EarshotEarshot vs Fathom
Fathom is one of the best-liked notetakers around, with a famously generous free tier. But there's a detail that matters if you're on a PC: Fathom's bot-free mode is currently Mac-only — on Windows, Fathom still sends a bot into your call. Earshot is bot-free everywhere it runs — Windows from day one, and now the Mac too. The rest of the comparison, fairly, as of July 2026.
The short answer
Pick Fathom if you want a slick free cloud notetaker and don't mind the bot on Windows (or its Mac-only bot-free beta). Pick Earshot if you want no bot in the call on Windows or Mac — or you want your recordings stored on your own machine, open-source code, and your own choice of AI.
At a glance
| Earshot | Fathom | |
|---|---|---|
| Bot-free capture on Windows | Yes — always | No — Windows uses the bot (bot-free is Mac-only, beta) |
| Bot-free capture on Mac | Yes — always | Yes (beta) |
| Where your data lives | Your computer only | Fathom's cloud (all data stored in the US) |
| Open source | Yes — MIT | No |
| Self-host / own AI keys | Yes, incl. fully local models | No |
| Trains its own AI on your data | No | De-identified, opt-out available |
| Free tier | Full app, self-hosted, forever | Unlimited recording; basic summaries (advanced = paid) |
| Paid tier | US$9/mo flat, 40 h transcription | Premium ~US$16/user/mo annual (US$20 monthly) |
Verified against Fathom's official pricing and help pages in July 2026 — including the Mac-only status of its bot-free mode. If Fathom has since shipped bot-free on Windows, treat that row as historical and check its current docs.
Where Fathom wins, honestly
- The free tier. Unlimited recording, storage and transcription at $0 is genuinely generous, and it's why Fathom tops so many "best free" lists. Earshot's free tier is different in kind — the full app, but you bring your own AI keys.
- Polish and ease. Fathom is consistently top-rated for how effortless it is: join call, get notes, share highlight clips. Zero setup, strong CRM hooks on paid tiers.
- Phones and the web. Fathom reaches mobile and the browser; Earshot is desktop-only (Windows and Mac). If you need notes from your phone, Fathom covers ground Earshot doesn't.
Where Earshot wins
- Bot-free on Windows, today. This is the headline difference. On Windows, Fathom still puts a bot in your participant list; Earshot records locally with nothing joining the call — in Zoom, Teams, Meet, Webex, or anything else you can hear. How bot-free capture works.
- Local storage, not US cloud. Fathom states plainly that all customer data is stored in the United States. Earshot's recordings and notes live on your computer — data residency is wherever your laptop is.
- Open source. Earshot's code is public on GitHub (MIT); Fathom is proprietary. And Earshot never trains on your content — Fathom improves its own models on de-identified customer data unless you opt out.
- Your own AI pipeline. Self-host with local Whisper and a local model and your meetings never leave your machine — an option no cloud notetaker can match.
- Flat, low pricing for the full experience. Advanced AI summaries are where Fathom's free tier ends and ~US$16–20/user/month begins. Earshot Plus is US$9/month, full stop, with everything included.
Which one should you pick?
On Windows or Mac alike, the choice is stark: a bot in the call (or a beta) and your data in a US cloud, or nothing in the call and your data on your disk. If the second one sounds like how it should have worked all along, download Earshot free or start the 7-day Plus trial. Also see Earshot vs Granola, Otter and Fireflies, or the full comparison.
Bot-free on Windows. Actually.
Earshot records locally with nothing in your participant list — and keeps every meeting on your machine.