Otter.ai vs Fathom: Pricing, Free Plans and Which to Pick
The best known live transcript against the best free note taker, compared on published plans, limits and privacy.
By , research by the BestBots team · Updated Oct 19, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
Fathom is the better pick for most people: its free plan records, transcribes and summarizes every meeting with no cap, and it scores 5.0 on G2 from 7,085 reviews. Otter wins if you want a live transcript during the call or the cheapest paid seat, $8.33 a user on annual billing against Fathom's $15 to $16.
Side by side
| Spec | Otter.ai | Fathom |
|---|---|---|
| BestBots Score | 4.2 | 4.6 |
| Starting price | $16.99 per user per month | $20 per user per month |
| Pricing model | per seat | per seat |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial on paid plans, 90 day guarantee |
| Free plan limit | 300 minutes per month, 30 minutes per conversation, last 25 conversations | Unlimited recordings, transcripts and basic AI summaries |
| Paid from | $16.99 per user per month, or $8.33 billed annually | $20 per user per month, or $16 billed annually |
| Platforms | Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet; bot free capture on Mac and Windows desktop | Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams; bot free capture in beta on Mac |
| CRM sync | Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier from Pro | HubSpot and Salesforce; CRM syncs for up to 3 users on Premium, automatic field sync on Business |
| Storage | 25 most recent conversations free, unlimited on Pro | Unlimited recordings and call storage on every plan |
The short answer
Choose Fathom if you want a free note taker you never outgrow, team search and highlights, or sales coaching in the same tool.
Choose Otter if you read along while people talk (lectures, interviews, accessibility needs), you are a student with a .edu email, or you want the lowest annual price for a paid plan and stay under 20 hours of meetings a month.
Pricing
| Plan | Otter.ai | Fathom |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation, 3 lifetime imports | Unlimited recordings, transcription and instant summaries |
| Individual paid | Pro $16.99 monthly, $8.33 annual | Premium $20 monthly, $16 annual |
| Team | Business $30 monthly, $19.99 annual | Team $19 monthly, $15 annual (2 user minimum) |
| Sales tier | Business, no coaching listed | Business $34 monthly, $25 annual (2 user minimum) |
| Enterprise | Quote, HIPAA add on | Quote, signed HIPAA BAA |
Prices from otter.ai/pricing and fathom.ai/pricing in October 2026.
Solo user, free. Fathom wins outright. Otter's 30 minute cap cuts most meetings in half.
Solo user, paid, annual. Otter Pro is $99.96 a year; Fathom Premium is $192. Otter Pro still caps you at 1,200 minutes a month.
Team of 5, annual. Otter Pro: $499.80. Fathom Team: $900. Otter Business, with no minute cap: $1,199.40.
Team of 10 sales reps. Fathom Business with CRM field sync and scorecards: $3,000 a year. Otter Business: $2,398.80, without coaching features.
Models and features
| Feature | Otter.ai | Fathom |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Zoom, Teams, Meet; mobile app | Zoom, Meet, Teams |
| Live transcript | Yes | No, notes after the call |
| Bot free capture | Desktop app, Mac and Windows | Mac beta |
| AI chat | 20, 50 or 200 queries a month by plan | Ask Fathom, limited on Free, full on paid |
| Action items | Yes | Premium and up |
| CRM | Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier on Pro | CRM syncs for 3 users on Premium; field sync on Business |
| Coaching | Not listed | Business: coaching metrics, AI scorecards, Deal View |
| Languages | Six | Not listed on pricing page |
| Max meeting length | 30 minutes free, 90 Pro, 4 hours Business | No cap listed |
| API | Enterprise | Public API and MCP listed |
Head to head scenarios
Free note taker for back to back meetings
Winner: Fathom. Unlimited meetings and storage on Free. Otter's 300 minutes is five hours a month and each call stops at 30 minutes.
Lectures, interviews and accessibility
Winner: Otter. The live transcript lets you read along as people speak, and the mobile app records in person. The .edu discount brings Pro to $6.67 a month.
Small team sharing highlights
Winner: Fathom. Team at $15 a user annual adds global search, shared playlists, comments and keyword alerts. Otter's sharing is solid, but it has no team highlight playlists listed.
Sales calls with CRM updates
Winner: Fathom. Business adds automatic CRM field sync, Deal View and AI scorecards. Otter connects to Salesforce and HubSpot on Pro but lists no coaching.
Lowest paid price
Winner: Otter. $8.33 a user annual for Pro, half of Fathom Premium.
Windows users who want no bot
Winner: Otter. Its Windows desktop app captures without a bot. Fathom's bot free mode is Mac only.
Privacy
Otter. SSO, SCIM and domain capture are Enterprise only, and HIPAA is an Enterprise add on. A consolidated class action, In re Otter.AI Privacy Litigation (N.D. Cal., 5:25-cv-06911), centers on its notetaker recording participants without their consent; on August 13, 2026 the judge granted Otter's motion to dismiss only in part, so some claims continue. Otter answered the amended complaint in September 2026.
Fathom. Lists SOC 2 Type II, GDPR and HIPAA, with a signed BAA, SSO, SCIM and custom retention on Enterprise.
Edge: Fathom, on published compliance and the absence of an open privacy suit.
Ratings
Fathom: 5.0 on G2 from 7,085 reviews and 4.8 on Trustpilot from 286. Otter: 4.4 on G2 from 505, 4.8 on the App Store from 85,529 ratings and 4.2 on Trustpilot from 767. Otter's mobile base is huge; Fathom's business user scores are higher.
Verdict
The scenarios split three and three, but Fathom's wins (free use, team sharing and sales) cover more buyers, so it is our pick for most people: start on its free plan, which beats Otter's on every limit. Choose Otter for live transcripts, Windows bot free capture, or the cheapest paid seat at $8.33 a user annual. For deeper detail see the Otter review and Fathom review.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fathom better than Otter?
For most people, yes. Fathom's free plan records and transcribes every meeting with no cap, while Otter's free plan stops at 300 minutes a month and 30 minutes per conversation. Otter is better if you want a live transcript during the call or the cheapest annual paid seat.
Which is cheaper, Otter or Fathom?
Fathom is cheaper if you stay free. If you pay, Otter is cheaper: Pro is $8.33 a user on annual billing against Fathom Premium at $16 or Team at $15.
Can Otter or Fathom record without a bot?
Both can. Otter's desktop app on Mac and Windows captures meetings without a bot. Fathom offers bot free capture as a Mac beta on every plan; on Windows it joins as a bot.
Which supports more languages?
Otter lists six languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese. Fathom does not list a language count on its pricing page, so check its help center before relying on it for non English meetings.
Which is better for sales calls?
Fathom. Business at $25 a user annual adds CRM field sync, Deal View, coaching metrics and AI scorecards. Otter includes Salesforce and HubSpot on Pro but has no coaching or scorecard features listed.
Is Otter's lawsuit a reason to choose Fathom?
It is a factor for risk sensitive teams. A consolidated privacy class action against Otter, In re Otter.AI Privacy Litigation, survived a motion to dismiss in part on August 13, 2026 and is ongoing. No court has found Otter liable. Whatever tool you use, announce recordings and control auto join.