Side-by-side comparison · Productivity & Notes
Fathom vs Notion 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: Anyone who wants one place for their notes, plans and team knowledge, from solo creators to whole companies.
Pick it if: Busy Gmail and Google Workspace users who want AI to search, sort and draft their email.
Overview
| Attribute | Fathom | Notion | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Records your video calls and sends you a summary, action items and transcript. | One workspace for notes, docs, wikis and project tracking, with AI built in. | 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 | $10/member/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 | Notion | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.2 | 4.3Winner | 4.2 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 5.0 | 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 | 4.5 | 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 | Notion | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | – | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | – | Yes | – |
| 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 | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | No | Yes | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | Yes | – |
| Runs agents or automations | No | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | No | No | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 7/ 17 | 13/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Fathom | Notion | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | FreeOur pick Free Anyone who wants every call recorded without paying. | Free Free One person getting organised. | 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. | Plus $10/member/mo billed yearly Small teams who want shared docs without the AI. | 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. | BusinessOur pick $20/member/mo billed yearly Teams who want the AI properly switched on. | 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. | Enterprise Custom Larger companies with security and compliance needs. | 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. | Solo users can stay on Free for a long time. For a team the honest answer is Business, because Plus leaves out the AI that makes Notion interesting now. Note that yearly billing is what gets you the $10 and $20 prices, and monthly billing costs more. | 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 | Notion | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Fathom | Notion | Shortwave |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Fathom, Notion or Shortwave?
Notion scores highest overall in our ratings (Fathom 4.2/5, Notion 4.3/5 and Shortwave 4.2/5). Fathom is best for recording sales and client calls and sharing call clips with the team. Notion is best for team wikis and documentation and personal notes and planning. Shortwave is best for finding old emails by describing them and clearing a cluttered Gmail inbox quickly.
Which is cheaper, Fathom, Notion or Shortwave?
Fathom: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Notion: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/member/mo. Shortwave: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $18/mo.
Which is easier to use, Fathom, Notion or Shortwave?
Fathom rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Sales and customer-facing teams who want every call recorded and summarised without paying per seat to start.
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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