Listenr vs Fathom
If you want unlimited free recording, use Fathom: its free plan has unlimited recordings and transcriptions, with a bot or, on a Mac, without one. Pick Listenr if you want transcription on your Mac, your choice of the model that writes the notes, and a library of files on your own disk that a terminal and an assistant can read on any plan.
| Feature | Listenr | Fathom |
|---|---|---|
| Does a bot join the call | No, capture is from the Mac | A bot, or bot-free capture on Mac (beta) |
| Where your audio is transcribed | On the Mac by default; four of five backends are offline | In Fathom’s cloud |
| Who writes the notes | A local model, Apple Intelligence, your own Anthropic or OpenAI key, or Listenr Cloud | Fathom picks; no model choice, no API key |
| Devices you can use it on | macOS 15 or later, Apple Silicon | macOS, Windows, web |
| What the free plan gives you | Recording, transcription and notes from a local model or your own key; personal use only | Unlimited recordings and transcriptions |
| Price | Pro $19/month, or $15/month billed yearly | Premium $20/month, or $16/month annual |
| Is your content used for training | Local models send nothing; Listenr Cloud stores no transcript | De-identified meeting content may train Fathom’s models, with an opt-out |
| Where the recording ends up | Deleted after transcription unless you keep it; kept files stay on the Mac | In Fathom’s cloud |
| Meetings you are not in | Cannot record them | Records Zoom, Teams and Meet only if you are on the call |
| Video and clips | Audio only | Video recording, clips and playlists |
| Getting at meetings from a terminal or an assistant | Local CLI and MCP server on every plan, read-only by default | A REST API and a hosted MCP server, reading Fathom’s copy; no CLI |
Fathom’s free plan is the most generous in this category: unlimited recordings and transcriptions. Listenr does not compete on volume. It differs on where the audio is transcribed, who writes the notes, and what you can do with the meeting afterwards. If none of those matter to you, Fathom is free and the decision is easy.
Who turns the audio into text
Fathom records with a bot, or captures on the device in a bot-free mode that it describes as a beta and offers on Mac. In both modes the audio is transcribed in Fathom’s cloud; none of its pages claims on-device transcription.
Listenr transcribes on the Mac. The default is Apple’s on-device engine, in one language you set; Parakeet, a download, adds 25 European languages with detection. The one cloud backend, OpenAI, receives audio only if you choose it. Meeting audio is deleted after a healthy transcription unless you keep it, and a kept recording stays in your Application Support folder.
Neither one covers the meeting you skipped
Fathom’s help pages say it can record Zoom, Teams and Meet only if you are also on the call. Listenr has the same limit, because it records what your Mac plays. For calls your colleagues ran without you, see the notetaker bots page.
In bot-free mode, neither app announces itself, so telling the other people on the call is your job.
What happens to the meeting afterwards
Fathom’s privacy policy, effective 16 August 2026, says it may use de-identified data generated from meeting content to train its in-house AI models, with an opt-out in account settings. Third parties are not authorised to train on it, and deletion is attempted within 30 days of a request.
Listenr’s server sees a meeting only when you share it, which uploads a copy, or when Listenr Cloud writes your notes, which passes the transcript through without storing it. What leaves your Mac has the detail, including what the notes prompt contains.
Notes, and getting at them later
Fathom picks the models and the plan price covers them. Listenr asks who writes the notes: a model on the Mac, Apple Intelligence, your own Anthropic or OpenAI key, or Listenr Cloud on Pro. With the first two, a meeting costs nothing to summarise, which is why the free plan includes notes.
Both can feed an assistant. Fathom publishes a REST API and a hosted MCP server
with guides for ChatGPT and Claude, reading the copy in Fathom’s cloud. Listenr
has the listenr command line tool and a local MCP server on every plan,
reading the database on your own disk, read-only by default.
What Fathom is better at
The free tier, by a wide margin.
Reach: Fathom runs on macOS and Windows and has a web app. Listenr is one build for Apple Silicon Macs.
Video: Fathom records video, with clips and playlists. Listenr records audio only. At the Business tier Fathom adds CRM sync and a deal view, a sales workflow with no equivalent here.
Price is close. Fathom Premium is $20 a month, or $16 a month annual, and Team is $19 per user a month, or $15 annual for two or more users. Listenr’s plans are on the pricing page.
Pick Listenr when
You want the recording and the transcript to stay on your Mac, you want to pick the model that writes the notes or pay for tokens with your own key, and you work on an Apple Silicon Mac.
Pick Fathom when
Take Fathom if you want unlimited free recording, if you are on Windows or need a web app, or if you want the meeting on video with clips and playlists. Its free plan has no usage cap, and Listenr has nothing to match it.
Common questions
What is a Fathom alternative that keeps recordings on my Mac?
Listenr. It records from your Mac with no bot, transcribes on the Mac with Apple’s on-device engine by default, and keeps the library on your own disk, with the audio deleted after transcription unless you keep it. Fathom transcribes in its cloud. Listenr runs only on Apple Silicon Macs with macOS 15 or later.
Is Fathom’s free plan better than Listenr’s?
For volume, yes. Fathom’s free plan has unlimited recordings and transcriptions. Listenr’s free plan gives you transcription on your own Mac, notes from a local model or your own API key, and the listenr command line tool plus a local MCP server, licensed for personal use.
Does Fathom transcribe on my computer?
No. Fathom can capture audio on a Mac in its bot-free mode, which it describes as a beta, but none of its pages claims on-device transcription, so transcription happens in Fathom’s cloud. Listenr’s default transcription backend is Apple’s on-device engine, and four of its five backends run on the Mac.
Does Fathom train AI models on my meetings?
Fathom’s privacy policy, effective 16 August 2026, says it may use de-identified data generated from meeting content to train, improve and customise its in-house AI models, and that you can opt out in your account settings. Third parties are not authorised to train on it.
Can either tool record a meeting I do not attend?
No. Fathom’s help pages say it can record Zoom, Teams and Meet only if you are also on the call, and Listenr records what is audible on your own Mac, so it needs you in the meeting too. A notetaker bot that joins on its own is the design for meetings you skip.
Can I use my own Anthropic or OpenAI key with Fathom?
No. Fathom does not offer model choice or a bring-your-own-key option. Listenr writes notes with a model on your Mac, Apple Intelligence, your own Anthropic or OpenAI key, or Listenr Cloud. The first two make no network call, so there is no per-meeting inference bill.
Try it against your own meetings.
The free plan records, transcribes and writes notes with a model on your Mac. No account needed to find out whether the transcript is good enough.