Granola

AI notepad that transcribes meetings without sending a bot into the call

AI Office ProductivityFree planOverseas★★★★☆ 4.0

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What is Granola?

Granola is a meeting notepad that captures system audio on your own machine instead of joining as a visible bot, so nothing appears in the participant list. You type rough notes during the meeting and Granola merges them with the transcript into a fuller set of notes afterwards, which keeps your own wording in the final record. It is built by Granola AI and is strongest on macOS. It is a personal note tool rather than a team conversation-analytics platform, and it can only capture audio your computer actually plays.

Last updated: 2026-09-20. This site only provides an index; for exact features, pricing, and licensing, see the official website.

Key features

Captures meeting audio locally without a bot joining the call
Merges your typed notes with the transcript into one document
Structured summaries, decisions and follow-ups after each meeting
Works alongside any conferencing app that plays audio on the device
Folders, templates and search across previous meeting notes
Lightweight editor designed for typing during a live conversation

Pros & cons

Strengths

No bot in the participant list, which avoids an awkward moment
Your rough notes survive and shape the final output
Fast to start: no per-meeting setup and no platform integration

Watch out for

Captures only what your device hears, so in-room audio needs care
Personal notes first, with weaker team-wide analytics than rivals
Platform support and features beyond the core notes need a paid plan

Best for & use cases

personal meeting notes, one-on-one recaps, interview notes and client calls

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FAQ

Does Granola join my meetings?

No. It records the audio your computer plays rather than joining as a participant, so nothing shows up in the attendee list. That is also why it can only capture sound your device is actually outputting.

Why type notes if it transcribes?

Your typed notes tell Granola what you considered important, and it builds the final document around them. The result reads more like your notes and less like a machine transcript.

Is it suitable for a whole team?

It works best as a personal note tool. Teams wanting shared archives, conversation analytics and CRM sync usually pair it with, or replace it by, a bot-based meeting assistant.