Granola is a notepad app that transcribes meetings from your computer or phone's own audio, with no bot ever joining the call, then uses AI to turn your own typed notes into a clean summary. It suits people who already type light notes during a call and want them enhanced rather than replaced, and what decides fit is how long you need to keep meeting history and whether the free tier's 30-day window is enough.
What is Granola?
Granola is a notetaking app built around your own meeting notes rather than a bot recording. It runs as a desktop app on Windows and Mac and as a mobile app on iOS and Android, with an Apple Watch companion; there is no browser-based version. Signing in requires a Google Workspace or Microsoft account, and notes sync to Granola's own cloud storage.
What Granola captures from a meeting
Granola never joins a call as a bot. Instead it accesses your microphone and your computer's meeting audio directly and transcribes it, which works across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Slack Huddles, as well as calls you dial into by phone. The mobile app is built for in-person meetings, so conversations away from a screen can be captured the same way.
Transcription covers 31 languages on the desktop apps and 17 on mobile. A live transcript panel can be shown or hidden during the call, and notes can be built from customized templates on every plan, including the free one. Granola does not store audio or video from meetings; it keeps the transcript and screenshots of anything shared on screen instead.
AI chat works both within a single meeting and across past meetings, and this is available from the free plan up, though the free plan limits it to an automatic model with no choice of which model answers. Meeting notes sync to CRMs including HubSpot, Attio, Affinity and Salesforce, on the Business plan and up.
Working with other people
Shared folders for collaborating on notes are included on every plan, including the free one. Granola connects to Slack on every plan, and to Notion, Zapier, HubSpot, Attio and Affinity from Business up. An MCP server for connecting tools like Claude and ChatGPT to your notes is available on every plan too, with the free plan scoped to your personal notes from the last 30 days and paid plans widening that to shared workspace notes. A separate API is available from Business up.
Granola pricing: what each plan gives
The free Basic plan costs nothing and keeps 30 days of meeting history; notes taken beyond that window still get recorded, but viewing anything older than 30 days requires upgrading. AI chat on Basic is limited to an automatic model. There is no free trial of a paid plan; the free Basic tier is the way to try Granola instead.
Business costs $14 per user per month and adds unlimited meeting history, advanced integrations, an API, and access to more capable AI models, including a thinking model called Claude Fable 5. Enterprise costs $35 per user per month and adds single sign-on, HIPAA support and admin-configurable controls over MCP access and meeting notifications.
Privacy and security
Granola trains on your anonymized data by default, and you can opt out of this at any time in your settings; Enterprise workspaces are opted out by default and admins can enforce that across the whole org. Granola is SOC 2 Type 2 certified and is committed to GDPR compliance, with a Data Processing Agreement available on request. Single sign-on is included on the Enterprise plan. HIPAA support is available to Enterprise customers who contact sales to sign a Business Associate Agreement; it is not available on Basic or Business. Notes are stored in a US-hosted AWS Virtual Private Cloud. Support runs through a help center with an AI chat widget.
Who Granola suits
Granola suits people who like typing a few notes of their own during a call and want AI to clean those up rather than generate a summary from nothing, and who are comfortable with a bot-free recorder that only works through its own desktop and mobile apps. It also suits teams that want meeting notes synced into HubSpot, Salesforce or similar CRMs, since that is built in from Business up.
It suits less well anyone who needs to keep meeting history beyond 30 days without paying, or a team searching for a video recording of the call itself, since Granola keeps only the transcript and screen screenshots, never the audio or video. It is also a weaker fit for anyone who wants their data opted out of model training by default rather than needing to change a setting.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Granola cost?
The Basic plan is free and keeps 30 days of meeting history. Business costs $14 per user per month and removes that history limit, and Enterprise costs $35 per user per month and adds single sign-on and HIPAA support.
Does Granola use a bot to join meetings?
No. Granola records by accessing your microphone and your computer's own meeting audio, so nothing joins the call as a participant. This works across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Slack Huddles, as well as phone calls and in-person meetings through the mobile app.
What AI model does Granola use for chat?
The free Basic plan uses an automatic model with no choice involved. Business workspaces can additionally turn on a thinking model called Claude Fable 5 for more capable chat and note enhancement.
Does Granola train its AI on my meetings?
By default, yes, on anonymized data, but you can opt out at any time in your settings. Enterprise workspaces are opted out from the start, and admins there can enforce that setting across the whole organization.
