Head to head · Productivity · updated Oct 15, 2026
Granola vs Fathom
Granola scores 30 to Fathom's 24 on public evidence for meeting notes & transcription, and they rank #1 and #2 there. Both are free to start. Numbers below are the same public signals the ranking uses, recomputed nightly — nothing here is sponsored.
Granola
A notepad that listens to your meeting from your computer audio (no bot) and merges your typed notes with an AI transcript.
+ No bot joins the call, and the final notes combine your own jottings with what was actually said.
− Desktop-only capture means it cannot record a meeting you join from another device, and the free tier is a small trial.
Fathom
A free meeting recorder for Zoom, Meet and Teams that produces summaries and lets you clip moments to share.
+ The free plan has no recording limit, and summaries are ready seconds after the call ends.
− Requires a desktop app and a visible bot in the meeting; advanced summary templates and CRM sync are paid.
Side by side
public evidence| Granola | Fathom | |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence score / 100 | 30 | 24 |
| GitHub stars | closed source | closed source |
| Hacker News stories, 30d | 6 | 3 |
| Release-feed mentions, 30d | 0 | 0 |
| Last activity | – | – |
| Pricing | Free tier · Individual $18/mo | Free tier · Free plan with unlimited recordings; paid Premium tiers |
| Platforms | mac, windows, ios | web, mac, windows |
| Maker | Granola | Fathom |
Which one?
Pick Granola if
- you want the stronger public evidence (30 vs 24)
- you need it on ios
Best for bot-free meeting notes.
Pick Fathom if
- you need it on web
Best for free unlimited meeting recording.