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Fathom vs Read AI

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Entry price
Fathom from $20/mo, Read AI from $15/seat/mo — different billing units, so no direct winner
Free plan
Both have one
Public API
Both have one
Best fit
Fathom: Individuals who want unlimited recording and summaries without paying anything · Read AI: Sales and customer-facing teams who want engagement and sentiment read-outs after every call
Platforms
Fathom: Web, macOS · Read AI: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome extension, Slack app

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

FathomMeeting recorder with instant summaries and CRM write-backRead AIMeeting, email and message summaries in one feed

Side by side

FactFathomRead AI
CategoryMeeting AssistantsMeeting Assistants
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$20/mo$15/seat/mo
Public APIYesYes
Trust score94 / 10091 / 100
PlatformsWeb, macOS, APIWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome extension, Slack app, API
CompanyFathomRead AI, Inc.
Launched2020—
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

Fathom

The best free notetaker on the market, and the paid tiers are cheap enough that most sales teams can skip a dedicated revenue-intelligence platform. Pick it unless you need deep conversation analytics, in which case Gong is still a different class of product.

Pros

  • Free tier includes unlimited recordings, transcripts and clips, which competitors gate
  • Bot-free capture avoids the awkward third participant in the call
  • Public API and MCP server on paid plans, plus native Claude and ChatGPT integrations
  • Aggressive switching offers: free Business for Gong contract holders, 10 free nonprofit seats

Cons

  • CRM sync is capped at three users per domain on lower tiers
  • Team plan requires a two-seat minimum, so a solo user pays the $20 Premium rate
  • Advanced and custom summary templates sit behind the higher tiers
  • Account-wide Ask Fathom search is still marked beta and has lookback limits by tier

Read AI

The free tier is unusually generous on breadth — meeting coach, engagement scores, cross-tool search — and stingy on depth, with only five transcripts a month, so it works as a trial rather than a long-term free plan. Pay for Pro if you live in back-to-back calls and want the same assistant reading your inbox and Slack; stick with a cheaper transcriber if all you want is notes.

Pros

  • Covers meetings, email and messaging in one assistant with cited answers across all three
  • Native desktop and mobile apps plus a Chrome extension, not only a web dashboard
  • Public API, webhooks, Zapier, MCP connectors and CRM integrations for getting data out
  • Engagement and sentiment metrics that most transcribers do not attempt
  • SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR and HIPAA claims, with training on customer data off by default

Cons

  • Free tier caps transcripts, reports and live notes at five a month
  • Audio and video playback only from the $22.50 Enterprise tier, which needs five licences
  • No refunds, card-only billing, and every licence in a workspace must be on the same plan
  • Engagement and sentiment scoring on colleagues raises consent questions in some workplaces

Which one fits

Choose Fathom if you need

  • Individuals who want unlimited recording and summaries without paying anything
  • Small sales teams that need CRM notes written automatically after every call
  • Anyone who wants meeting context piped into ChatGPT or Claude via API/MCP

Choose Read AI if you need

  • Sales and customer-facing teams who want engagement and sentiment read-outs after every call
  • People drowning in meetings, email and Slack who want one searchable feed
  • Workspaces that want SSO, SCIM and HIPAA on the top tier

Fathom vs Read AI: the questions people ask

Is Fathom cheaper than Read AI?

They charge in different units, so there is no like-for-like answer: Fathom starts at $20/mo, Read AI at $15/seat/mo. Entry price is the lowest paid plan as we last verified it.

Does Fathom or Read AI have a free tier?

Both: Fathom has a free tier, and Read AI has a free tier.

Which has a public API, Fathom or Read AI?

Both ship a public API, so either can be built on; the fact table above shows the platforms each one runs on.

More comparisons

All Fathom alternatives →All Read AI alternatives →Browse all Meeting Assistants →