AI notetaker that records, transcribes, summarizes and searches meetings across Zoom, Meet and Teams.
Granola vs Read.ai
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Summary
Granola is best for professionals who want bot-free AI notes that build on their own jotted notes, while Read.ai is best for teams that want meeting notes plus search across meetings, email and messages. Both Granola and Read.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 Read.ai if…
- You need teams that want meeting notes plus search across meetings, email and messages
- You're one of: managers and team leads, sales teams, knowledge workers juggling email and meetings
- Search spans meetings, email and messaging, not just calls
At a glance
| Granola | Read.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Professionals who want bot-free AI notes that build on their own jotted notes | Teams that want meeting notes plus search across meetings, email and messages |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | From $14/user/mo | From $15/seat/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 | Managers and team leads, Sales teams, Knowledge workers juggling email and meetings, Coaches tracking meeting effectiveness |
Feature comparison
| Granola | Read.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Records without a bot joining | Yes | Yes |
| Meeting platforms | Any (device audio) | Zoom, Meet, Teams, Webex |
| Transcription languages | 30+ languages | 16+ 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 | Paid plans only |
| Translation | Limited | Limited |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Granola | Read.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 (BAA) |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | Yes |
| Data residency options | — | — |
| No training on your data | Enterprise plan | — |
| 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
Read.ai
Read.ai records and summarizes meetings on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, with bot-based or bot-free capture on desktop and mobile. Beyond meetings, its Ask Read search connects meetings, email and chat to answer questions, and it adds engagement and sentiment metrics plus a meeting coach.
Key features- Meeting reports with summaries, action items and topics
- Bot or bot-free capture across web, desktop and mobile
- Ask Read search across meetings, email and messages
- Speaker-separated transcripts with sentiment and engagement scores
- Salesforce and HubSpot integration
- Upload audio and video to generate reports
Pricing
Granola
Free plan: yes (limited). Paid from ~$14/user/mo (Business)
Read.ai
Free plan: yes. Paid from ~$15/seat/mo billed annually (Pro)
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.
Read.ai
Strengths- Search spans meetings, email and messaging, not just calls
- Engagement and talk-time metrics for self-coaching
- Apps on every major platform including in-person capture
- Reports available in 16+ languages
- Free plan limited to a few meeting transcripts per month
- Upload minutes are capped on paid plans
- CRM integrations require premium tiers
- Engagement scoring can feel intrusive to some participants
Not ideal for: People who only want plain transcripts without analytics or connected inboxes may find the scope broader than necessary.
Integrations
Granola
Read.ai
FAQ
What is the main difference between Granola and Read.ai?
Granola is built for professionals who want bot-free AI notes that build on their own jotted notes; Read.ai is built for teams that want meeting notes plus search across meetings, email and messages.
Is Granola or Read.ai cheaper?
Granola starts from $14/user/mo and Read.ai starts from $15/seat/mo (as of September 2026). On entry price, Granola is cheaper — but compare what each plan includes, since limits differ. Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Granola and Read.ai have free plans?
Both Granola and Read.ai offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which is easier to use, Granola or Read.ai?
Both have a low learning curve.
What are good alternatives to Granola and Read.ai?
Other meetings tools worth comparing include Fireflies.ai, Otter.ai and Fathom.
