tl;dv vs Fathom – a comparison eagerly anticipated by teams striving to harness AI for optimizing their meeting processes and enhancing productivity.
In the quest for the most efficient AI notetaking solution, both platforms have been frequently mentioned for their innovative approaches to meeting management, transcription services, and actionable insights generation.
As organizations increasingly rely on AI to distill valuable information from their daily interactions, the choice between tl;dv and Fathom becomes significant.
In this comprehensive & no-fluff analysis of tl;dv (an EU-based) vs Fathom (US-based), we’ll explore the unique features, strengths, and areas where each platform shines, as well as where they may fall short.
From transcription capabilities and integration options to security standards and user experience, we’ll cover all angles to provide a clear picture of what sets these two contenders apart.
tl;dr
| tl;dv | Fathom | |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription | 20 🟢 | 18 |
| Recording | 16 🟢 | 12 |
| Conversational Intelligence | 14 🟢 | 9 |
| Automation & Integrations | 9 🟢 | 8 |
| Note-taking | 12 🟢 | 8 |
| Security | 19 🟢 | 8 |
| Coaching | 8 🟢 | 0 |
| Admin | 8 🟢 | 2 |
| Organizational | 12 🟢 | 9 |
| Support | 4 🟢 | 2 |
| Revenue Intelligence | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 6 🟢 | 5 |
| Total | 128 🟢 | 81 |
The battle for the best note-taker delivers a sound win to tl;dv, highlighting its strengths in language diversity, dialect support, and a wide array of features complemented by robust security measures and user-centric functionalities.
Fathom is a great solution for individual users looking for a free solution. For teams, it doesn’t offer much control to team admins or coaching capabilities around playbooks. Instead, its real strength lies in offering real-time transcriptions.
While both platforms excel in meeting transcription and organization, tl;dv provides a more rounded solution with extensive administrative controls, and a commitment to privacy and ethical AI use, making it a highly versatile choice for organizations seeking to maximize their meeting efficiency and productivity.
tl;dv goes beyond what is now considered “expected” in the AI note-taking ecosystem, letting users and managers get their feet wet on the meeting performance universe.
With tl;dv anyone can improve their meeting skills, whether simply by understanding where their speech technique can be improved, but mostly by measuring their meeting performance against popular or custom-made playbooks, or evaluating their objection-handling technique with quantifiable results.
tl;dv vs Fathom: 12 Factors to consider while choosing the best AI Notetaker
How do we rank?
- We give 2 points to a platform once it is the clear winner or when the capability is equally met by the other.
- We give 1 point when the capability is present, but it’s not a winner.
- We give 0 points when the capability is not present.
Transcription capabilities
| tl;dv (20) | Fathom (18) | |
|---|---|---|
| Transcriptions included | 🟢 Unlimited | 🟢 Unlimited |
| Real-time transcriptions | 🔴 | 🟢 share highlights during calls |
| Languages supported | 🟢 +40 | 🟠 6 |
| Dialects supported | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| Filler word removal | 🔴 soon | 🔴 |
| Speaker recognition | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Speaker names | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Transcribe video/audio uploads | 🟢 | 🟠 limited 300 min/month |
| Export transcripts | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Clips from transcript | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Custom vocabulary | 🔴 soon | 🔴 |
| Full-Transcript search | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Edit transcription | 🟢 | 🟢 |
Real-time Transcriptions
Fathom offers real-time transcription capabilities, enabling users to share highlights during calls, a feature particularly useful for live note-taking and immediate content sharing. This real-time functionality is not available on tl;dv, highlighting a key difference for users who prioritize instant transcription access.
Languages Supported
tl;dv supports transcription in over 40 languages, providing a broad linguistic range that caters to global teams and multilingual environments. In contrast, Fathom’s transcription service is available in 6 languages, making tl;dv the superior choice for users needing transcription services across a wider variety of languages.
Dialects Supported
Dialect recognition is a feature where tl;dv excels, offering enhanced transcription accuracy for users of diverse dialects. This capability ensures that the nuances of regional accents are accurately captured, a feature not provided by Fathom, which could lead to less precise transcriptions for speakers of dialects.
Filler Word Removal
Neither tl;dv nor Fathom offers filler word removal at this moment. However, this will only be the case for a short time as tl;dv is in the process of adding it to their transcription services. This upcoming feature will help produce cleaner, more concise transcripts by eliminating unnecessary words and phrases, marking a future differentiator.
Transcribe video/audio uploads
Both platforms allow transcribing from uploaded audio/video files. Fathom, however, severely limits this to 5 hours/month, which is quite a surprise considering how much this feature is used by teams.
