The Fathom alternative that stays in France
Fathom Video Inc. (California) hosts everything in the United States. The "free forever" plan is actually limited to 5 AI summaries/month. Recapro hosts in France or on-premise, unlimited, no CLOUD Act.
Why look for a Fathom alternative?
Six points verified on fathom.ai (April 2026).
US hosting only
Fathom is explicit in its Privacy Policy: "our services are hosted in the United States and personal information may be transferred there for storage and processing." No EU residency option.
CLOUD Act applicable
Fathom Video Inc. (California) is subject to the CLOUD Act (18 U.S.C. § 2713). US authorities can compel Fathom to disclose your data. SCCs and DPF do not block US requests.
Misleading "free forever" plan
Fathom advertises "Free forever" but the free plan is capped at <strong>5 advanced AI summaries/month</strong> since late 2024. Beyond: only basic chronological models. Recapro = unlimited 14-day free trial.
Internal AI training by default
Fathom Terms reserve the right to use de-identified data to train their own AI models — manual opt-out required. Recapro applies zero training by default across all plans.
No offline mode
Fathom is cloud-only SaaS. The "bot-free capture" beta captures locally but AI processing stays cloud. Recapro transcribes fully locally, airplane mode.
No on-premise
Fathom offers no installation on customer infrastructure. Recapro offers a real on-premise (Kubernetes, dedicated, air-gapped) at €39/month posted.
Recapro vs Fathom: the decision matrix
Comparison verified against public sources (April 2026).
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Recapro
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Fathom
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Hosting
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France or on-prem | USA only |
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Outside CLOUD Act
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Real on-premise
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Full offline mode
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No visible bot
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~ | |
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Structured private/public debrief mode
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~ | |
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Zero AI training by default
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Free without AI cap
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14-day trial | 5 summaries/month |
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Premium / month
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€39 | $16-20 |
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Business / month
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€39 | $25-34 |
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Pricing currency
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EUR | USD |
Fathom = Fathom Video Inc. (San Francisco, California). US-only hosting. Source: fathom.ai/privacy (April 2026).
Fathom pricing (USD): Free $0 (capped 5 AI summaries/month), Premium $20/$16 (monthly/annual), Team $19/$15, Business $34/$25. CRM reserved for Business. Source: fathom.ai/pricing.
Fathom Terms: internal AI training on de-identified data by default, manual opt-out via account settings. SOC 2 Type II ✓, ISO 27001 NO. Bot-free capture in beta only.
What Recapro does that Fathom does not
Five structural capabilities absent.
France or on-prem hosting
France-Nuage (Vendée) + Scaleway (Paris) or on-premise. Fathom = US only, fully CLOUD Act exposed.
Real on-premise at €39/month
Direct install (Kubernetes, dedicated, air-gapped). Fathom is cloud-only SaaS with no self-hosted option.
Full offline mode
Local smartphone transcription, airplane mode. Fathom is cloud-only — bot-free capture beta captures locally but AI processing is cloud.
Zero AI training by default
Recapro doesn't train models on your data. Fathom reserves this right in its Terms, manual opt-out required.
Trial without AI cap
Recapro 14-day trial without cap. Fathom Free = 5 advanced AI summaries/month, after which only basic models.
Fixed EUR pricing
€39/month posted in EUR. Fathom: USD pricing (Premium $16-20, Business $25-34), exchange rate exposure.
Migrate from Fathom to Recapro in 3 steps
No data loss.
Export from Fathom
Download your transcripts and notes from the Fathom dashboard.
Import into Recapro
Drag and drop your files. Our AI re-analyzes in Recapro format.
Gradual switch
30 days in parallel, 1-hour training. No long-term commitment.
Migration support included for teams of 10+ users. Data stays in France throughout the migration.
Pricing: Recapro vs Fathom
Fathom pricing verified on fathom.ai/pricing (April 2026, USD).
Recapro
- Sovereign France cloud OR on-premise
- Outside CLOUD Act
- Unlimited transcription all languages
- Unlimited offline mode
- Structured private/public debrief mode
- Zero AI training by default
- Migration support included
Fathom
- •US hosting only
- •CLOUD Act applicable
- •Visible bot (bot-free capture in beta)
- •No offline mode
- •No on-premise
- •Internal AI training by default (opt-out)
- •CRM (Salesforce/HubSpot) reserved Business $25-34/month
Recapro is ~€22/month more than Fathom Premium annual but includes FR sovereignty + on-premise + offline + zero training by default. Recapro pricing details.
Recapro fits regulated French industries
Where Fathom US-only doesn't fit (CLOUD Act, sensitive data).
Comparing several tools? See our global comparison or Fireflies alternative.
Fathom vs Recapro: frequently asked questions
Is Fathom really "free forever"?
Not exactly. The slogan is marketing. The Fathom free plan is capped since late 2024 at 5 advanced AI summaries/month. Beyond, only basic chronological models remain available. Recordings are unlimited but AI processing is capped. Recapro offers a 14-day free trial without cap.
Is Fathom GDPR compliant?
Fathom is certified Data Privacy Framework (DPF) EU-US and uses SCCs (Module 2/3). However, as a US company hosting in the US, Fathom remains subject to the CLOUD Act. SCCs and DPF do not block US requests. For a strict French team (health, legal, defense, public sector), France hosting (Recapro) eliminates this exposure.
Does Fathom use my transcripts to train its models?
Yes by default, unless opt-out. Fathom Terms explicitly reserve the right to use de-identified data to train their own models. Opt-out is done manually in account settings. Third-party sub-processors (OpenAI, Anthropic) are contractually forbidden from training on data. Recapro applies zero training by default across all plans.
Is there a real on-premise version of Fathom?
No. Fathom is exclusively cloud-only SaaS. No installation option for the customer is mentioned. Recapro offers a real on-premise installation (Kubernetes, dedicated, air-gapped) at €39/month posted.
Does Fathom work without an internet connection?
No. Fathom is cloud-only. The "bot-free capture" beta feature captures audio locally but requires connection for transcription and AI summaries. Recapro transcribes locally on smartphone, full airplane mode.
How does Recapro pricing compare to Fathom?
Recapro: €39/user/month all-in. Fathom: Premium $20/month (monthly) or $16/month (annual); Team $19/$15; Business $34/$25 with CRM. At equal functional scope (Salesforce/HubSpot CRM), you need Fathom Business at ~$25/month (annual). Recapro is ~€12/month more but includes FR sovereignty + on-premise + zero training by default.
Hosted in France, unlimited
14-day free trial without cap. Migration from Fathom supported.
See Recapro pricing✓ 14-day trial — no credit card