NoteMate vs Fathom: Notes Without a Bot in Your Call

Fathom sends a bot into your video calls. NoteMate records on your device instead — no bot on the attendee list, and it works for in-person meetings and lectures too.

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Feature Comparison: NoteMate vs Fathom

Feature	NoteMate	Fathom
How it captures audio	Records on your device — no bot joins the call	Bot joins your Zoom/Meet/Teams call
In-person meetings & lectures	✅ Yes — record anything you can hear	❌ Video calls only
Summarization Modes	6 modes (lecture, notes, seminar, interview, action items, and brainstorm)	Fixed meeting summary templates
Flashcards & quizzes	✅ Built from the lecture, with timestamps back to the audio	❌ No
Live transcription	✅ Watch the transcript appear as you record	✅ During bot-joined calls
Transcript editing	Full editing with find & replace, plus re-summarize any recording	Basic editing
Exports	Notion, Google Drive, PDF, Word, Markdown, CSV, plain text, email	CRM-focused (Salesforce, HubSpot) and docs
Pricing	Free plan (300 min/month), or £49 once for the academic year	Free for individuals, team plans from ~$19/user/month

Why Choose NoteMate Over Fathom?

No Bot in Your Call

Nothing joins your meeting or shows up on the attendee list. You record the audio yourself, so it works even on calls where recording bots are blocked or unwelcome.

Works Anywhere

In-person meetings, lectures, interviews, phone calls on speaker — if you can hear it, you can record it. Fathom's bot only exists inside video calls.

More Summarization Modes

Choose from Lecture, Notes, Seminar, Interview, Action Items, or Brainstorm — pick the summary shape that fits the recording, not one fixed template.

Nine Export Formats

Send finished notes to Notion or Google Drive, or download as PDF, Word, Markdown, CSV, or plain text — your notes end up where you actually work.

Full Editing Control

Fix names and terms with find & replace across the whole transcript, label speakers, and regenerate the summary in a different mode without re-uploading anything.

Simple, Transparent Pricing

A genuinely free plan with 300 transcription minutes a month, no card required. One £49 payment then covers the whole academic year with unlimited recording — no per-seat pricing, no overage fees.

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends how you meet. Fathom works by sending a bot into your Zoom, Meet, or Teams call. NoteMate takes the opposite approach: you record the audio yourself on your phone or laptop — no bot joins anything — and NoteMate transcribes and summarizes it. If you want notes from in-person conversations, lectures, or calls where a bot would be awkward or isn't allowed, NoteMate is the better fit. If you want something that auto-joins every scheduled video call, Fathom's bot model suits that.

You'll lose the auto-joining bot — with NoteMate you press record instead of having a bot dial in. In exchange you get 6 summarization modes, full transcript editing with find and replace, speaker identification, and exports to Notion, Google Drive, PDF, Word, Markdown, CSV, plain text, and email.

No — NoteMate has no Fathom import tool, and we won't pretend otherwise. Your existing notes stay in Fathom. If you still have the original audio for a meeting, you can upload it to NoteMate and get a fresh transcript and summary. Signing up takes about a minute and the free plan needs no card.

NoteMate works alongside any meeting platform, but not by joining the call — there is no bot and no calendar integration. You record the meeting audio on your device (with everyone's consent) while using Zoom, Teams, Meet, or no platform at all, then NoteMate transcribes and summarizes the recording. Finished notes export to Notion, Google Drive, PDF, Word, and more.

Ready to Take Notes Without a Bot?

Record your next meeting or lecture on your own device and let NoteMate handle the transcript and summary. Try it free — no credit card required.

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