AI Tools Reviews: Fathom vs Otter for Free Meeting Notes

Have you ever sat through a one-hour Zoom call and realized you forgot to write down the most important tasks? I do this all the time. It is annoying to rewatch a long video just to find a single client request. That is why I started looking at AI meeting assistants. In this edition of our honest AI tools reviews, we are going to compare two of the most popular free options: Fathom and Otter. ai. Both of these tools promise to listen to your calls, write transcripts, and give you clean summaries. But which one actually saves you more time during your work week? Let us look at how they perform in real life.

Why Fathom is the Best Free Option for Zoom and Teams

Fathom is a tool that joins your video calls as a silent guest. I tried it on Zoom first. The setup took less than two minutes. Once you start your call, the Fathom bot enters and begins recording. What I like most about Fathom is how it handles highlights. During a live call, you can click a button to mark a specific moment. For example, if a client says something about a budget change, you can click Action Item or Insight.

After the call ends, Fathom sends you a link with the full transcript. It also gives you a neat summary divided by topics. The best part? Fathom is completely free for individual users. You do not have to pay to get unlimited recording time or to share your links with clients. It supports Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. The only downside is that the bot is visible to everyone on the call, which some clients might find strange at first. You should always ask for permission before the meeting starts so no one feels uncomfortable.

How Otter. ai Compares for Audio and Live Meetings

Otter. ai is one of the oldest names in the transcription space. Unlike Fathom, Otter is not just for video calls. You can use it on your phone to record in-person meetings, lectures, or your own random thoughts while driving. This makes it highly versatile. The mobile app is clean and very easy to use.

For video calls, Otter joins as an assistant just like Fathom. It writes out the text in real time, which is fun to watch. However, the free plan has become very limited lately. You only get 300 minutes of transcription per month, and each conversation is capped at 30 minutes. If you have long client chats, the free version of Otter will cut you off mid-sentence. To get the most out of it, you have to upgrade to a paid plan. The paid plan gives you more minutes but it can get expensive if you are just starting out as a freelancer.

Key Differences in Accuracy and Usability

I tested both tools on the same 30-minute Zoom call to see which one wrote better notes. Fathom won the accuracy test by a small margin. It correctly identified speaker names and did not get confused by background noise. Otter was also good, but it made a few more spelling mistakes on technical terms.

If you want to use these transcripts to make content, accuracy is key. For example, some people use meeting notes to write blog posts or social media drafts. If you want to learn more about content creation, you can read our guide on how to Earn Money with AI Writing Real Estate Listings for practical tips.

Another big difference is how they share summaries. Fathom lets you copy and paste the text into Slack, Notion, or Google Docs with one click. Otter has its own chat assistant that lets you ask questions about the meeting, which is cool but sometimes feels like extra work.

Which AI Meeting Assistant Should You Choose?

Your choice depends on where your meetings happen. If you do all your work on Zoom or Google Meet, Fathom is the clear winner. The free plan is incredibly generous, and the summary quality is excellent. You do not have to worry about running out of minutes at the end of the month.

On the other hand, Otter. ai is better if you need to record offline. If you attend in-person workshops, record voice memos, or need a mobile app that works on the go, Otter is worth the download. Just keep in mind that you will likely need to pay for the premium version if you use it daily.

Personally, I keep both on my phone and laptop. I use Fathom for my scheduled client video calls because it costs nothing and works perfectly. I use Otter on my phone when I want to speak my ideas aloud while walking. Try them both this week and see which one fits your routine.