Compare Fathom and Granola for meeting notes by capture method, recording and note workflow, free-plan history, language support, exports, output verification, consent, and data controls. This guidance is based on company pages linked from the profiles below.
Fathom:Company sources only · oldest collected Granola:Company sources only · oldest collected
Which tool fits your work?
Start with Fathom if
You are an individual who wants unlimited recording and transcription on the free plan for standard Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams calls, or eligible English-language Slack Huddles in Fathom's new Mac experience.
Look elsewhere if: You need a listed unsupported device or meeting type, no-link capture beyond the documented Slack Huddles exception, Slack Huddle capture before the new-experience rollout reaches your account, uploaded-recording analysis, bot-free capture without checking current device and language eligibility, or transcripts as downloadable files rather than clipboard copies.
You want bot-free desktop capture across meeting apps and prefer AI-enhanced notes shaped by your own notes over a replayable meeting recording.
Look elsewhere if: You need stored audio or video playback and clips, pre-recorded file imports, mobile capture of virtual-meeting audio, more than 30 days of visible history on the free plan, or a settled answer about whether CSV exports include full transcripts.
Free is $0 and lists unlimited recordings and transcriptions. Premium is $20 per user monthly or $16 per user monthly when billed annually. Team is $19 per user monthly or $15 per user monthly annually, with a two-user minimum. Business is $34 per user monthly or $25 per user monthly annually, also with a two-user minimum.
Basic is $0 per user per month. Business is $14 per user per month. Enterprise starts at $35 per user per month. Granola says billing is monthly only; paid workspaces bill each active seat and cannot mix plan tiers within one workspace.
Ways to use it
macOS, Windows, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack
Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams
Access
Desktop app on macOS and Windows for standard Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams meeting links. Slack Huddles are a documented no-link exception in the new bot-free experience, which is currently rolling out to eligible Mac users with English-language meetings.
The macOS and Windows desktop app captures system audio and microphone input, so it can transcribe audio from any meeting app without a meeting bot. Mobile apps use the device microphone for in-person capture. Granola's web interface is for viewing and editing existing notes and cannot capture meetings.
Where it runs
Online service from Fathom; its security page says all Fathom data is stored in the United States.
Online service with local desktop or mobile audio capture; Granola says its service data is stored on AWS in the United States.
Which meetings and devices must the product capture?
Start with Fathom when calls use standard Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams links on a Mac or Windows computer and you want its recording-led workflow. Its new bot-free experience is still rolling out to eligible Mac users with English-language meetings; Slack Huddles are a documented no-link exception, while Windows remains on the previous experience. Granola's desktop app captures system audio and microphone input without a meeting bot, so it can transcribe any call that plays through the computer rather than depending on a supported meeting link. Granola's dedicated mobile guide documents iOS and Android for in-person capture, and iOS outbound phone calls, but mobile cannot capture virtual-meeting audio from another app. Its generic transcription guide still names only desktop and iPhone, so confirm Android capture in the app if it is required.
Do you want a recording workflow or a note-first workflow?
Fathom's standard workflow creates an automatic transcript and summary around a meeting recording, with call downloads and clips listed on its pricing page. Its Transcript Only and Audio Only modes change which captured artifact is kept. Granola is note-first: your own typed notes guide the AI-enhanced result, although Granola says it can also generate notes from the transcript alone. Granola never retains meeting audio or video, so it provides no recording playback. Choose based on the artifact people will actually revisit, not the labels each company gives its summaries.
Fathom Free lists unlimited recordings, storage, and transcription, plus five advanced summaries per month before the General/Enhanced template remains. Granola Basic is free but exposes only the last 30 days of notes in the app; older notes remain stored but inaccessible until the workspace upgrades. Granola Business is $14 per active seat per month and lists unlimited history. Granola says paid billing is monthly only and every member of a paid workspace must use the same tier. Use the price row above for current figures; these allowances do not establish output quality.
Which language and output-quality requirements must it meet?
Fathom lists transcription in 38 languages, but its new bot-free rollout is currently limited to English-language meetings. Granola lists 10 desktop languages and 17 mobile languages; desktop can switch among supported languages, while mobile uses one selected language per meeting. The company pages do not establish which tool has better transcription, speaker attribution, summaries, or action items. If quality decides the choice, run both on the same consented representative meeting and check names, domain terms, speakers, decisions, owners, due dates, and omissions against the transcript and, where available, the recording. One meeting can reject a bad fit; it cannot prove universal accuracy.
Do you need playback, imports, clips, or a portable transcript?
Fathom keeps a meeting recording in its standard capture path and lists call downloads and clips, while its transcript guide says a transcript can be copied but not downloaded directly. Fathom does not accept external recordings. Granola does not retain audio or video, has no playback or clips, and does not accept pre-recorded audio imports. Its current export guide says CSV includes transcripts, while its current subscription guide says the same export excludes full transcripts. The pages do not reconcile this; confirm an export before relying on Granola for CSV portability.
Which consent, training, storage, and retention controls fit?
Both companies make the user responsible for consent, and both say service data is stored in the United States. Fathom's automatic consent emails do not cover every meeting, including same-day and impromptu calls. Fathom says its AI subprocessors cannot train on user data, while de-identified customer data may improve its own models unless the user opts out; automatic retention requires Business. Granola offers optional chat notices and a video watermark, but they do not replace consent responsibility. On Free and Business, Granola says anonymized data may be used for its own model improvement by default and each user can opt out; third-party providers are contractually barred from training. Enterprise is opted out by default and admins can enforce that setting. Granola retains notes and transcripts indefinitely unless a retention setting applies. Non-Enterprise users can choose transcript deletion from 1 day through 1 year or Off, and Enterprise admins can enforce a policy; only transcripts are deleted while notes remain. Review the live settings before recording sensitive calls.
