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AI · head to head

Fathom vs Microsoft OneNote

Fathom logo

Fathom

AI

Free AI meeting assistant

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit FathomFull review
Microsoft OneNote logo

Microsoft OneNote

Productivity

Microsoft's free-form notebook, free with a Microsoft account and synced through OneDrive

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit Microsoft OneNoteFull review

The short version

  • Both are free.
  • Only Fathom lists AI summaries; only Microsoft OneNote lists free-form page canvas.
  • Where Fathom falls short: team plan requires minimum 2 users; cannot purchase single seat at team pricing.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fathom and Microsoft OneNote actually diverge.

Attributes where Fathom and Microsoft OneNote differ
AttributeFathomMicrosoft OneNote
PlatformsWeb, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft TeamsWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows
CategoryAIProductivity
Founded20201975

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).

Not yet recorded: pricing model for Fathom.

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Fathom

  • Auto-recording
  • AI summaries
  • Transcription
  • Highlight clips
  • Zoom
  • Google Meet
  • HubSpot
  • Salesforce

Only in Microsoft OneNote

  • Free-form page canvas
  • Notebook hierarchy
  • Indexed handwriting
  • Audio recording
  • Web clipper and Outlook capture
  • Shared notebooks
  • Cross-platform clients
  • Tags and cross-notebook search

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Fathom

  • AI-powered meeting transcription and automatic note-taking for sales teams and professionalsnot Microsoft OneNote
  • Meeting analysis with AI scorecards and action item generation that syncs to CRMsnot Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote

  • Handwritten notes on a pen tablet that you still need to find months later by searching for a word you wrote.not Fathom
  • Lecture or meeting notes where a recording needs to line up with what you were typing at the time.not Fathom
  • A team already inside Microsoft 365 that needs a shared notebook without buying anything or seeking approval.not Fathom
  • Collecting mixed material such as screenshots, clippings and sketches on one page, where a document editor would force a linear structure.not Fathom

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Fathom

  • Team plan requires minimum 2 users; cannot purchase single seat at team pricing
  • CRM field sync and deal view summaries available only on Business plan ($34/user/month) and above

Microsoft OneNote

  • Notes live in a proprietary notebook format on OneDrive or SharePoint and the only exports are a OneNote file, a PDF or a Word document, produced section by section, so a large notebook is effectively unmovable to any other tool
  • Personal notebooks consume OneDrive quota, which is 5 GB on a free Microsoft account, so a notebook full of scans, images and recordings quietly exhausts the whole account including the space Outlook needs for mail
  • Sync happens at section level and conflicts are resolved by placing both versions on the page, so simultaneous edits to a large or media-heavy section produce duplicated content that somebody has to merge by hand
  • Search behaves differently across clients, so what the Windows desktop app finds inside handwriting, images and attachments is not necessarily what the browser or mobile version finds, and the same query gives different answers on different devices
  • There is no relational structure, no database and no properties, so anything that needs a table of records with fields has to be maintained by hand or moved elsewhere, and OneNote's own tables cannot be queried or filtered

Pricing, plan by plan

Fathom

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Fathom review.

Microsoft OneNote

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft OneNote review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Fathom if

  • You need auto-recording.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams.
  • You also want ai summaries.
Fathom review

Choose Microsoft OneNote if

  • You need free-form page canvas.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want notebook hierarchy.
Microsoft OneNote review

Questions people ask

Is Fathom or Microsoft OneNote better?
Neither clearly leads. Fathom starts at Free and Microsoft OneNote at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fathom or Microsoft OneNote?
Fathom starts at Free and Microsoft OneNote at Free.
Does Fathom or Microsoft OneNote run on more platforms?
Fathom runs on Web, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams. Microsoft OneNote runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Fathom for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Fathom best used for?
Fathom is most often used for ai-powered meeting transcription and automatic note-taking for sales teams and professionals, meeting analysis with ai scorecards and action item generation that syncs to crms. Of those, ai-powered meeting transcription and automatic note-taking for sales teams and professionals and meeting analysis with ai scorecards and action item generation that syncs to crms are not what Microsoft OneNote is typically brought in for.
What can Fathom do that Microsoft OneNote cannot?
Fathom covers Auto-recording, AI summaries, Transcription, Highlight clips. Microsoft OneNote covers Free-form page canvas, Notebook hierarchy, Indexed handwriting, Audio recording.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fathom: What is the most affordable paid plan for individuals, and what does it include?

Fathom Premium costs $20 per month (or $16 per month billed annually). It includes advanced summaries, action items, and a conversational AI assistant, in addition to the features in the free plan.

Source
Microsoft OneNote: Is OneNote really free?

Yes. The application is free with a Microsoft account, with no time limit and no feature gate. What you may end up paying for is the OneDrive storage the notebooks consume.

Fathom: What is included in Fathom's free plan?

The free plan includes unlimited recordings, transcriptions, AI summaries, clips, and playlists at no cost forever.

Source
Microsoft OneNote: Can I keep notebooks off Microsoft's cloud?

The Windows desktop app can keep local notebooks, but they will not sync to other devices and any shared access requires OneDrive or SharePoint.

Fathom: How much does the Team plan cost per user, and what features does it add?

The Team plan costs $19 per month per user (minimum 2 users, or $15 per month annually). It includes everything from Premium plus global search, collaboration features, and team playlists.

Source
Microsoft OneNote: How do I get my notes out?

Section by section as a OneNote file, a PDF or a Word document. A OneNote package preserves a whole notebook but only for another copy of OneNote. Third-party converters exist and the page layout usually does not survive them.

Fathom: What trial or guarantee is available before committing to a paid plan?

All paid plans offer a 90-day guarantee to test features risk-free.

Source
Microsoft OneNote: Which version should I install?

Microsoft consolidated onto a single OneNote application on Windows after retiring the Store version, so install the one distributed with Microsoft 365 rather than looking for an alternative.

Fathom: Does Fathom offer free or discounted plans for startups or nonprofits?

Yes, qualified portfolio companies get up to 2 years free, and nonprofits can apply for 10 free seats.

Source
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