Best Fathom Alternatives in 2026, for Windows and Calls Without a Bot

The best Fathom alternative depends on why you are leaving. Fathom records without a bot only in a Mac beta; on Windows it still joins as a bot, and its Windows app is announced without a date. On Windows, Granola, tl;dv, Otter, Fireflies and Jamie record without a bot; on Linux or a Chromebook, MeetWave's Chrome extension does. If you use Fathom's video clips, tl;dv is the closest match. If the $20 Premium price is the issue, MeetWave Pro is $16 and Granola Business $14. On a Mac, Fathom's free plan is hard to beat.

If you want MeetWave and Fathom side by side instead of a list, see the detailed one-to-one comparison with Fathom, where every Fathom fact carries the date we checked it. The same dated facts for ten note takers are in the comparison table.

Fathom alternatives compared

Seven tools answer the reasons people give for leaving Fathom; the table puts them next to Fathom itself. Every row links the vendor page the facts were read on, on 27 October 2026, and the cheapest paid plan is the monthly price where the page offers monthly billing (Fathom pricing, bot-free census).

Source: each vendor's pricing page, linked from the date in the last column, plus Fathom what's new, Granola, tl;dv desktop app, Otter desktop, Fireflies desktop and Jamie, checked 27 October 2026.

Why people leave Fathom

Most people who leave Fathom are on Windows. Fathom's pricing page marks bot-free capture as a "Beta feature for Mac"; everywhere else Fathom records through its bot (Fathom pricing, checked 27 October 2026). Figure 1 shows which alternatives name each operating system for recording without a bot.

Figure 1. Fathom records without a bot only on a Mac; six alternatives name Windows. Source: vendor desktop and pricing pages, checked 27 October 2026.

Windows is announced, not shipped. Fathom's changelog says "Windows users, you're up next" and "The full Fathom experience is coming to PC", including bot-free capture and the new desktop app, without a date (Fathom what's new, checked 27 October 2026). Until then a Windows user gets the bot in every call.

The bot is a participant. Fathom's own guide says it covers Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Slack Huddles "with a choice of bot or bot-free (beta) capture on Mac" (Fathom, How bot-free AI note takers work). In bot mode everyone on the call sees the recorder in the participant list.

The phone app is not here yet. Fathom's iOS app is "almost here", and the guide says in-person capture is "not live yet" (Fathom what's new, Fathom guide). If you record in-person meetings, that is a gap today.

Paid plans are per user. Premium is $20 a month, or $16 billed annually; Team is $15 per user with a 2-user minimum, and CRM field sync starts with Business at $25 per user (Fathom pricing, checked 27 October 2026).

The alternatives, by reason

MeetWave — Windows, Linux and Chromebooks

MeetWave's Windows desktop app captures system audio from any meeting app, and its Chrome extension records web calls on macOS, Windows, Linux and ChromeOS, with no bot in the call (MeetWave Chrome extension). The audio, transcript and summary are stored encrypted in your MeetWave account, and your meetings are never used to train AI models. The free plan includes 10 hours of analysis and 25 summaries a month; Pro is $16 a month, or $11 billed annually (MeetWave pricing). The limits: audio only, no video clips, no Mac desktop app (on a Mac it records web calls in Chrome), no mobile app and no live transcript during the call.

Granola — bot-free on Mac and Windows, with phone apps

Granola "uses your computer audio, so doesn't invite a bot", and it names macOS, Windows, iOS and Android (Granola, checked 27 October 2026). It keeps notes, not recordings: it "does not record or save audio or video at any point during the call" (Granola Docs). Basic keeps 30 days of meeting history; Business is $14 per user a month (Granola pricing). If you are leaving Granola instead, see Granola alternatives.

tl;dv — the closest match for video and clips

tl;dv records video like Fathom does, by bot or with its desktop app for Mac and Windows, which "records directly from your system audio, with no meeting bot required", and it lets you clip and share moments (tl;dv desktop app, checked 27 October 2026). The free plan has unlimited video recordings and transcription, with AI notes on 10 meetings. Pro is $29 a month, or $18 billed annually (tl;dv pricing).

Otter — bot-free desktop plus phone apps

Otter's desktop app records Slack Huddles, Zoom, Google Meet and in-person conversations without a bot, and it offers the app for Mac and Windows (Otter desktop, checked 27 October 2026). Its plans include iOS and Android apps, which Fathom does not ship yet. Basic includes 300 transcription minutes a month; Pro is $16.99 a month, or $8.33 billed annually, with up to 90 minutes per meeting (Otter pricing).

Fireflies — a desktop app for Windows 10 and later

Fireflies' desktop app gets "notes without a bot on the call" on Windows 10+ and macOS 12+, and the page adds that "a Fireflies indicator will be present to let participants know" (Fireflies desktop, checked 27 October 2026). The free plan has unlimited transcription with 400 minutes of storage per team. Pro is $18 a month, or $10 billed annually, with 8,000 minutes of storage per seat (Fireflies pricing).

