Krisp vs Fathom for Nonprofits

This dimension is entirely one-sided. Krisp's core purpose is audio quality. Its noise cancellation AI removes background noise from both directions of a call, processes audio locally to avoid latency, and can filter out a wide range of environmental sounds from typing and fans to traffic and loud neighbors. For nonprofits whose staff work from home, community centers, or field environments, Krisp can transform unprofessional-sounding calls into clear, focused conversations.

Fathom offers no noise cancellation. If your environment produces background noise, that noise will appear in your transcripts and may reduce accuracy. Nonprofits that use Fathom in noisy settings may find transcription quality degrades noticeably. This is precisely why many teams use both tools: Krisp cleans the audio signal, and Fathom transcribes the clean result.

Fathom's AI meeting notes are purpose-built and highly refined. The tool generates summaries in under 30 seconds after meetings end, produces 14 to 17 different summary types, and allows users to ask natural language questions about the transcript through the Ask Fathom interface. The AI is specifically optimized for professional meeting contexts, including recognizing action items, decisions, and follow-ups.

Krisp's AI notes are a secondary feature layered on top of its core audio tools. Transcription and summary quality are solid but have not been the primary focus of product development. For teams whose core need is documentation rather than audio quality, Fathom's more mature and specialized transcription capabilities offer a better experience.

Fathom's free plan is one of the most generous in the category. Unlimited recordings, unlimited transcripts, unlimited AI summaries, and CRM integration are all included at no cost with no time limits and no monthly caps. For a small nonprofit team with modest meeting volumes, Fathom may cost nothing indefinitely.

Krisp's free plan is limited to 60 minutes per week of noise cancellation, which covers a single meeting but quickly runs out for active teams. The Pro plan at $8 per user per month is more affordable than Fathom Premium ($19 per user per month), but paid Krisp still costs money for functionality that Fathom provides free. The comparison shifts if you genuinely need noise cancellation, where Krisp has no real alternative.

Fathom offers direct integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot on the free plan, plus connections to Slack, Notion, and Zapier for extended automation. For nonprofits managing donor relationships in a CRM, the ability to push meeting summaries directly to contact records without paying for a premium tier is a meaningful advantage. Each call becomes a documented touchpoint that enriches the donor record automatically.

Krisp's integration story is weaker on the workflow side. Its strength is working across all audio applications through the virtual microphone approach, which is a form of integration breadth, but it does not connect directly to CRM platforms or productivity tools without third-party automation. Teams that want meeting notes to flow into donor records will need either Fathom or a Krisp-plus-Zapier workflow.

Both tools take a bot-free approach that avoids the consent complications associated with AI bots joining meetings as visible participants. Krisp processes audio locally on your device and does not store audio content in the cloud. Fathom records from your desktop application and stores transcripts in its cloud platform, but does not join meetings as a separate participant visible to others.

For nonprofits handling sensitive conversations, the bot-free design of both tools addresses the most immediate consent concern: other participants are not surprised by an AI bot's presence. Both tools also support teams in two-party consent states, as the recording party (you) controls when recording occurs. Nonprofits should still inform participants that calls may be recorded, regardless of the tool used.

Fathom transcribes in 28 languages, covering a wide range of the languages commonly spoken in nonprofit communities across the United States and internationally. While this is more limited than some competitors like Tactiq (60+ languages), it covers the majority of nonprofit use cases and includes major world languages beyond English.

Krisp's transcription is primarily optimized for English. Its noise cancellation works regardless of the language spoken (background noise is background noise), but the AI notes and summaries perform best in English. For nonprofits serving immigrant communities or operating internationally, Fathom's broader transcription language support is a practical advantage.

Both tools are designed for straightforward setup and daily use. Krisp requires selecting it as your microphone and speaker source in your conferencing app, a one-time step that most users complete in minutes. Once configured, it runs silently in the background. Fathom requires installing the desktop app and connecting your calendar, after which it automatically detects and offers to record meetings as they occur.

Fathom's workflow is slightly more automated post-setup: it detects your meetings and prompts you to start recording without requiring manual action each time. Krisp requires you to ensure the virtual microphone is selected in each new application you use. For users who switch between multiple audio apps, Krisp may require occasional reconfiguration. Overall, both tools earn high marks for usability relative to the functionality they provide.

It depends on your core challenge. Krisp is better if background noise is a recurring problem for your team, whether from open offices, home environments, or field locations. Fathom is better if you need free, unlimited meeting transcription and AI summaries with zero cost, plus CRM integration with HubSpot or Salesforce. Most nonprofits with clean audio environments will find Fathom's free plan covers their needs completely. Many teams use both tools together since they solve different problems.

Krisp does not currently offer a formal nonprofit discount program. The free plan provides 60 minutes per week of noise cancellation. For teams needing more, the Pro plan starts at $8 per user per month billed annually. Contact Krisp support directly to inquire about any educational or nonprofit pricing that may be available.

Fathom does not offer a formal nonprofit discount, but its free plan is exceptionally generous: unlimited meeting recordings, unlimited transcripts, and unlimited basic AI summaries with no monthly limits. For most nonprofits, the free plan fully covers their needs. Teams requiring advanced features can upgrade to Fathom Premium at $19 per user per month.

Yes. Krisp and Fathom serve complementary functions and can be used simultaneously. Krisp handles real-time audio quality by removing background noise from your microphone input, while Fathom handles transcription and AI summaries after the meeting. Many nonprofit teams use Krisp to ensure clean audio is captured and Fathom to turn that audio into searchable notes and action items. Both tools work independently without interfering with each other.

Krisp works at the system audio level, supporting virtually any application that uses your microphone: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Slack, Discord, phone calls, podcasting software, and more. It installs as a virtual microphone and speaker that any application can select. This system-wide compatibility is Krisp's major differentiator over tools that only support specific meeting platforms.

Fathom supports Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. It works as a desktop application that records and transcribes meetings without joining as a visible bot. It does not support Webex, GoToMeeting, or in-person meeting recording. For broader platform support including Webex, Krisp or Otter.ai may be better alternatives.

Fathom delivers AI-generated summaries and action items within approximately 30 seconds of a meeting ending, making it the fastest in its category. The AI generates 14 to 17 different summary types including executive summaries, action items, next steps, and decisions made. Users can also ask follow-up questions through the Ask Fathom interface.

Krisp's accent conversion feature uses AI to adjust the perceived accent of a speaker's voice in real time to make it sound closer to a standard American English accent, improving comprehension in calls where accent differences create communication barriers. This feature is available on the Pro plan. For nonprofits with multilingual staff or volunteers communicating with diverse audiences, this feature can reduce misunderstandings during important calls.

Yes, Fathom is bot-free. It records meetings using a local desktop application that captures audio from your own device without sending a bot to join the meeting as a participant. Other attendees will not see a Fathom bot in the participant list. This approach is valuable for nonprofits handling sensitive conversations with donors, clients, or advocacy partners.

Yes. Fathom includes basic CRM integration with both Salesforce and HubSpot on the free plan. After a meeting, Fathom can push summaries and action items directly to contact or deal records in your CRM. For nonprofits tracking donor conversations in Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud or managing fundraising pipelines in HubSpot, this free CRM sync delivers substantial time savings.