Custom Vocabulary
The ability to incorporate custom vocabulary into transcriptions is noted as a forthcoming feature for tl;dv, aiming to enhance the accuracy and relevance of transcriptions for specialized fields or terminologies.
Currently, Fathom does not offer custom vocabulary, positioning tl;dv as the platform planning to cater more specifically to the needs of users with technical or industry-specific language requirements.
Recording capabilities
| tl;dv (16) | Fathom (12) | |
|---|---|---|
| Video platforms | 🟢 Zoom, MS Teams, Google Meet | 🟢 Zoom, MS Teams, Google Meet |
| Storage | 🟢 Unlimited | 🟢 Unlimited |
| Records video | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Concurrent meetings | 🟢 Unlimited | 🔴 |
| Download recordings | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Capture slides | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| Viewing analytics | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| Integrated Calendar | 🔴 | 🔴 |
| Recording Editing | 🔴 | 🟢 |
| Reels | 🟢 | 🟢 |
Concurrent Meetings
tl;dv supports the recording of unlimited concurrent meetings regardless of the meeting platform, making it an ideal choice for large organizations or teams with heavy meeting schedules that occur simultaneously.
This capability ensures that no meeting goes unrecorded, regardless of how many are happening at once.
On the other hand, Fathom does not offer support for concurrent meetings, which may limit its utility for users with extensive simultaneous recording needs (e.g. virtually being present in multiple meetings at the same time with the recorder)
Capture Slides
tl;dv provides the functionality to capture slides during a meeting, ensuring that visual aids and presentations are included in the recording for a comprehensive meeting capture. This feature is particularly useful for educational and collaborative purposes where slides are a central component of the discussion. Fathom lacks this capability, potentially missing out on recording crucial visual components of meetings.
Viewing Analytics
Viewing analytics are available on tl;dv, offering insights into how users engage with recordings. This feature can help teams understand the effectiveness of their meetings and how content is consumed, allowing for data-driven decisions to improve future meetings. Fathom does not offer viewing analytics, limiting the ability to analyze meeting engagement and effectiveness.
Recording Editing
Fathom distinguishes itself by offering recording editing capabilities, allowing users to refine and edit their meeting recordings post-capture. This feature is particularly beneficial for creating polished, shareable content or removing unnecessary segments before distribution. tl;dv does not currently offer recording editing, focusing instead on providing a comprehensive suite of other recording and transcription features.
Conversation Intelligence capabilities
| tl;dv (14) | Fathom (9) | |
|---|---|---|
| Single Meeting AI Insights | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| Multi Meeting AI Insights | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| Keyword tracking | 🟢 | 🟠 in Team edition |
| Sentiment Analysis | 🔴 No, as per EU AI Act | 🔴 |
| Key Topic detection | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Speech Analytics | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Action item detection | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Question detection | 🟢 | 🟢 |
Single Meeting AI Insights
tl;dv provides AI insights for single meetings across all its plans, offering users valuable analysis and actionable insights from any individual meeting available in the meeting library.
Conversely, Fathom AI offering at this level is restricted to a set of templated AI summaries which can’t be customised.
Multi Meeting AI Insights
tl;dv stands out by offering AI insights across multiple meetings, enabling organizations to track trends, gather insights over time, and make informed decisions based on comprehensive data analysis.
This is also a valuable feature not only for individuals who may want to compile the topics discussed, action items and takeaways, from several meetings at the same time, but also for managers who’d like to get the occasional glimpse of how top clients are being handled.
This feature is notably absent in Fathom, which, in all fairness, does greatly restrict the potential of this note taker.
Teams looking to perform longitudinal analyses and derive insights from a series of meetings will have to turn to tl;dv for this.
Keyword Tracking
Keyword tracking is available on tl;dv, allowing users to monitor specific terms across their meetings, aiding in the focus on crucial topics or follow-up on important items. Fathom offers keyword tracking but limits this functionality to its Team edition, which might not be accessible to individual users or smaller teams, potentially affecting their ability to track and analyze specific discussion points effectively.
