Granola
What is Granola?
AI notepad for meetings that turns your rough notes and the call audio into structured notes, without a bot joining the meeting.
Granola is built for people who spend the day in calls and do not want a recorder in the room. You write a few rough lines while you listen, and it fills the gaps from the transcript afterward, so the final note reads like yours rather than a generic summary. Shared folders, templates and Slack come on the free plan, while the heavier workflow tools sit on Business.
What are Granola's key features?
AI meeting notes
Turns the meeting into structured notes from your rough notes and the transcript.
Bot-free capture
Granola says it does not join your meeting and transcribes in the background instead of adding a bot as a participant.
AI chat across meetings
Ask questions about one meeting or across many, with model selection on Business and above.
Customizable templates
Choose note templates that fit different meeting types.
Pre-meeting briefs
Business and Enterprise generate a brief before the meeting starts.
Follow-up emails
Drafts a follow-up email from the meeting on Business and above.
Integrations
Connects to Slack, and on Business to Notion, Zapier, HubSpot, Attio and Affinity.
MCP and API access
Lets other AI tools and your own code use your meeting notes, with API access on Business.
What are Granola's pros and cons?
Pros
- No bot joins the call: Granola says it transcribes in the background instead of joining your meeting
- Blends your typed notes with the transcript instead of leaving only a raw transcript
- Desktop, iOS, Android and Apple Watch apps on every plan
- Unlimited meeting history from $14 per user a month
- AI chat across past meetings, with MCP and API access on paid plans
Cons
- The free Basic plan keeps only limited meeting history
- Integrations such as Notion, HubSpot and Zapier need the Business plan
- Support for the Apple Watch app is mentioned on the pricing page but not confirmed on the main download page
- Because it records device audio, it can also capture other sounds your computer plays
What can you use Granola for?
How much does Granola cost?
Granola has a free Basic plan with limited meeting history (30 days in its plan comparison), Business at $14 per user a month with unlimited history and integrations such as Notion, HubSpot and Zapier, and Enterprise at $35 per user a month with SSO, SCIM and HIPAA-compliant workspaces. The pricing page lists monthly per-user prices only, so confirm any annual discount on granola.ai.
Basic
- AI meeting notes
- Limited meeting history (30 days)
- AI chat across meetings, automatic model only
- Shared folders, templates, voice typing and Slack
Business
- Unlimited meeting history
- AI chat with model selection
- Pre-meeting briefs and follow-up emails
- Notion, Zapier, HubSpot, Attio and Affinity integrations
- API access and centralized billing
Enterprise
- Everything in Business
- SSO, SCIM and audit API
- HIPAA-compliant workspaces
- Workspace-wide opt-out of model training
- Dedicated support
How to use Granola
- Download the Granola desktop app from granola.ai and sign in.
- Allow the audio permission it asks for and connect your calendar.
- Start Granola when the meeting begins and type rough notes as you go.
- After the call, let Granola enhance your notes with the transcript.
- Share the notes, use AI chat to ask questions, or draft a follow-up email on Business.
Best Granola alternatives
Otter.ai
Pick Otter if you prefer a long-established transcription tool with automatic live transcripts.
Fireflies.ai
Better if you want a bot that joins calls and records them automatically, with search and CRM integrations.
Notion AI
A fit if your notes already live in Notion and you want AI summaries alongside them.
Mem AI
Better if you want an AI notes workspace beyond meetings.
Is Granola worth it?
Granola's appeal is that it feels like a personal notepad rather than a recorder: you jot a few lines, and it fills in the detail from the transcript without a bot announcing itself to the other attendees. The free Basic plan is closer to a trial because of its limited history, and Business at $14 per user is where it becomes a full tool. Teams that want an automatic bot, live transcripts for everyone or heavy CRM workflows may prefer Fireflies or Otter.
How we write this page: details come from the tool's official site, documentation and pricing page, plus published reviews where noted. We have not tested every feature hands-on, and prices and limits change, so confirm them on the official site before you buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Granola free?
Yes. Basic is free, with AI meeting notes and 30 days of history. Business is $14 per user a month (unlimited history, integrations), and Enterprise is $35 (SSO, HIPAA workspaces). The pricing page lists monthly per-user prices only.
Does Granola join meetings as a bot?
No. Granola's site says it does not join your meeting and transcribes in the background, so other attendees do not see a recorder in the call.
What platforms does Granola run on?
Granola's site lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps, and the pricing page also mentions an Apple Watch app. Check the download page for your system.
Does Granola work with Zoom, Google Meet and Teams?
Yes. Granola names Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, plus huddles and in-person meetings, and says it works with other meeting apps too.
Is my meeting audio stored?
Granola says it does not store meeting audio. On macOS and Windows it transcribes in real time; on mobile it transcribes after the meeting from temporarily cached audio. Only the transcript and your notes are kept. It uses third-party providers (Deepgram and AssemblyAI for transcription, OpenAI and Anthropic for summaries), which cannot train on your data. Granola trains on anonymized data unless you opt out in Settings, and Enterprise has training off by default.
Does Granola have an API or MCP?
Yes. MCP access is listed on every plan with different scope, and API access is listed from Business.
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