Side-by-side comparison · Productivity & Notes
Fathom vs Granola vs Shortwave
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Sales and customer-facing teams who want every call recorded and summarised without paying per seat to start.
Pick it if: Founders, consultants and managers who sit in back-to-back calls and hate the awkward recording bot.
Pick it if: Busy Gmail and Google Workspace users who want AI to search, sort and draft their email.
Granola scores highest overall, but Fathom gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Fathom | Granola | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Records your video calls and sends you a summary, action items and transcript. | Takes meeting notes from your computer's audio, so no bot ever joins the call. | AI email app for Gmail that searches, sorts, drafts and acts on your inbox for you. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $14/user/mo | $18/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Fathom | Granola | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.2 | 4.4Winner | 4.2 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Fathom | Granola | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | – | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | – | No | – |
| API access | Yes | Yes | – |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | – |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | No | No | Yes |
| Understands images | No | No | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | – |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | No | No | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 7/ 17 | 8/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Fathom | Granola | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | FreeOur pick Free Anyone who wants every call recorded without paying. | Basic Free Trying it, or anyone who only needs the last month of notes. | Free Free Trying it on your Gmail inbox. |
Premium $20/mo, or $16/mo billed yearly One person who wants the fuller summaries every time. | BusinessOur pick $14/user/mo Anyone in regular client or sales calls. | ProOur pick $18/mo Individuals who use the AI daily. | |
Team $19/user/mo, or $15/user/mo billed yearly Small teams sharing calls with each other. | Enterprise $35/user/mo Companies that need admin control over who records what. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams who share threads and need more AI. | |
Business $34/user/mo, or $25/user/mo billed yearly Sales teams living in a CRM. | Premier $45/seat/mo Heavy users with complex email workflows. | ||
Enterprise Custom Larger organisations needing SSO and rollout help. | Max $120/seat/mo People who live in email all day. | ||
| Which plan to pick | Most people should simply use Free; it covers more than the paid tiers of its rivals. Only move to Team or Business when several people need to search each other's calls or you want notes landing in HubSpot or Salesforce without lifting a finger. | Start on Basic and see how it fits your week. If you find yourself wanting a call from six weeks ago, that's your signal to move to Business. Enterprise is only for IT-managed rollouts. | Start on Free for a week to see if you like the app. Pro is enough for most individuals; pick Business only if you share threads with a team. Every paid plan has a 14-day free trial. |
Key features
| Attribute | Fathom | Granola | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Fathom | Granola | Shortwave |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Fathom | Granola | Shortwave |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Fathom, Granola or Shortwave?
Granola scores highest overall in our ratings (Fathom 4.2/5, Granola 4.4/5 and Shortwave 4.2/5). Fathom is best for recording sales and client calls and sharing call clips with the team. Granola is best for client and sales calls and interviews and one-on-ones. Shortwave is best for finding old emails by describing them and clearing a cluttered Gmail inbox quickly.
Which is cheaper, Fathom, Granola or Shortwave?
Fathom: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Granola: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $14/user/mo. Shortwave: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $18/mo.
Which is easier to use, Fathom, Granola or Shortwave?
Granola rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Founders, consultants and managers who sit in back-to-back calls and hate the awkward recording bot.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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