Automation & Integration capabilities
| tl;dv (9) | Fathom (8) | |
|---|---|---|
| CRM Integrations | 🟠 in Pro plan | 🟢 |
| Email Integrations | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Zapier Integrations | 🟢 in Pro plan | 🟢 in Premium plan |
| Post-Meeting summary email | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Schedule Reports | 🟢 | 🔴 |
CRM Integrations
CRM integrations are available with tl;dv for users subscribed to the Pro plan, enabling seamless data flow between meeting insights and customer relationship management tools. Fathom offers CRM integrations across all its plans, providing an advantage for users seeking immediate integration capabilities without the need for a premium subscription.Scheduled Reports
Scheduled reports, a feature that automates the generation and delivery of meeting insights over specified intervals, are offered by tl;dv, enhancing the platform’s utility for ongoing project tracking as well as team management – for instance, managers can create weekly reports that extract valuable insights from their team members meetings, and post that into a private Slack channel or a Notion page. Fathom does not provide scheduled reports, marking a significant differentiation for organizations that value automated insights distribution for keeping teams informed and aligned.Note-taking capabilities
| tl;dv (12) | Fathom (8) | |
|---|---|---|
| AI Notes | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Manual notes during calls | 🟢 needs app | 🟢 needs app |
| Tag people in notes | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| Assign tasks | 🔴 | 🟢 in Premium plan |
| AI Tags / Bookmarks | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Comments | 🟢 | 🔴 |
AI Notes
One of tl;dv’s trump cards is that it lets their users personalise the type of notes they get after each meeting. You can create “AI tags” and detail every topic you want AI to segment your meeting by.
Fathom, on the other hand, has a few templates to start with once you’re in their Premium plan, however, these are not customisable nor you can create your own.
Tag People in Notes
tl;dv allows users to tag people in notes, a feature that enhances collaboration by linking discussion points directly to team members. This capability facilitates follow-up and accountability within teams.
Fathom does not offer the ability to tag people in notes, potentially limiting the ease with which users can organize and reference specific comments or actions related to team members.
Assign Tasks
Fathom introduces the ability to assign tasks within its platform, but this feature is exclusive to users on the Premium plan. It allows for direct action items to be created from meeting content, streamlining workflow and ensuring that insights lead to actionable outcomes.
In contrast, at the moment tl;dv does not currently offer a task assignment feature, highlighting a distinction in how each platform facilitates post-meeting action and accountability.
Comments
The ability to add comments on notes or transcripts is available on tl;dv, further enhancing its collaborative features by allowing team members to discuss and clarify meeting outcomes within the platform. Fathom does not support comments, which may affect the platform’s utility for teams that rely on collaborative review and discussion of meeting content for consensus-building or clarification.
Security capabilities
| tl;dv (19) | Fathom (8) | |
|---|---|---|
| Data retention | 🟠 6 months on FREE plan Unlimited on all paid plans | 🔴 not disclosed |
| SOC2 Compliant | 🔴 (certification underway) | 🟢 |
| SAML-based SSO | 🟢 Only on Enterprise | 🟢 Only on Team |
| GDPR Compliant | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| EU AI Act Compliant | 🟢 | 🔴 not disclosed |
| Uses your data to train AI | 🟢 (No, your data is kept private) | 🟢 (No, your data is kept private) |
| Private storage | 🟢 Only on Enterprise | 🔴 not disclosed |
| Anonymised sensitive data sent to LLMs | 🟢 | 🔴 not disclosed |
| Meeting data chunking and randomizing | 🟢 | 🔴 not disclosed |
| BAA with LLM providers | 🟢 | 🔴 not disclosed |
| 0-day data retention polity with vendors | 🟢 | 🔴 not disclosed |
Data Retention
tl;dv provides a clear data retention policy, offering 6 months of data retention for users on its Free plan and unlimited data retention for all paid plans.
This transparency in data retention policies is crucial for organizations managing sensitive information. In contrast, Fathom has not disclosed its meeting data retention policies, which may raise concerns for users with stringent data management requirements.
SOC2 Compliance
While tl;dv is in the process of becoming SOC2 compliant, indicating its commitment to achieving high standards of security and data protection, Fathom is already SOC2 compliant.
This certification reassures users of Fathom’s adherence to stringent security practices and protocols, offering an extra layer of trust and reliability.
SAML-based SSO
SAML-based Single Sign-On (SSO) is available on tl;dv for Enterprise plan users, ensuring secure and streamlined access management for large organizations.
Fathom offers SAML-based SSO for Team plan users, making advanced security features more accessible to a broader range of its customer base.
EU AI Act Compliance
EU-based with servers in Europe. tl;dv is compliant with the EU AI Act, demonstrating its dedication to ethical AI practices and regulatory adherence. The compliance status of Fathom with the EU AI Act is yet to be disclosed, which may be a consideration for users operating within or concerned with EU regulations.
Private Storage
Private storage, an essential feature for organizations prioritizing data sovereignty and security, is available on tl;dv for Enterprise users. Fathom’s stance on private storage has not been disclosed, potentially impacting the decision-making process for users with specific storage needs.
