AI notetaker that records, transcribes, summarizes and searches meetings across Zoom, Meet and Teams.
Granola vs Otter.ai
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Editor’s verdict
Granola is a bot-free AI notepad that enhances the notes you type, while Otter.ai is a full transcription service with a meeting bot, live transcript and file imports. Choose Granola if you dislike bots joining calls, want notes structured around what you personally flagged, and meet across many different apps on Mac, Windows or mobile. Choose Otter.ai if you want a live, speaker-labelled transcript during the meeting, need to import recorded audio or video files, or want a bot that records meetings you cannot attend. Granola does not record video or transcribe uploaded files, and its speaker attribution is weaker in group calls. Otter transcribes only six languages, while Granola supports around 30. Teams that need video recordings with clips and CRM-focused analytics may find neither a good fit and should look at bot-based sales recorders.
Both Granola and Otter.ai offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which should you choose?
Choose Granola if…
- You need professionals who want bot-free AI notes that build on their own jotted notes
- You're one of: founders and investors, consultants, product managers
- No bot joins the call, so it works with any meeting app
Choose Otter.ai if…
- You need english-first live transcription for meetings, lectures and in-person conversations
- Transcribe uploaded files matters to you
- You're one of: students and educators, journalists, sales and account teams
- Mature live transcript with editable speaker tags
At a glance
| Granola | Otter.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Professionals who want bot-free AI notes that build on their own jotted notes | English-first live transcription for meetings, lectures and in-person conversations |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | From $14/user/mo | From $8.33/user/mo |
| Learning curve | Low | Low |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome extension |
| Ideal for | Founders and investors, Consultants, Product managers, People in back-to-back meetings | Students and educators, Journalists, Sales and account teams, English-speaking remote teams |
Feature comparison
| Granola | Otter.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Records without a bot joining | Yes | Yes |
| Meeting platforms | Any (device audio) | Zoom, Meet, Teams |
| Transcription languages | 30+ languages | 6 languages |
| CRM sync | Yes | Paid plans only |
| Ask AI across meetings | Yes | Yes |
| Speaker identification | Limited | Yes |
| In-person / mobile recording | Yes | Yes |
| Transcribe uploaded files | No | Yes |
| Translation | Limited | — |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Granola | Otter.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | Enterprise plan | Enterprise plan |
| SCIM user provisioning | Enterprise plan | Enterprise plan |
| SOC 2 | Type II | Type II |
| ISO 27001 | — | — |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | Enterprise plan |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | — |
| Data residency options | — | — |
| No training on your data | Enterprise plan | De-identified data only |
| Audit logs | — | — |
| Admin controls | Enterprise plan | Enterprise plan |
| Deployment | Cloud (desktop app) | Cloud |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
Granola
Granola is an AI notepad that captures meeting audio directly from your device without a bot joining the call. You type rough notes during the meeting and Granola combines them with the transcript to produce structured notes afterwards. It runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android and supports chat across past meetings.
Key features- Bot-free device-audio capture on desktop and mobile
- Enhances your own notes with the transcript using templates
- Chat across meetings and folders
- Mobile apps for in-person meetings
- HubSpot, Attio and Affinity CRM integrations
- MCP connector for Claude and ChatGPT
Otter.ai
Otter.ai transcribes meetings in real time through its OtterPilot bot on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, via a bot-free desktop app, or through its mobile apps for in-person conversations. It generates summaries and action items, and Otter AI Chat answers questions within and across meetings. Higher tiers add CRM syncing and admin controls.
Key features- Live transcription with speaker identification by name
- OtterPilot bot for Zoom, Meet and Teams
- Bot-free recording via Mac and Windows desktop app
- Otter AI Chat within and across meetings
- Salesforce and HubSpot note syncing
- Import of audio and video files
Pricing
Granola
Free plan: yes (limited). Paid from ~$14/user/mo (Business)
Otter.ai
Free Basic plan (300 min/mo); Pro $8.33/user/mo annual ($16.99 monthly)
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
Granola
Strengths- No bot joins the call, so it works with any meeting app
- Notes reflect what you flagged as important
- Clean, simple interface with little setup
- Available on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android
- No video recording; audio transcript only
- Speaker attribution is limited compared with bot-based tools
- Free tier keeps only a limited meeting history
- Cannot transcribe uploaded audio or video files
Not ideal for: Teams that need video recordings, clip sharing or detailed per-speaker analytics should choose a bot-based recorder.
Otter.ai
Strengths- Mature live transcript with editable speaker tags
- Works for online meetings, in-person recordings and imports
- Mobile apps suited to lectures and interviews
- Cross-meeting AI chat included on paid plans
- Transcribes only six languages
- Free plan limits file imports to three in total
- AI Chat queries are capped per month on lower tiers
- No built-in translation of transcripts
Not ideal for: Teams that hold meetings in languages beyond English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese or Chinese should choose a tool with wider language support.
Integrations
Granola
Otter.ai
FAQ
What is the main difference between Granola and Otter.ai?
Granola is built for professionals who want bot-free AI notes that build on their own jotted notes; Otter.ai is built for english-first live transcription for meetings, lectures and in-person conversations. Key differences: Otter.ai offers transcribe uploaded files.
Is Granola or Otter.ai cheaper?
Granola starts from $14/user/mo and Otter.ai starts from $8.33/user/mo (as of September 2026). On entry price, Otter.ai is cheaper — but compare what each plan includes, since limits differ. Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Granola and Otter.ai have free plans?
Both Granola and Otter.ai offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which is easier to use, Granola or Otter.ai?
Both have a low learning curve.
What are good alternatives to Granola and Otter.ai?
Other meetings tools worth comparing include Fireflies.ai, Fathom and tl;dv.
