Tool matchup
Fathom vs Granola — Fathom keeps a recording of every call; Granola captures device audio with no bot and deletes the audio after transcription.
Effortless call notes. Join a meeting, get summaries and action items synced to your tools. No configuration, no manual work. Generous free tier.
Prices checked October 23, 2026fathom.ai pricing page
An AI notepad built for back-to-back meetings: AI meeting notes, AI chat within and across meetings, and shared folders. Apps for desktop, iOS, Android and Apple Watch.
Prices checked October 23, 2026granola.ai pricing page
Fathom scores 83/100 and Granola 71/100. Fathom leads on setup speed (18/20 vs 14/20), UX polish (14/15 vs 11/15) and pricing (11/15 vs 9/15). The practical difference for client calls is what joins the call and what you keep afterwards. Granola captures your device's audio with no bot on every plan, and its pricing page says audio is deleted after transcription, so you keep notes and a transcript but nothing to replay. Fathom's free plan offers a choice of bot-free capture (a Mac beta) or a bot, and keeps unlimited recordings, clips and playlists. On price, Fathom's free plan includes unlimited recordings and transcription; Premium is $16/mo billed yearly ($20 monthly). Granola's free Basic plan keeps 30 days of meeting history; Business is $14 per user per month (the page does not say whether that is billed monthly or yearly). Fathom is the stronger default. Granola fits consultants who would rather no bot appears in client calls and do not need recordings.
Fathom leads by 12 points (strong advantage).
Decision shortcuts
Both turn calls into notes. Decide on two things: whether a bot may join your client calls, and whether you need a recording afterwards.
Client-ready brief
Send a concise summary of winner, trade-offs, and rollout recommendation.
Best fit
Best for: Consultants who want zero-friction call notes and task capture.
Why pick it: The lowest-friction meeting assistant available. Install once, forget it exists, and get perfect notes after every call. Free tier is genuinely usable.
Watch for: Limited analytics and no cross-meeting intelligence. If you need to search across months of conversations, Fireflies or Otter are better fits.
Best for: Consultants managing recurring client delivery and reporting.
Why pick it: An AI notepad built for back-to-back meetings: AI meeting notes, AI chat within and across meetings, and shared folders. Apps for desktop, iOS, Android and Apple Watch.
Watch for: The free Basic plan keeps only limited meeting history; unlimited notes and history need Business ($14/user/mo), and the pricing page does not say whether that is billed monthly or annually.
Swipe sideways to compare all columns.
Fathom | Granola | |
|---|---|---|
| Quick facts | ||
| Pricing sanity | Free, paid from $16/mo | Free, paid from $14/mo |
| Intelligence | High | Medium |
| Integrations | 4+ | 3+ |
| Score breakdown | ||
| Outcome fit | 20/25 | 19/25 |
| Setup speed | 18/20 | 14/20 |
| Pricing sanity | 11/15 | 9/15 |
| Integrations | 12/15 | 10/15 |
| UX polish | 14/15 | 11/15 |
| Trust & support | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Summary | ||
| Best for | Consultants who want zero-friction call notes and task capture. | Consultants managing recurring client delivery and reporting. |
| Key strength | Strong on UX quality | Strong on trust |
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Limits (vendor's wording) |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Unlimited recordings and transcription; instant AI summaries |
| Premium | $16 per user / month, billed annually$20 per user / month, billed monthly | For individuals: advanced summaries, AI action items |
| Team | $15 per user / month, billed annually$19 per user / month, billed monthly | 2-user minimum; team search and shared playlists |
| Business | $25 per user / month, billed annually$34 per user / month, billed monthly | 2-user minimum; CRM field sync; coaching metrics |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Contact sales; SSO and SCIM |
Prices checked October 23, 2026fathom.ai pricing page
| Plan | Price | Limits (vendor's wording) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Free | AI meeting notes with limited meeting history |
| Business | $14 per user / month (billing period not stated) | Unlimited meeting notes and history; Attio, Notion, HubSpot and Zapier integrations; billing period not stated on the pricing page |
| Enterprise | $35 per user / month (billing period not stated) | SSO; org-wide admin controls; billing period not stated on the pricing page |
Prices checked October 23, 2026granola.ai pricing page
Cost calculator
$16 per month · $192 per year
Cheapest plan that fits: Premium, $16 per seat or user
Team left out: needs at least 2 users.
$14 per month · $168 per year
Cheapest plan that fits: Business, $14 per seat or user
The vendor does not say whether this price is billed monthly or annually.
Uses list prices from each vendor's pricing page, before tax and discounts. Free plans and custom-quote plans are left out.
Platforms
| Platform | Fathom | Granola |
|---|---|---|
| iOS app | Listed | Listed |
| Mac capture without a bot (beta) | Listed | Not listed on vendor pricing page |
| Mac app | Not listed on vendor pricing page | Listed |
| Android app | Not listed on vendor pricing page | Listed |
| Apple Watch app | Not listed on vendor pricing page | Listed |
Based only on what each vendor's pricing page states. A platform that is not listed there may still be supported.
Method
Used by consultants
From a consultant who wrote about this tool. This does not affect the score.
Common questions
Granola never sends a bot: it captures your device's audio on every plan. Fathom offers a choice of bot-free capture (a beta for Mac) or a bot.
With Fathom, yes: it keeps recordings, clips and playlists. Granola's pricing page says audio is deleted after transcription, so you keep the notes and transcript only.
Fathom Premium is $16/mo billed yearly or $20 monthly; Fathom Team ($15) needs at least 2 users. Granola Business is $14 per user per month; the page does not state the billing period. Both have free plans. Checked October 23, 2026.
Fathom scores 83/100 and Granola scores 71/100 on Curalo's consultant rubric. The biggest gap is Setup speed: Fathom 18/20 vs 14/20.
Fathom's cheapest paid plan is Premium at $16 per user / month, billed annually. Granola's cheapest paid plan is Business at $14 per user / month (billing period not stated).
Fathom has a free plan: Unlimited recordings and transcription; instant AI summaries. Granola has a free plan (Basic): AI meeting notes with limited meeting history.
Fathom: $16 a month on Premium. (Team needs at least 2 users.) Granola: $14 a month on Business. Annual list prices where available, before tax.
Limited analytics and no cross-meeting intelligence. If you need to search across months of conversations, Fireflies or Otter are better fits.
The free Basic plan keeps only limited meeting history; unlimited notes and history need Business ($14/user/mo), and the pricing page does not say whether that is billed monthly or annually.
Guides
Capture every meeting insight and turn workshops into structured deliverables with the right AI transcription and note-taking stack.
Building a Client Reporting WorkflowTurn meetings into decision-ready client updates by connecting call capture, action tracking, and KPI reporting.
Stop Copy-Pasting Between Five Tabs: How to Connect Your Consulting StackThe practical guide to wiring your consulting tools together. Which integrations actually matter, what to automate first, and the mistakes that silently break your workflow.
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