Fathom vs tl;dv: which AI note-taker should you choose in 2026?

Fathom and tl;dv both offer free recording and paid AI notes. Pricing, free plans, languages, follow-ups, Ask AI and CRM sync compared plan by plan.

Published 20 October 2026. Prices and features from each vendor's own pages.

The short answer

FathomPaid from $15/seat

Choose it if you want AI summaries on the free plan without a 10-meeting cap.

tl;dvPaid from $18/seat

Choose it if you want an MCP server, API and webhooks on Pro.

PromptLabIn the CRM from $11.99/seat

Choose it if you want meeting notes on the deal and contact they belong to, with no sync to set up.

Fathom and tl;dv both start with a free plan that has unlimited recordings, and both work with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. The differences show up in what the free plan includes for AI, and in how each handles questions across meetings.

Below, the two are compared on pricing, free plans, languages, follow-ups and Ask AI, and CRM sync. Every figure comes from the vendors' own pricing and product pages; prices are per user a month, billed annually, unless we say otherwise.

Fathom vs tl;dv at a glance

With PromptLab in the third column: the same job done inside a CRM.

Fathom vs tl;dv, with PromptLab: prices and features
Checked on 20 October 2026	Fathom	tl;dv	PromptLab
Pricing
Free plan	Unlimited recordings	Unlimited recordings
Paid plans, a month	$15 – $25per seat	$18 – $29per seat	$11.99per seat on Basic
Free trial
Billing	Billed annually	Billed annually	Billed monthly
AI meeting notes
Records Zoom, Meet and Teams calls
Searchable transcripts
Transcription languages	38	30+	30+
AI summaries and action items
AI follow-up email drafts
Notes saved to CRM records	HubSpot, Salesforce		Built in
Ask AI across meetings	Beta	Up to 5 queries

Pricing: $15 to $25 against $18 to $29

Fathom is slightly cheaper at each step. Team is $15 a user a month and Business is $25, each with a minimum of 2 users, and Premium for individuals is $16. tl;dv charges $18 for Pro and $29 for Business, with Enterprise on request.

Both let you try a paid plan for free: Fathom's Premium, Team and Business, and tl;dv's Business. Fathom adds a 90-day guarantee on every plan.

Free plans

Both free plans have unlimited recordings and transcription. Fathom's also includes instant AI call summaries and search across calls, with no cap stated on the summaries.

tl;dv's free plan limits AI: 10 meetings with AI notes and 10 Ask AI queries. Its data retention on Free is up to 3 months. Pro lifts the AI note limit.

Languages and capture

Fathom supports transcripts in 38 languages and tl;dv supports 30+. The gap is small, so check your own languages on each vendor's list.

Fathom offers bot-free capture as a beta feature for Mac. tl;dv offers custom bot appearance on Pro and also works on iOS and Android.

Follow-ups and Ask AI

Fathom's paid plans include AI follow-up emails and action items. tl;dv's Pro plan has an email follow-up drafter and action item assignment.

Across meetings, tl;dv allows 5 multi-meeting Ask AI queries on Free and Pro, and unlimited on Business at $29. Fathom's account-wide Ask Fathom is a beta feature.

CRM sync

Fathom syncs call notes to HubSpot and Salesforce, but on Free, Premium and Team only for up to 3 users per domain. Deal-field sync, Deal View and AI scorecards start on Business at $25.

tl;dv includes CRM integrations for a personal account on Pro, and team-wide integrations and automations on Business at $29.

We make PromptLab, so here is where it fits.

Or record meetings inside your CRM

PromptLab is a CRM with a notetaker built in. Its bot joins Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls, records them and writes a transcript in more than 30 languages.

After the call you get a summary, the action items as CRM tasks on the deal and its contacts, and a follow-up email drafted for you. The notes sit on the deal they belong to, so there is nothing to sync.

How meeting recording works

Try PromptLab freeIncluded in PromptLab Basic, from $11.99 a user a month, with a 14-day free trial.

Which should you choose?

Choose Fathom if…

You want AI summaries on the free plan without a 10-meeting cap.
You want the lower paid prices, from $15 a user a month.
You want to try bot-free capture on a Mac.

Choose tl;dv if…

You want an MCP server, API and webhooks on Pro.
You want unlimited multi-meeting Ask AI on Business.
You want an email follow-up drafter and custom note templates on Pro.

Choose PromptLab if…

You want meeting notes on the deal and contact they belong to, with no sync to set up.
You want action items turned into CRM tasks without copying them over.
You'd rather pay for one CRM than a CRM and a note-taker.

Frequently asked questions

Is Fathom better than tl;dv?

Fathom is better for free use, since its free plan has instant AI summaries with no stated cap, and it is cheaper at $15 a user on Team. tl;dv is better if you want an MCP server and API on Pro, and unlimited multi-meeting Ask AI on Business.

Is tl;dv free?

Yes. The free plan has unlimited recordings and transcription in 30+ languages, but only 10 meetings with AI notes and 10 Ask AI queries. Paid plans start at $18 a seat a month on Pro.

Which is cheaper, Fathom or tl;dv?

Fathom. Team is $15 a user a month and Business is $25, against $18 for tl;dv Pro and $29 for Business.

Do Fathom and tl;dv work with Zoom, Google Meet and Teams?

Yes. Both work with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. tl;dv also works on iOS and Android.

Is there a CRM with an AI note-taker built in?

Yes. PromptLab records Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls, transcribes them in more than 30 languages, summarises them and turns action items into CRM tasks, on every plan from $11.99 a user a month with a 14-day free trial.