation, and draft follow-up emails immediately after. It has become a favorite among founders and VCs specifically because there's no visible bot in the call.