Fathom vs. Fireflies: Which AI note taker is best?
By Juliet John · July 20, 2025
When's the last time you whipped out a notebook in a virtual meeting? My guess is it's been a while. AI note taking apps are fast becoming the standard because they remove the need to take hurried notes, allowing you to stay present in conversations.
Fathom and Fireflies are two fan favorites at the moment. I use Fathom for all my client meetings, but while shopping for the best AI meeting assistant, I tried Fireflies—which, turns out, is a strong contender. Here's my blow-by-blow comparison of Fathom vs. Fireflies.
Table of contents:
- Fathom vs. Fireflies at a glance
- Both tools offer valuable features, but their approaches differ
- Fathom has a more user-friendly interface
- Fireflies has more advanced features
- Fathom has a better free plan and doesn't restrict as many features across plans
- Both tools integrate with Zapier
- Fathom vs. Fireflies: Which should you choose?
Fathom vs. Fireflies at a glance
Here's the short version: both apps have similar features and serve teams of all sizes, so you won't go wrong with either. But while Fathom is the simpler tool, Fireflies offers more advanced features, which large organizations will appreciate. I summarized the key differences in this quick comparison table, but for my detailed experience testing both apps, keep reading.
| Fireflies | Fathom | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms supported | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex, GoTo Meeting, Dialpad, Lifesize, Jitsi | ⭐⭐⭐ Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet |
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Easy to use but has a busier interface and takes a while to get used to | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very easy to use with a straightforward interface and few essential features |
| Transcription | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Transcripts for all calls and offers live transcripts with real-time notes | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Transcripts for all calls, but no live transcripts |
| AI summary | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Generates comprehensive meeting notes in up to 21 context-specific templates | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Generates and delivers concise notes in up to 14 call templates |
| AI assistant | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Its generative AI assistant can surface insights from calls, generate content, and add context to summaries | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ask Fathom can extract insights from calls but does not generate content |
| Integrations | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Integrates with more collaboration tools, CRMs, and web conferencing tools, including Zapier | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Has fewer integrations but connects with Zapier |
| Pricing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Affordable for small businesses | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Also affordable but requires a minimum of two seats on the team plan |
Both tools offer valuable features, but the approaches differ
Both apps create recordings and transcripts, summarize meetings, identify soundbites, and are stocked with sharing features. The way they do these things differs, so depending on your priorities, you might prefer one app's approach over the other.
Recordings and transcripts
Both apps come in as participants during meetings and run in the background. Fathom automatically captures audio and video recordings, while Fireflies records only audio by default. Fireflies provides live transcripts that make it easier to follow along even when you're not actively listening to the call. This live aspect isn't available in Fathom yet. After each call, both Fathom and Fireflies transcribe the audio from your meeting, providing a text record of the conversation. You can edit the transcript in both tools, but Fathom lets you reassign speakers and trim sections to remove unrelated tangents before sharing the recording.
Meeting summaries
With AI-powered summaries, both apps structure the summary into chapters for quick scanning. They add timestamps that bring you to the specific parts of the transcript where the conversation occurred. Both tools offer context-specific summary templates tailored for different types of meetings.
Highlights/Soundbites
Both tools have options to save noteworthy parts of the conversation. Fathom allows you to create clips from the whole video, while Fireflies creates audio bites.
Sharing options
Both tools will automatically send a recording of the conversation to all participants. Fathom can also generate a brief follow-up email with a summary of the conversation and a link to the recording, while Fireflies requires participants to have an account to access meeting recaps.
Fathom has a more user-friendly interface
Fathom offers easy onboarding and a straightforward dashboard. It's easier to navigate, showing a summary of all activities. Fireflies, with a busier interface, has a steeper learning curve.
Fireflies has more advanced features
Fireflies generally offers more comprehensive features compared to Fathom. It provides advanced insights such as words spoken by minute, total number of filler words, and speaker talk time. These granular insights can help in improving team interactions.
Fathom has a better free plan and doesn't restrict as many features across plans
Fathom's free account offers full access to all its main features. Fireflies limits some features on its free account. Once more features are needed, Fireflies plans can be more affordable. Fathom requires a minimum of two user seats on a team account, while Fireflies allows for single-user seats.
Both Fireflies and Fathom integrate with Zapier
Fireflies works on more video conferencing platforms and integrates with over 40 third-party apps. Fathom has around 10 native integrations but they can also connect through Zapier to thousands of other apps.
Fireflies vs. Fathom: Which should you choose?
Both AI note-taking apps are fantastic with similar features and pricing. Choose Fathom for straightforward use if you’re an individual user. Choose Fireflies for more advanced features suitable for larger teams. Both apps offer free trials, so it’s beneficial to explore both.