FATHOM VS RECAPRO
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 per the privacy policy
The Fathom privacy policy, checked April 2026, states: "our services are hosted in the United States and personal information may be transferred there for storage and processing." It lists no European 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 = free plan (2h/month), all features, no credit card.
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) from €89/month posted (5-user tier, €17.80/user).
Recapro vs Fathom: the decision matrix
Comparison verified against public sources (April 2026).
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 Fortress on-premise from €89/mo
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.
Free plan without AI cap
Recapro free plan (2h/month) without feature cap. Fathom Free = 5 advanced AI summaries/month, after which only basic models.
Fixed EUR pricing
Recapro Cloud Team €19.90/user/month (€14.90 annual) 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
Four offers. Same sovereignty.
Choose the level of isolation adapted to your criticality.
Fortress
Physical server installed on your premises. Sovereign Shield package per server profile, independent of user count.
~130 W max — about the same as a desktop PC left on. ≈ €210/year of electricity.
For 1 to 5 users
For 6 to 10 users
For 11 to 30 users
For 31 to 60 users
For 61 to 90 users
Custom configuration for large teams. Response within 24h.
- Installed at your location, on your premises
- LAN / VPN connection only
- AI 100% disconnected from the internet
- Reports tailored to your industry: legal, healthcare, defense, finance
- AI understands your business vocabulary (acronyms, jargon), without sending anything to the cloud
- Works offline, automatic sync
- On-site installation included
- No data leaves
- 24/7 Priority Support
Fathom
Competitor
/user/month (annual)
- • 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
* Fair Use Policy: Usage is limited to 10 hours of audio processing per day per user, in compliance with working time legislation.
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 European 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
01
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 free plan (2h/month) without feature cap.
02
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.
03
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.
04
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) from €89/month posted (5-user tier, €17.80/user).
05
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.
06
How does Recapro pricing compare to Fathom?
Recapro Cloud Team: €19.90/user/month (€14.90 annual) or Fortress On-Premise from €89/mo tout compris. 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
Free plan, 2h/month. Migration from Fathom supported.
✓ Free plan 2h/month — no credit card