Anonymised Sensitive Data Sent to LLMs
tl;dv anonymizes sensitive data before sending it to large language models (LLMs), a practice that enhances privacy and data protection.
The approach of Fathom towards the anonymization of sensitive data sent to LLMs is not disclosed, leaving a gap in understanding its data handling practices.
Meeting Data Chunking and Randomizing
tl;dv implements meeting data chunking and randomizing, reducing the risk of reconstructing full conversations from the data processed by LLMs and enhancing data security.
Fathom has not disclosed its practices regarding the chunking and randomizing of meeting data, which could be a critical factor for organizations focused on data privacy.
BAA with LLM Providers
tl;dv confirms having a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with LLM providers, ensuring that data handling and processing are in compliance with legal and regulatory standards.
Fathom’s status regarding BAAs with LLM providers is not disclosed, which might influence the decision of users requiring documented assurances of data protection and compliance.
0-day Data Retention Policy with Vendors
A 0-day data retention policy with vendors is maintained by tl;dv, emphasizing its stance on minimizing data exposure and ensuring immediate data deletion from third-party services.
The absence of disclosed information on Fathom’s data retention policy with vendors could be a concern for users with strict data governance policies.
Coaching capabilities
| tl;dv (8) | Fathom (0) | |
|---|---|---|
| Playbooks Scorecards | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| Custom Playbooks | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| Template Playbooks | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| Objection Handling | 🟢 | 🔴 |
tl;dv offers a comprehensive suite of coaching capabilities not available on Fathom, including:
- Playbooks Scorecards: Allows for personalized performance tracking and development. Generate a playbook scorecard against any set of meetings.
- Custom Playbooks: Lets users create their own playbooks/frameworks of proven meeting strategies, and then run any meeting (or set of meetings) against it.
- Template Playbooks: Provides ready-made frameworks that teams can adapt to their coaching strategies.
- Product (Research Interview, User testing).
- Project (Sprint planning, Stand-up meeting, Brainstorming, Kick-off)
- HR (Job Interview, Exit Interview, Entry Interview).
- Customer Success (Retrospective meeting, Business Review, Customer onboarding meetings, Customer check-in meetings, Feedback call).
- Sales (Demo call, MEDDIC, SPICED, BANT, Discovery call, GPCT, CHAMP, ANUM, BEBEDC, SPIN).
- Management (Performance Improvement Plan, 1:1 meeting, Offboarding 1:1, Performance Review).
- Objection Handling: Equips Sales and CS teams with performance scorecards on their objection-handling technique.
Admin Capabilities
| tl;dv (8) | Fathom (2) | |
|---|---|---|
| Apply auto-record of all meetings in the team members’ calendar | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| Apply auto-share of meetings recorded by team members | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| Prevent Deletion | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| Admin rights over all recordings | 🟢 | 🟢 |
Apply Auto-record of All Meetings in the Team Members’ Calendar
tl;dv enables administrators to apply settings that automatically record all meetings scheduled in team members’ calendars, ensuring comprehensive capture of discussions and decisions without manual intervention.
This feature facilitates complete documentation of team interactions, crucial for accountability and knowledge sharing.
Fathom doesn’t give this power to admins, leaving it up to users to set it up. This can be quite an issue for managers who want to ensure no meetings are skipped from being recorded.
Apply Auto-share of Meetings Recorded by Team Members
With tl;dv, administrators have the option to automatically share meetings recorded by team members, streamlining the distribution of meeting content and enhancing collaboration within the organization.
This automatic sharing ensures that relevant stakeholders have immediate access to recordings, fostering transparency and efficiency.
Fathom does not offer an admin auto-share setting.
Prevent Deletion
tl;dv provides administrators with the capability to prevent the deletion of meeting recordings, safeguarding against the accidental or intentional removal of valuable meeting content.
This feature is crucial for maintaining a complete archive of team interactions and decisions.
Fathom does not include an admin setting to prevent the deletion of recordings, posing a risk to data retention and historical reference.
Organizational Capabilities
| tl;dv (12) | Fathom (9) | |
|---|---|---|
| Team Workspaces | 🟢 | 🟠 |
| Meetings Library | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Smart Filters | 🟢 | 🔴 |
| Global Search | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Search within meetings | 🟢 | 🟢 |
| Folders | 🟢 | 🟢 |
Team Workspaces
tl;dv offers Team Workspaces across all its plans, enabling seamless collaboration and content sharing within dedicated spaces for all users. Fathom, however, restricts access to Team Workspaces to its Team plan, potentially limiting the collaboration capabilities for users on other plans.
