MeetingVault vs Fathom
MeetingVault and Fathom both summarise meetings and answer questions across them. Fathom records mainly through a bot that joins your calls, with a bot-free mode in beta on Mac. MeetingVault records system audio on macOS, Windows and Linux without a bot, never asks for your calendar, and adds a severity-rated risk register.
How MeetingVault and Fathom actually differ
Fathom's bot joins your Zoom, Meet or Teams call and delivers a summary when it ends; on Windows the bot is the only option, and Mac users can try a bot-free mode that is in beta. MeetingVault takes the audio from the operating system itself — ScreenCaptureKit on macOS, WASAPI loopback on Windows, PulseAudio or PipeWire on Linux — so it works on any meeting platform and nothing joins the call. MeetingVault does not record automatically from your calendar — you start each recording — which is the trade-off for never adding a participant to the call. Both tools pick out decisions and action items; MeetingVault adds a risk register with severity and groups meetings into projects you can question together.
MeetingVault vs Fathom, feature by feature
Fathom is an AI meeting notetaker. Every Fathom entry links to the page on Fathom's own site it comes from, with the date we checked it; products change, so check the source before deciding. A dash means we have not verified it either way.
| Feature | MeetingVault | Fathom |
|---|---|---|
| Recording method | System audio on desktop, microphone on mobile, or upload | Bot; without a bot on Mac (beta)checked 2026-10-16 |
| A bot joins the call | No — MeetingVault, A bot joins the call | Yes — Fathom, A bot joins the callThe bot is the main flow and the only one on Windows.checked 2026-10-16 |
| Records without a bot | Yes — MeetingVault, Records without a bot | Mac only (beta)checked 2026-10-16 |
| Calendar access needed to record | No — MeetingVault, Calendar access needed to record | Not verified — Fathom, Calendar access needed to recordCalendar connection is part of sign-up; manual recording paths exist. |
| Where transcription happens | Cloud (recorded on your device) | Cloudchecked 2026-10-16 |
| Decisions captured | Yes — MeetingVault, Decisions captured | Yes — Fathom, Decisions capturedchecked 2026-10-16 |
| Action items | Yes — MeetingVault, Action items | Yes — Fathom, Action itemsPaid plans.checked 2026-10-16 |
| Risk register with severity | Yes — MeetingVault, Risk register with severity | Not verified — Fathom, Risk register with severity |
| Questions across many meetings | Yes — MeetingVault, Questions across many meetings | Yes — Fathom, Questions across many meetingsBeta.checked 2026-10-16 |
| Answers cite their sources | Yes — MeetingVault, Answers cite their sources | Not verified — Fathom, Answers cite their sources |
| Drafts PRDs or user stories | Not yet | No — Fathom, Drafts PRDs or user storiesNo PRD or user-story template among its templates.checked 2026-10-16 |
| AI audio recap | Yes — MeetingVault, AI audio recap | Not verified — Fathom, AI audio recap |
| Windows app | Yes — MeetingVault, Windows app | Yes — Fathom, Windows appchecked 2026-10-16 |
| macOS app | Yes — MeetingVault, macOS app | Yes — Fathom, macOS appchecked 2026-10-16 |
| Linux app | Yes — MeetingVault, Linux app | No — Fathom, Linux appDownloads for macOS and Windows only.checked 2026-10-16 |
| iOS app | Yes — MeetingVault, iOS app | Yes — Fathom, iOS appchecked 2026-10-16 |
| Android app | Yes — MeetingVault, Android app | No — Fathom, Android appThe mobile app is iOS only.checked 2026-10-16 |
| Web app | Yes — MeetingVault, Web app | Yes — Fathom, Web appchecked 2026-10-16 |
| Free plan | Yes — MeetingVault, Free plan | Yes — Fathom, Free planAdvanced summaries for 5 calls a month.checked 2026-10-16 |
| Cheapest paid plan (billed monthly) | See our pricing page | $20/month$16 billed annually.checked 2026-10-16 |
Why teams move from Fathom to MeetingVault
- Records without a bot on Windows and Linux too, not only on Mac
- No calendar connection at sign-up or ever
- A severity-rated risk register alongside decisions and action items
- A Linux desktop app alongside macOS and Windows
- An Android app as well as iOS — Fathom's mobile app is iOS only
When Fathom is the better choice
Fathom is the better fit if you want a generous free plan built around a bot that joins every call automatically, if your work is mostly sales or customer calls that its templates are designed for, or if you want notes to appear without starting anything.
MeetingVault vs Fathom: common questions
Does Fathom need a bot?
Its main way of recording is a bot that joins the call. Fathom documents a bot-free mode for Mac in beta. MeetingVault never uses a bot, on any platform.
Does MeetingVault work on Windows without a bot?
Yes. MeetingVault records system audio on Windows through WASAPI loopback, on macOS through ScreenCaptureKit and on Linux through PulseAudio or PipeWire.
What does MeetingVault produce that a transcript does not?
Alongside the transcript, MeetingVault extracts the decisions that were made, the action items and their owners, and a risk register with severity ratings, and rolls meetings up into projects you can question as a whole.
Try it on your next meeting
MeetingVault is free to start — 300 audio minutes a month, no card required. Record from the desktop app on macOS, Windows or Linux, or upload audio you already have.