tldv vs Fathom 2026 for Free Video Meeting Notes
Last reviewed: June 2026
Remote and hybrid teams record more meetings than ever, and two tools that keep coming up in that conversation are tl;dv and Fathom. Both work with major video conferencing platforms and both have genuinely usable free tiers, but they are built around different ideas of what a meeting recording should do.
If you are still comparing your options, you can browse more AI meeting tools in the AI business tools directory. This article focuses specifically on the tldv vs fathom question for teams that want free, automatic meeting notes without paying upfront.
The core difference is this: tl;dv leans into video clips as the primary output, while Fathom prioritizes clean written summaries that are easy to share. That distinction shapes everything from storage limits to how your teammates actually consume the notes.
Key takeaways
- tl;dv free plan auto-deletes recordings after 3 months; Fathom does not impose the same deletion policy on free users
- tl;dv lets you create shareable timestamped video clips from any recorded meeting
- Fathom produces structured written summaries that are easier to skim and forward by email or Slack
- Fathom supports Microsoft Teams on its free plan; tl;dv restricts Teams support to paid plans
- Neither tool requires a credit card to start recording and summarizing meetings
What tl;dv and Fathom Each Do on Their Free Plans
tl;dv, short for too long did not view, is a meeting recorder that puts video clips at the center of the experience. You can tag moments during a live call, and the tool automatically generates a summary and transcript after the meeting ends. The free plan covers unlimited recordings on Google Meet and Zoom.
Fathom operates as a notetaker bot that joins your meeting, records it, and produces a formatted summary broken into sections such as action items, key points, and follow-ups. The Fathom free plan has been notably generous since the tool launched, offering unlimited recordings and summaries for individual users without a hard session cap.
Video Clips First: How tl;dv Approaches Meeting Notes
The clip feature is where tl;dv stands apart in the tldv vs fathom comparison. You can highlight any segment of a recorded meeting, give it a title, and share a short video link with someone who was not on the call. This is useful for sales teams surfacing a specific objection, product teams sharing a user interview moment, or managers who want to show rather than paraphrase what a stakeholder said. See the U.S. Small Business Administration for official guidance.
tl;dv also generates AI meeting summaries and lets you search across all your recordings by keyword. On the free plan these features work without a session count limit, but the 3-month recording retention window means older video clips will disappear unless you upgrade or download the files locally.
Summary First: How Fathom Approaches Meeting Notes
Fathom’s output is primarily text. After a meeting you receive a structured document with a summary, a full transcript, and highlighted action items. The formatting is clean enough to paste directly into a Slack message or email, which reduces the friction of sharing notes with people who were not present.
Fathom also lets you highlight moments during a call, but the emphasis is on the written record rather than the video clip. For teams where most follow-up happens in writing, Fathom’s approach fits more naturally into existing communication habits.
Storage and Retention: A Practical tldv vs Fathom Difference
On the tl;dv free plan, recorded meetings are stored for 90 days and then deleted. This is not buried in fine print, but it is a meaningful constraint for distributed teams that rely on recordings for onboarding, compliance, or long-term reference. If you need a recording from more than three months ago, you will need to have paid for extended storage or downloaded the file before deletion.
Fathom does not publicize a comparable automatic deletion policy for free users. Recordings and summaries appear to persist well beyond 90 days on the free plan, which makes Fathom a more practical choice for anyone who needs to look back at meetings from earlier in the year without upgrading.
Integrations and Team Collaboration
Both tools connect to popular productivity stacks. tl;dv integrates with Notion, Salesforce, HubSpot, and Slack to push summaries and clips automatically after a meeting ends. The depth of these integrations varies by plan tier, with some CRM sync features reserved for paid plans.
Fathom connects with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Slack as well, and it offers a Team edition for collaborative note review. Individual free users can share notes and transcripts through a link, though shared workspaces and team-level meeting libraries are features of the paid Team plan.
Limitations and Trade-offs Worth Knowing
tl;dv’s 3-month recording expiry is the most significant free-plan constraint. Teams that treat meeting recordings as a knowledge base that should stay accessible indefinitely will hit this wall quickly and face pressure to upgrade.
Fathom’s main free-tier limitation is that it is designed around individual use. The free plan is generous for a single person capturing their own calls, but teams that want shared workspaces, collaborative editing of notes, or a centralized meeting library will need to evaluate the Team tier pricing before committing.
Platform coverage is also uneven. tl;dv supports Zoom and Google Meet for free but restricts Microsoft Teams to paid plans. Fathom supports Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams on its free plan, which is a concrete advantage for organizations standardized on Teams.
- tl;dv free: recordings expire at 90 days
- Fathom free: designed for individual users, not shared team workspaces
- tl;dv free: no Microsoft Teams support
- Fathom free: some CRM sync features require a paid plan
Which Tool Fits Your Workflow in 2026
In the tldv vs fathom decision, the right choice depends less on feature counts and more on how your team actually uses meeting information afterward. If your workflow centers on clipping and sharing video moments, building a searchable video library of sales calls or user interviews, tl;dv is the more natural fit even with the retention limit.
If your team works primarily in text, sends notes by email or Slack, needs recordings to stay accessible past 90 days without paying, or uses Microsoft Teams as the primary conferencing tool, Fathom is the more practical starting point. Both tools are worth testing on a few real meetings before committing to either workflow.
How these tools compare
| Tool | Pricing Model | Primary Output | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| tl;dv | Freemium (free plan + paid tiers) | Timestamped video clips and AI summary | Teams that share meeting highlights as short video clips |
| Fathom | Freemium (free plan + paid Team tier) | Structured written summary and transcript | Teams that need skimmable text notes with no recording expiry on the free plan |
Frequently asked questions
Does tl;dv delete recordings on the free plan?
Yes. tl;dv’s free plan stores recordings for 90 days and then deletes them automatically. Paid plans extend or remove this limit.
Is Fathom actually free or is it a limited free trial?
Fathom offers a genuinely free individual plan with unlimited recordings and summaries. It is not a time-limited trial. A paid Team plan exists for shared workspaces and team features.
Which tool works with Microsoft Teams on the free plan?
Fathom supports Microsoft Teams on its free plan. tl;dv restricts Teams integration to paid plans, so if your organization uses Teams, Fathom is the more accessible free option.
Can you use tl;dv and Fathom on the same meeting?
Technically both bots can be invited to the same meeting, but running two notetaker bots simultaneously is redundant and can be disruptive to other participants. It is more practical to pick one and evaluate it consistently across several meetings.
Which tool is better for async distributed teams?
It depends on how your team consumes notes. tl;dv suits teams that share short video clips asynchronously. Fathom suits teams that prefer written summaries and action item lists they can read in email or Slack threads.
Do either tool offer CRM integrations on the free plan?
Both tools advertise CRM connections, but the depth of free-plan CRM sync varies. Some automatic push features to Salesforce or HubSpot require a paid plan on both tl;dv and Fathom. Check the current pricing pages for each tool to confirm what is included at the free tier before building a workflow around it.
