What's the best Fathom alternative?

Choose Granola or Jamie for a bot-free tool today that keeps no recording. Nod runs the AI on your own computer with no account, but it is not released yet. Choose Fathom when CRM integrations, team administration, or its documented capture modes matter more; Fathom's transcript-only and audio-only 3.0 rollout is currently described for English meetings on Mac.

Is there a free Fathom alternative?

Granola and Jamie publish free and paid options. Nod isn't released yet; it will cost at most $5 a month at launch. The main differences include recording retention, platform coverage, storage, training controls, and team administration, so check the current plan you would use.

Guide · June 30, 2026 · 7 min read

Fathom Alternatives: Bot-Free Note Takers Compared

Fathom 3.0+ documents bot-free transcript-only and audio-only modes alongside its bot-based audio-and-video mode, but its guide limits the rollout to Mac users with English-language meetings. Fathom fits eligible teams that need its CRM integrations, sharing, and administration. Granola and Jamie are bot-free alternatives you can use today. Nod is a local-first notetaker that transcribes and writes notes on your own computer, with no account; it isn't released yet.

By Dmytro Barabash, founder of Nod · Published June 30, 2026 · Updated October 28, 2026 · Sources verified September 1, 2026

Product evidence: Nod's design is documented on its How it works page and in its source repository, which opens at launch; competitor capabilities come from the first-party pages linked below.
Limits: Nod is not released yet, so its behavior is described from the development build, not from shipping use. It will cost at most $5 a month at launch. Fathom behavior depends on capture mode, plan, and organization settings.
Method: The comparison uses public first-party product, help, pricing, and security documentation. Capabilities change, so the verification date matters and the linked vendor source takes precedence.

Sources and related reading

Competitor details were verified against first-party documentation on September 1, 2026; this article was last updated on October 28, 2026.

Why look for a Fathom alternative?

Fathom is well-liked, especially for its free tier. Common reasons people compare it anyway:

Capture mode and rollout. Fathom 3.0+ offers bot-free transcript-only and audio-only capture plus a bot-based audio-and-video mode. Its current guide says Mac and English-language meetings only.
Recording retention. Fathom says transcript-only saves no recording and audio-only captures audio locally with no video. The linked guide does not establish audio-only retention, so verify that separately.
Where the AI runs. Some teams want transcripts and summaries produced on their own computers rather than by a vendor, so meeting content never leaves the device.
Platform and language fit. Some need a bot-free mode on Windows or Linux, or for meetings in languages other than English.

How we compared these alternatives

Each tool is scored on whether it sends a bot into the call, whether it stores audio, where data lives, the platforms it supports, and pricing. Competitor details reflect first-party documentation as of the verification date above; rollout eligibility and retention can differ from broad platform availability, so verify the exact mode and account. The Nod row is first-party and describes the app as it is being built.

Comparison table

Tool	Bot-free?	Stores audio?	Data & privacy	Platforms	Pricing
Fathom	Fathom 3.0+: bot-free transcript/audio modes; bot for audio + video; current guide says Mac + English meetings	Transcript-only: none; audio-only: verify retention; audio + video: recorded	Verify rollout, plan, region, and retention	Current 3.0+ guide: Mac + English meetings; broader product availability varies	Free + paid
Nod	Yes	No (processed in memory, never written to disk)	On-device AI; no account; encrypted files on your device	macOS, Windows, Linux; any call app that plays sound	At most $5/month at launch; not released yet — waitlist
Granola	Yes	No (deletes audio after transcribing)	Cloud AI; verify current region and training controls	Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android	Free + paid
Jamie	Yes	No (deletes audio after transcribing)	EU storage and processing documented	Desktop and iPhone	Free + paid

The alternatives, one by one

Granola

Granola offers bot-free capture across desktop and mobile and deletes audio after transcribing. Its platform and workspace breadth are real advantages, and it ships today. Verify its current regions and training controls for the plan you would use. Detail in our Granola comparison.

Jamie

Jamie pairs botless native apps with documented EU storage and processing. Choose Jamie when you want a shipping, privacy-first tool with broader device coverage.

Nod (pre-release)

Nod is a local-first AI meeting notetaker for macOS, Windows, and Linux. It captures your microphone and your computer's own audio, so it never joins the meeting as a participant. The headline difference from Fathom is that the AI runs on your computer: speech-to-text (Parakeet for 25 European languages, or Whisper for 99) and the notes (a short summary, key points, action items) are produced on the device, and audio is never written to disk. Each meeting is one encrypted file, there is no account, and sync between your devices is end-to-end encrypted. To ask questions across meetings, you connect the assistant you already use to a read-only MCP server Nod runs on your computer.

Nod is not released yet. It has no CRM integrations, and its transcript labels lines "Me" and "Others" rather than naming each speaker, so Fathom's capture, team, and CRM surface is the better fit for many organizations. See how it works.

Which Fathom alternative should you pick?

Choose Fathom if you are eligible for its current 3.0+ rollout and CRM integrations, workspace sharing, team administration, or selectable transcript/audio/video modes matter more.
Choose Granola if you want a bot-free tool today with desktop/mobile coverage, mature workspace administration, or a note-enhancement workflow.
Choose Jamie if you want a bot-free tool today with broader device coverage and documented EU processing.
Join the Nod waitlist if you want transcription and notes on your own computer, no account, and open source code, for at most $5 a month at launch, and can wait for the release.

More context in Nod vs traditional meeting bots and meeting notes without a bot.

Sources

First-party sources: Fathom 3.0 capture modes, Granola security and privacy, Jamie product and privacy, and how Nod works. If Nod fits, join the waitlist.

Frequently asked questions

What's the best Fathom alternative?: Choose Granola or Jamie for a bot-free tool today that keeps no recording. Nod runs the AI on your own computer with no account, but it is not released yet. Choose Fathom when CRM integrations, team administration, or its documented capture modes matter more; Fathom's transcript-only and audio-only 3.0 rollout is currently described for English meetings on Mac.
Is there a Fathom alternative without a bot?: Yes. Granola and Jamie are bot-free today, and Nod will be when it launches. Fathom 3.0 also documents bot-free transcript-only and audio-only modes alongside a bot-based audio-and-video mode, with those newer modes currently described for English meetings on Mac.
Is there a free Fathom alternative?: Granola and Jamie publish free and paid options. Nod isn't released yet; it will cost at most $5 a month at launch. The main differences include recording retention, platform coverage, storage, training controls, and team administration, so check the current plan you would use.