Fathom vs Perplexity
A side-by-side look at Fathom and Perplexity — pricing, features and where each one wins. Both are reviewed independently on Curata AI.
| Fathom | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | Free AI meeting recorder with unlimited recordings and a generous no-cost tier. | AI answer engine with real-time web search and inline citations. |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| Category | Productivity | Research |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
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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 Perplexity review
Perplexity is the AI you use when you would normally open five browser tabs. It combines large language models with live web search to return a written answer that cites its sources inline — so you can verify claims quickly instead of trusting a black box. Pro Search plans queries into multiple steps for deeper questions, Spaces keep research organized across a topic, and Focus modes narrow searches to academic papers, YouTube or Reddit. It is not a replacement for a general-purpose chatbot, but for time-sensitive research it is the fastest tool in the category.