Palmcard vs Fathom: live next-line help or free call summaries
Competitor facts come from the vendor's own pages, checked on the date shown. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site.
Of the note takers, Fathom is the closest to Palmcard in one respect: it can record without sending a bot into the meeting. That makes the comparison more interesting than most. The difference is what happens next. Fathom turns the call into notes. Palmcard helps you speak during it. Fathom facts below come from its own pages, checked on 27 Oct 2026.
Palmcard and Fathom at a glance
| Palmcard | Fathom | |
|---|---|---|
| Helps during the call | Yes: a private card with what you could say next | In its bot-free desktop mode a live summary updates during the meeting. We found no suggestions of what to say |
| Helps after the call | Summary, promises made, follow-up email draft | AI summaries, clips, playlists and search across calls |
| How it listens | Through your computer: microphone plus call audio | Either a bot in the meeting, or bot-free recording on the desktop |
| Does a bot join? | No | Your choice. Audio and video recording uses a bot. Transcript-only and audio-only options are bot-free |
| Platforms | Zoom, Meet, Teams, Webex, Slack huddles, phone calls taken on the laptop. The Palmcard app runs on Mac and Windows | Bot-free mode is Mac only (macOS 14.2 or later), in beta, with a phased rollout. Windows is a limited alpha for Teams |
| Languages | 25, with the suggested line in the call's language | Transcripts in 38 languages; translated summaries in 7. Fathom's pages give different counts in places |
| Cheapest paid plan | €9 a month (Basic, 3 call-hours) | Premium at $16 per user a month billed annually, $20 monthly |
| Free option | 3-day trial, 10 minutes of real calls, no card | Free plan described as "free forever" with unlimited recordings and transcripts |
Where Fathom is better
- A genuinely free plan. Fathom's free plan has unlimited recordings and transcripts and instant AI summaries. If all you want is notes, that is hard to beat. Palmcard's free option is a 3-day trial.
- Sharing and search. Clips, playlists and search across your calls, plus team sharing, make it good for a team that reviews calls together. Palmcard keeps calls on your computer unless you switch on its optional account storage.
- Mature post-call output and integrations. Summaries are what Fathom was built for, and it has been refined for it. Palmcard's after-call summary is one part of a product aimed at the live moment.
- A choice of video. Fathom can record audio and video through its bot. Palmcard records no video.
Two limits of Fathom worth knowing: its bot-free mode is Mac only and in beta, and its pages do not say which paid plans include it. Fathom also posts a recording notice in the meeting chat, which gives others clear warning.
Where Palmcard is better
- Suggestions, not only summaries. Palmcard writes the next line in your own words, in our tests 0.5 to 1.1 seconds after the other person stops talking. See real-time call coaching.
- Works on Windows as well as Mac, for Zoom, Meet, Teams, Webex and Slack huddles, with the same listening method.
- Answers from your own documents. Pricing questions and objections are answered from what you gave it, and when it does not know it tells you to say so rather than guess.
- Preparation. It reads your notes, documents and websites and writes a brief before the call, with optional read-only calendar access.
- 25 languages for the suggested line, shown with the meaning in your language. See live translation for calls.
Be aware of the data path. While Palmcard listens, audio is streamed to its transcription provider (Deepgram, EU servers), and the conversation text goes to the AI service you choose in the app. Some of those providers are in the US. Transcripts and summaries stay on your computer. Details are on the security and privacy page.
Who should choose which
| Your situation | Better fit |
|---|---|
| You want free, unlimited call summaries for your own reference | Fathom |
| A team wants to share clips from customer calls and search them | Fathom |
| You are a Mac user who wants bot-free notes and nothing else | Fathom |
| You are on a Windows PC and want bot-free help during the call | Palmcard |
| You freeze on pricing questions or objections in live sales calls | Palmcard |
| You sell or negotiate in a second language | Palmcard |
More on the two approaches: AI note taker vs real-time call assistant.
Using both together
A reasonable pairing: Fathom's free plan keeps the recordings and shareable summaries, and Palmcard helps you through the live call. Both are fine with no bot, if you run Fathom in its bot-free mode on a recent Mac. Check that two apps listening at once behave well on your machine before an important call, and tell the other person calls are transcribed. See is it legal to use AI on calls.
Palmcard plans are on the pricing page.
Questions people ask
Is Fathom really free?
Fathom describes its free plan as free forever, with unlimited recordings and transcripts and instant AI summaries. We could not confirm which features are capped, so check Fathom's pricing page. Paid Premium is $16 per user a month billed annually.
Does Fathom work without a bot?
Yes in some modes. Transcript-only and audio-only recording are bot-free, but bot-free is Mac only (macOS 14.2 or later), marked as beta, and rolling out in phases. Audio and video recording uses a bot.
Does Fathom suggest what to say during a call?
We found no such feature. In bot-free desktop mode it updates a live summary during the meeting. Palmcard's card is the opposite emphasis: what you could say next.
Which is better for sales calls?
It depends on the problem. For recording and reviewing calls with a team, Fathom. For answering well in the moment, Palmcard. Plenty of people want both.
Does Palmcard record video or audio?
Palmcard does not record video. It transcribes while you talk, and keeps transcripts and summaries on your computer. Storing calls on your Palmcard account is optional and off by default.
Do I have to tell people I use Palmcard?
You should say at the start that the call is transcribed, the way you would for a recording. Palmcard reminds you at the start of every call.
Sources
- Fathom pricing, checked 27 Oct 2026
- Fathom help: how bot-free recording works in Fathom 3.0, checked 27 Oct 2026
- Fathom help: supported languages, checked 27 Oct 2026
How this page was made. Written by the Palmcard team with AI assistance, using the product as it works today and the official pages listed above. Facts about other products were checked on 27 October 2026 and can change, so check the vendor's own page before you decide. Spot a mistake? Email prashant@studiolab.digital.