Circleback vs Fathom

Circleback

• Individuals who want unlimited meetings on a free plan
• Teams that update a CRM or issue tracker automatically after calls
• People who meet in person as well as online
• Developers giving AI agents meeting context through the API or MCP

Fathom

• Individuals who want unlimited recording and transcription without paying
• Sales teams that log calls to HubSpot or Salesforce
• Teams that share clips and highlights from customer calls

Circleback

• The Free plan keeps only 30 days of meeting and recording history and has limited automations.
• Recordings are stored for 1 year on Pro and 2 years on Business. Unlimited recording storage needs Enterprise.
• Single sign-on, SCIM and HIPAA compliance are on Enterprise, which is billed yearly only.
• Desktop apps are offered for macOS and Windows; no Linux app or browser extension is listed.

Fathom

• On the Free plan, advanced summaries cover only the first 5 calls each month, and action items and Ask Fathom are limited.
• Team and Business plans have a 2-user minimum.
• Bot-free capture is Mac only for now. There is no Android app, and Linux, Chromebooks and iPads are not supported.
• CRM field sync, deal view and coaching scorecards require the Business plan.

Circleback

Notes and action items

Notes are written automatically after each meeting, and action items are captured, assigned to people and organized without manual entry.

Bot or bot-free capture

A bot can join online meetings, or the desktop app for macOS and Windows records any call on the computer without one, including Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Webex and Discord.

In-person meetings

Mobile apps for iOS and Android and an Apple Watch app record conversations that happen away from a computer.

Ask Circleback

An assistant that answers questions using every conversation in the account. It is included on the Free plan and can also be used from Slack.

Automations

Rules run after meetings to update other apps, for example Notion pages, HubSpot or Salesforce records and Linear issues. Free has limited automations; Pro opens all integrations.

API, MCP and CLI

Every plan, including Free, lists API, MCP and command-line access, and webhooks can send meeting data to custom integrations.

Fathom

Bot or bot-free capture

Record with a meeting bot that joins the call, or capture from the desktop app with nothing added to the meeting. Bot-free capture is in beta and currently works on Mac only.

AI summaries and action items

A summary is ready when the call ends. Free accounts get advanced summary templates on their first 5 calls each month; paid plans remove the cap and add AI action items.

Ask Fathom

Ask questions about a single call or across the calls in your account and get answers drawn from the transcripts. Use is limited on the Free plan.

Clips and playlists

Cut highlights out of a recording and group them into playlists to share with people who missed the meeting. Included on every plan.

CRM sync

Sends call notes to HubSpot, Salesforce or Close. The Business plan adds CRM field sync, a deal view, and coaching metrics with AI scorecards.

Team workspace

Team plans add global search across everyone's calls, comments, folders and keyword alerts that flag when chosen terms come up.

Circleback

• Free$0

  AI notes and action items, Ask Circleback, desktop and mobile apps, and API, MCP and CLI access, with 30-day history, limited automations and 2 teams.

• Pro$15

  per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly)

  Unlimited meeting history, 1 year of recording storage, automations with all integrations, custom AI insights and 5 teams.

• Business$25

  per user / month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly)

  Admin and member roles, unlimited free viewers, custom data retention, enforceable settings, 2 years of recording storage and unlimited teams.

• Enterprise$35

  per user / month, yearly billing only

  SAML or OIDC single sign-on, SCIM, invoice billing, unlimited recording storage and HIPAA compliance. The per-user rate falls above 50 users.

Fathom

• Free$0

  Unlimited recordings and transcription, instant AI summaries, clips, playlists and search across calls.

• Team$15

  per user / month, billed annually ($19 monthly), 2-user minimum

  Everything in Premium, plus global search across calls, comments, folders and keyword alerts.

• Premium$16

  per user / month, billed annually ($20 monthly)

  For individuals: advanced call summaries, AI action items, the conversational assistant and a custom meeting bot.

• Business$25

  per user / month, billed annually ($34 monthly), 2-user minimum

  Everything in Team, plus CRM field sync, deal view, coaching metrics with AI scorecards and custom summaries.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Everything in Business, plus SSO, SCIM provisioning, custom retention, dedicated support and an onboarding program.

Circleback

• Annual discount

  Lower per-user price on yearly billing

  At listed prices Pro costs $180 a year ($15 a month) instead of $18 a month, and Business $300 a year ($25 a month) instead of $29 a month, per user.

• Education

  50% education discount for students

  Circleback's pricing FAQ offers students 50% off. It applies automatically when signing up with a school email, or through support with proof of student status.

• Nonprofit

  30% non-profit discount

  The pricing FAQ states a 30% discount for non-profits: sign up with a non-profit email and contact support to have it applied.

• Startups

  Deals for startups of partner firms

  Circleback's startups page says startups affiliated with its partners can get special deals and discounts. The amounts are not published.

Fathom

• Annual discount

  Lower per-user price on annual billing

  Fathom labels annual billing "save 25%+". At listed prices Premium drops from $20 to $16, Team from $19 to $15 and Business from $34 to $25 per user per month.

• Nonprofit

  10 free seats for nonprofits

  Fathom's pricing page offers nonprofits 10 free seats. An application is required.

• Startups

  Up to 2 years of Team free for startups

  Under the Qualified Portfolio Program, startups affiliated with select venture firms and accelerators get up to 2 years of Fathom Team free.