Smart Filters
Smart Filters are available in tl;dv, enhancing the user’s ability to efficiently sort and access meetings based on specific criteria. This functionality enhances the platform’s organizational capabilities, making it easier for users to find relevant content quickly. Fathom does not offer Smart Filters, which could impact the ease with which users organize and retrieve meeting information.
Support Capabilities
| tl;dv (4) | Fathom (3) | |
|---|---|---|
| Support in Free Plan | 🟢 chat & email | 🟠 email in Free plan |
| Priority Support | 🟢 in Pro plan | 🟢 Only in Premium plan |
Support in Free Plan
tl;dv provides comprehensive support for users on its Free plan through both chat and email, ensuring that users have multiple channels to seek assistance and resolve issues.
This approach facilitates prompt and accessible support for all users, regardless of their subscription level.
Fathom, while offering support to its Free plan users, limits this service to email only, potentially leading to longer response times compared to the immediate assistance available via chat on tl;dv.
Priority Support
Priority support is available on tl;dv starting with the Pro plan, offering an enhanced level of customer service to users on higher-tier subscriptions.
This ensures that paying users receive expedited assistance for their queries and issues. Fathom also provides priority support but restricts this premium service to users on its Premium plan.
This feature highlights both platforms’ commitment to delivering superior support experiences to their most valuable users, albeit with different access criteria.
Revenue Intelligence Capabilities
| tl;dv (0) | Fathom (0) | |
|---|---|---|
| Forecasting | 🔴 | 🔴 |
| Deal execution | 🔴 | 🔴 |
Neither tl;dv and Fathom offer features related to Revenue Intelligence such as Forecasting and Deal Execution.
This indicates that users looking for specialized tools to assist with sales forecasting or deal execution processes would need to seek additional or alternative solutions beyond what these platforms currently provide.
Cost however may become an issue as these tools are often priced in the $1000’s/user.
If you are more concerned about improving sales skills, then tl;dv already offers a pretty neat and innovative coaching solution.
Who is it for?
| tl;dv (6) | Fathom (5) | |
|---|---|---|
| G2 Rating | 🔴 4.8 | 🟢 5 |
| Ease of set up | 🟢 Generous free plan + Clean UI | 🟠 Easy, but confusing pricing and plans. |
| Localised platform | 🟢 (7 languages) | 🔴 |
| Best suited for whom | 🟢 SMB Sales | 🟢 SMB Sales |
Both tl;dv and Fathom cater a similar audience, although tl;dv with it’s coaching offering can provide extra value to Managers, more specifically Sales Managers.
Fathom does seems to receive the favor of an audience purely looking for a free meeting recorder.
Where tl;dv seems to be a winner is on the Ease of Setup. Both offer good free plans and premium feature trials.
However, I felt Fathom’s set up to be a bit all over the place, with pricing info scattered and a lack of a clean UI layout.
The fact that it’s localised to 7 languages also makes it a winner choice for a non-English speaking audience.
Verdict: tl;dv vs Fathom – which one is the best?
| tl;dv | Fathom | |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription | 20 🟢 | 18 |
| Recording | 16 🟢 | 12 |
| Conversational Intelligence | 14 🟢 | 9 |
| Automation & Integrations | 9 🟢 | 8 |
| Note-taking | 12 🟢 | 8 |
| Security | 19 🟢 | 8 |
| Coaching | 8 🟢 | 0 |
| Admin | 8 🟢 | 2 |
| Organizational | 12 🟢 | 9 |
| Support | 4 🟢 | 2 |
| Revenue Intelligence | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 6 🟢 | 5 |
| Total | 128 🟢 | 81 |
In this battle between tl;dv and Fathom, we’ve gone deep into the specifics of what each platform offers, from transcription capabilities to security measures and beyond.
The decision between tl;dv and Fathom ultimately hinges on the specific needs of your team or organization.
This detailed analysis reveals tl;dv as the most versatile and inclusive platform, being easy to set up and manage – suited for individual users and teams.
tl;dv offers extensive language support, making it accessible to a global audience too. However, what makes tl;dv shine, is its coaching, playbook, and objection-handling features.
If you care about improving your and your team’s performance, this is the must-have that defines the leader in this comparison.
On the other hand, Fathom muscle lies with its real-time transcription capabilities, offering users the unique ability to share highlights during calls. However, its language support is limited to 6 languages, and it lacks features such as dialect support and customizable playbooks, which might limit its appeal to users with multi-cultural usage.
As you consider tl;dv vs Fathom, reflect on your organizational needs, the importance of performance improvement, team management, language support, security considerations, and the value of real-time transcriptions to guide your choice.
Whichever platform you choose, you’re taking a step towards harnessing the power of AI for your meetings.
