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AI · head to head

Fathom vs Poolside

Fathom logo

Fathom

AI

Free AI meeting assistant

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Poolside logo

Poolside

AI

Open-weight foundation models built for agentic software engineering

From
$0.06/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Fathom has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Fathom team plan requires minimum 2 users; cannot purchase single seat at team pricing; Poolside no self-serve public application; access is largely through enterprise sales or third-party model gateways
  • They diverge on capability: Fathom covers Auto-recording, Poolside covers Laguna S 2.1.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fathom and Poolside actually diverge.

Attributes where Fathom and Poolside differ
AttributeFathomPoolside
Starting priceFree$0.06/month
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teamsweb, api, mac, windows, linux
Founded20202023

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (AI).

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 Poolside

  • Laguna S 2.1
  • Laguna XS 2.1
  • Desktop and CLI tools
  • Open-weight models
  • Third-party gateway access

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 Poolside
  • Meeting analysis with AI scorecards and action item generation that syncs to CRMsnot Poolside

Poolside

  • Enterprises deploying AI coding assistance across large developer organizationsnot Fathom
  • Government and defense agencies needing on-premise or sovereign coding modelsnot Fathom
  • Teams building custom coding agents on open-weight foundation modelsnot Fathom
  • Organizations wanting on-device lightweight coding modelsnot 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

Poolside

  • No self-serve public application; access is largely through enterprise sales or third-party model gateways
  • Pricing for the flagship enterprise and government offering is not public and requires a sales conversation
  • Targets organizations with large (5,000+) developer headcounts, making it a poor fit for individuals or small teams
  • Documentation and product surface area are thin compared to consumer-facing coding assistants

Pricing, plan by plan

Fathom

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Fathom review.

Poolside

$0.06/month
  • Laguna XS 2.1$undefined/month
    • $0.06 per 1M input tokens
    • $0.12 per 1M output tokens
    • Available via OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway
  • Laguna S 2.1$undefined/month
    • $0.10 per 1M input tokens
    • $0.20 per 1M output tokens
    • 1M token context window
  • Enterprise / Government$undefined/month
    • Custom contracts for large engineering organizations
    • Sales-quoted pricing
    • On-premise or dedicated deployment options

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 Poolside if

  • You need laguna s 2.1.
  • You work on web, api, mac, windows, linux.
  • You also want laguna xs 2.1.
Poolside review

Questions people ask

Is Fathom or Poolside better?
Neither clearly leads. Fathom starts at Free and Poolside at $0.06/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fathom or Poolside?
Fathom has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Fathom and $0.06/month for Poolside.
Does Fathom or Poolside run on more platforms?
Fathom runs on Web, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams. Poolside runs on web, api, mac, windows, linux.
Can I use Fathom for free?
Yes. Fathom has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Poolside starts at $0.06/month.
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 Poolside is typically brought in for.
What can Fathom do that Poolside cannot?
Fathom covers Auto-recording, AI summaries, Transcription, Highlight clips. Poolside covers Laguna S 2.1, Laguna XS 2.1, Desktop and CLI tools, Open-weight models.

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
Poolside: How is Poolside's Laguna model usage priced?

Laguna XS 2.1 is priced at $0.06 per 1M input tokens and $0.12 per 1M output tokens; Laguna S 2.1 is $0.10 per 1M input tokens and $0.20 per 1M output tokens.

Source
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
Poolside: Where can I access Poolside's models?

Laguna models are available through third-party gateways OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway, as well as via Poolside's own desktop and CLI tools.

Source
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
Poolside: Does Poolside offer enterprise or government pricing?

Yes, Poolside offers custom, sales-quoted contracts for large enterprises and government/defense customers, including on-premise or dedicated deployment options.

Source
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
Poolside: How do I get started building with Poolside's models?

Poolside's documentation provides a quickstart guide for installing the `pool` CLI and running an agent task, alongside API documentation for custom integrations.

Source
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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