Autorec vs Fathom
Local-first vs a cloud notetaker
Fathom is one of the better cloud notetakers. The free plan is generous and the interface is clean enough that a lot of people genuinely like it. It still works the way the category does: a bot joins the call, and the recording and transcript live in Fathom's cloud. Autorec records locally with no bot and keeps everything on your disk. If a free cloud tool with team highlights and CRM hooks suits you, Fathom is a strong pick. If you want the audio to never leave your machine, that is what Autorec is for.
Side by side
| Autorec | Fathom | |
|---|---|---|
| How it records | Captures the meeting window from your desktop | A bot joins the call as a participant |
| Where recordings live | Your disk only, never uploaded | Vendor cloud |
| Transcription | On-device with whisper.cpp, writes .txt and .srt | In the vendor cloud |
| Visible in the call | No, nothing extra appears in the call | Yes, an extra attendee appears |
| Pricing | €20 once per major version, free tier available | $19/user/mo (free plan available) |
| Works offline | Yes, recording and transcription run locally | No, needs a connection |
| Platforms | Linux, Windows (macOS in development) | Web, Windows, macOS |
| Team features | No, single-user; no shared library or admin | Yes, shared library and admin |
Pricing and features for Fathom last checked 2026-05-22. Vendor pricing changes; check their site for the current number.
Which one fits you
Choose Autorec if
You do not want a recorder bot in client calls, you want recordings stored only on your disk, and you would rather pay once than depend on a free tier that can change. Autorec also runs on Linux, which Fathom does not.
Choose Fathom if
Fathom's free plan covers your needs, you want team-shared highlights and CRM integrations, and a cloud library that everyone can search is useful to you. Fathom does all of that well. Autorec has no free-cloud equivalent, no integrations and no team library.
What it costs over time
Fathom has a free plan, and its paid tiers start around $19 per user per month. If the free plan covers you, the honest comparison is feature-for-feature, not price. If you outgrow it, a three-person team on the paid plan runs about $1,370 over two years. Autorec is €20 once per major version no matter how you use it. The one thing a free plan does not give you is control: Fathom can change its free limits whenever it wants, and the audio still sits in their cloud either way.
Moving off Fathom
Fathom lets you export recordings and transcripts from its web app. Save anything you want to keep, especially if you are on the free plan where retention rules can shift. There is no import on the Autorec side; install it and it records the next detected meeting to local disk. If you used Fathom's CRM integration, you will need another way to handle that, as Autorec has none.
Common questions
Fathom is free. Why pay €20 for Autorec?
Fathom's free plan is real and genuinely good. You pay for Autorec to get the things the free plan cannot give you: recordings that never leave your computer, no bot in the call, and no dependence on a vendor's free-tier policy. If none of that matters to you, Fathom's free plan is a fair choice.
Does Autorec add a bot to the call like Fathom?
No. Fathom joins the meeting as a participant. Autorec captures the meeting window from your desktop, so no extra attendee appears.
Can I use Autorec on Linux?
Yes. Autorec ships native Linux and Windows builds. Fathom is web, Windows and macOS only, with no Linux client.
Does Autorec have team features like Fathom?
No. Fathom has shared highlights, team libraries and CRM hooks. Autorec is single-user with no shared library or admin. For a team that needs those, Fathom fits better.
Compare Autorec to other tools
Decide for yourself
Record three meetings a day on the free tier, no account and no upload. Buy once for €20 when you are ready.
Download Autorec