Compare · Echo vs Fathom

Echo vs Fathom: Arabic dialects vs free unlimited recording

By the Echo team · Facts checked 12 October 2026

In short: Fathom’s free plan is hard to beat for video calls: unlimited recordings, with video. Echo’s case is Arabic: named dialect support, and no bot on any call.

We make Echo, so read this with that in mind. Everything about Fathom below comes from its own website, and the sources are listed at the end.

At a glance

Feature	Echo	Fathom
How it records a call	No bot. On Mac it records your microphone and the Mac’s audio from the menu bar; on iPhone and Android it records through the phone’s microphone.	Usually a bot: the Fathom Notetaker joins Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams. On Mac it can also capture without a bot, which Fathom labels beta.
Arabic	Yes: Gulf, Levantine, Egyptian, Maghrebi and Modern Standard Arabic, with English mixed in.	Listed among 38 transcript languages. No dialects are named.
Other languages	Arabic and English only: every Arabic dialect, and both mixed in one recording.	38 languages.
Meetings in a room	Yes, on iPhone and Android.	Yes, in the iOS app.
Where it runs	iPhone, Android and Mac. No Windows or web app yet.	Mac, Windows and iOS. No Android.
Free plan	30 minutes a month, up to 15 minutes per recording.	Unlimited recordings and transcriptions.
Paid plan from	AED 149.99 a year after a 3-day free trial, or AED 12.99 a week (UAE App Store and Google Play).	Premium at US$20 a month, or US$16 a month billed annually.
Also does	Ask Echo answers questions from one note or across all your notes; Echo translates a note’s summary and transcript between English and Arabic; the Echo keyboard on iPhone and Android dictates in any app.	Records the full video; HubSpot and Salesforce sync; clips and playlists.

Where Echo is different

Fathom normally joins the call as a notetaker. Its bot-free capture is Mac-only and in beta. Echo never joins: recording on the device is the only way it works.

Fathom lists Arabic as one of 38 languages. Echo names the five Arabic dialect families it covers and follows a switch into English mid-sentence.

What Fathom does that Echo does not

A free plan with unlimited recordings and transcriptions. Echo’s free plan is 30 minutes a month.
Full video recording, clips and playlists.
HubSpot and Salesforce sync, and a Windows app.

Which should you pick?

Choose Fathom if

You want unlimited free recording of video calls.
You need the video, not only the audio and notes.
Your team works from a CRM.

Choose Echo if

Your meetings are in an Arabic dialect.
You do not want a notetaker joining the call.
Many of your meetings happen in a room, not on a call.

Frequently asked questions

Does Fathom join meetings as a bot?

Usually, yes: the Fathom Notetaker joins the call. Fathom also offers bot-free capture on Mac, which it labels beta.

Is Fathom free?

Fathom’s free plan includes unlimited recordings and transcriptions. Echo’s free plan is 30 minutes a month, up to 15 minutes per recording.

Does Fathom support Arabic dialects?

Fathom lists Arabic among 38 transcript languages and does not name dialects. We checked on 12 October 2026.

Sources

Read on 12 October 2026. Products change; if something here is out of date, tell us at support@cntxt.tech and we will correct it.

Try Echo on your next Arabic meeting. Free for 30 minutes a month.

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