Fathom vs Sembly.ai
Both scored against the same 13 criteria, from the same hands-on testing. Here is where each one actually wins.
Last updated August 2026 · 28 tools ranked
Fathom rates higher overall, 3.9 out of 5 against Sembly.ai's 3.3, across our 13 weighted criteria. Fathom leads on transcription accuracy, recording consent & compliance, data retention & training transparency. Sembly.ai still wins on price alone.
Fathom
#2 of 28Free AI meeting assistant with instant summaries
- Pricing
- Free tier available; paid from $16/mo
- Platforms
- Web, macOS, Windows
Sembly.ai
#25 of 28Agentic AI meeting platform for client-ready deliverables
- Pricing
- No free tier; from $17/mo
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension
All 13 Criteria, Side by Side
| Criterion | Weight | Fathom | Sembly.ai | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy & Data Security | High | 3 | 3 | Tie |
| Transcription Accuracy | High | 5 | 4 | Fathom |
| AI Analysis Quality | High | 4 | 4 | Tie |
| Recording Consent & Compliance | Med | 4 | 3 | Fathom |
| Data Retention & Training Transparency | Med | 4 | 3 | Fathom |
| Real-Time / Live Capability | Med | 3 | 3 | Tie |
| Recording Method | Med | 4 | 3 | Fathom |
| Ease of Use | Med | 5 | 4 | Fathom |
| Platform Support | Med | 4 | 3 | Fathom |
| Offline Capability | Med | 1 | 1 | Tie |
| Integration Ecosystem | Med | 5 | 4 | Fathom |
| Knowledge Connection | Low | 5 | 4 | Fathom |
| Pricing & Value | Low | 4 | 3 | Fathom |
| Overall (weighted) | 3.9 | 3.3 | Fathom |
Overall is a weighted average, not a mean: high-weight criteria count triple and low-weight criteria count once. See the formula.
Choose Fathom if…
- → Transcription Accuracy matters to you. Fathom scores 5/5 here against 4/5.
- → Recording Consent & Compliance matters to you. Fathom scores 4/5 here against 3/5.
- → Data Retention & Training Transparency matters to you. Fathom scores 4/5 here against 3/5.
- → Recording Method matters to you. Fathom scores 4/5 here against 3/5.
The best free option for individuals who want simple, no-fuss meeting notes, now backed by a transparent paid ladder and a real-time desktop app.
Choose Sembly.ai if…
Sembly.ai does not lead on any individual criterion in this pairing. It can still be the right call if you are already committed to its ecosystem, but on the merits the other tool is ahead across the board.
Semblian 2.0 turned Sembly into a credible agentic platform for professional-services teams that need client-ready deliverables, not just meeting notes.
Fathom at a glance
Strengths
- +Genuinely generous free tier
- +Very easy to use
- +Clean summaries
- +Bot-free capture and real-time summaries
Limitations
- −Cloud processing required
- −Advanced summaries capped at 5 calls/month on free plan
- −No mobile app yet (iOS announced, not shipped)
- −No offline mode
Sembly.ai at a glance
Strengths
- +Agentic document generation (proposals, project plans, status reports)
- +Cross-meeting AI chat across your entire history
- +40+ integrations including Salesforce, HubSpot, Jira, and Asana
- +Mobile apps that record in-person conversations
Limitations
- −Cloud processing only
- −Bot-based recording
- −Speaker recognition wobbles on large calls
- −No custom vocabulary support