Jamie — data in the EU, no training

Jamie runs on your device with no bot, on Mac, Windows and iPhone, keeps storage and processing "within the EEA, Switzerland, and the UK", and says audio is "never stored" and "never used to train models" (Jamie, checked 27 October 2026). The free plan has 10 AI notes a month, up to 30 minutes per meeting; Plus is $24 a month billed annually (Jamie pricing).

Tactiq — a free extension for live transcripts

Tactiq is a Chrome extension, also offered as an Edge add-on, that transcribes Google Meet, Zoom and Teams without a bot (Tactiq, checked 27 October 2026). The free plan has 10 transcripts a month; Pro is $12 a month, or $8 billed annually (Tactiq pricing).

What a paid seat costs

On monthly billing, five of the alternatives cost less than Fathom Premium at $20 a month, and tl;dv Pro costs more at $29 (Fathom pricing, tl;dv pricing, checked 27 October 2026). Figure 2 shows the seven with a monthly price; Jamie is left out because its page lists only annual billing. Granola's page states its price without a billing period.

Figure 2. Five alternatives cost less than Fathom Premium on monthly billing. Source: vendor pricing pages, checked 27 October 2026.

Price is the weakest reason to leave Fathom if you are on a Mac: its free plan has unlimited recordings and transcriptions, with bot-free capture in beta (Fathom pricing). On Windows the free plan comes with the bot, so the comparison is the bot-free price of another tool against a free plan with a bot.

Before you leave Fathom

Download what you want to keep while your account is active: Fathom's plans include call downloads and clips (Fathom pricing, checked 27 October 2026). No note taker imports another's library in a standard format, so keep the files in your own drive.

Recording without a bot changes who sees the recorder in the participant list, not the rules on recording: tell people you are recording and check local law. The full list of 12 bot-free note takers, with the operating systems each one names, is in best bot-free AI note takers, and what other participants see is in do AI note takers show up in the participant list.

Key numbers

• Fathom's bot-free capture is a beta for Mac only, and its Windows app is announced as "coming to PC" without a date, checked 27 October 2026 (Fathom what's new, Fathom pricing).
• Fathom Premium costs $20 a month, or $16 a month billed annually, and its free plan has unlimited recordings, checked 27 October 2026 (Fathom pricing).
• 6 of the 7 alternatives in this list name Windows for recording without a bot in 2026 (Granola, tl;dv, Otter, Fireflies, Jamie, MeetWave).
• Fireflies' desktop app records without a bot on Windows 10+ and macOS 12+, checked 27 October 2026 (Fireflies desktop).
• On monthly billing, 5 of these alternatives cost less than Fathom Premium's $20, from $12 (Tactiq Pro) to $18 (Fireflies Pro), in 2026 (Tactiq pricing, Fireflies pricing).

FAQ

Does Fathom work on Windows without a bot?

Not yet. Bot-free capture is a Mac beta, and the changelog says Windows support is coming without a date (Fathom what's new). On Windows, Fathom records through its bot.

What is the best free Fathom alternative?

tl;dv's free plan has unlimited video recordings with AI notes on 10 meetings, and records without a bot on Mac and Windows (tl;dv pricing). MeetWave's free plan includes 10 hours of analysis and 25 summaries a month (MeetWave pricing).

Is there a Fathom alternative for Linux or a Chromebook?

MeetWave records web calls in Chrome on Linux and ChromeOS (MeetWave Chrome extension). Of the 12 tools in our bot-free census, 2 name Linux and 1 names ChromeOS (bot-free census).

Which Fathom alternative keeps video recordings?

tl;dv records video by bot or from its desktop app, and Fireflies Pro adds video recording (tl;dv desktop app, Fireflies pricing). Granola and MeetWave do not record video.

Is there a Fathom alternative with a phone app?

Otter, Granola, tl;dv and Fireflies list iOS and Android apps, and Jamie has an iPhone app (Otter pricing, Granola, Jamie). Fathom's iOS app is "almost here" (Fathom what's new).

Sources

1. Fathom — Pricing (2026). Accessed 2026-10-27.
2. Fathom — What's new (2026). Accessed 2026-10-27.
3. Fathom — How bot-free AI note takers work (2026). Accessed 2026-10-27.
4. Granola — Home and Pricing (2026). Accessed 2026-10-27.
5. Granola Docs — How transcription works (2026). Accessed 2026-10-27.
6. tl;dv — Pricing and Desktop app (2026). Accessed 2026-10-27.
7. Otter.ai — Pricing and Desktop app (2026). Accessed 2026-10-27.
8. Fireflies — Pricing and Desktop app (2026). Accessed 2026-10-27.
9. Jamie — Pricing and Home (2026). Accessed 2026-10-27.
10. Tactiq — Pricing and Home (2026). Accessed 2026-10-27.