AI notetaker that records, transcribes, summarizes and searches meetings across Zoom, Meet and Teams.
Granola vs Sonix
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 Sonix is best for transcribing and translating uploaded recordings with pay-per-hour pricing. Only Granola offers cRM sync. Only Sonix offers transcribe uploaded files. Granola has a free plan, while Sonix offers a free trial.
Which should you choose?
Choose Granola if…
- You need professionals who want bot-free AI notes that build on their own jotted notes
- CRM sync matters to you
- You're one of: founders and investors, consultants, product managers
- You want a free plan (Sonix only has a trial)
Choose Sonix if…
- You need transcribing and translating uploaded recordings with pay-per-hour pricing
- Transcribe uploaded files matters to you
- You're one of: podcasters and video producers, researchers transcribing interviews, media and legal teams
- Pay-as-you-go option suits occasional users
At a glance
| Granola | Sonix | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Professionals who want bot-free AI notes that build on their own jotted notes | Transcribing and translating uploaded recordings with pay-per-hour pricing |
| Free plan | Yes | Trial only |
| Starting price | From $14/user/mo | From $10/hr |
| Learning curve | Low | Low |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | Web, API |
| Ideal for | Founders and investors, Consultants, Product managers, People in back-to-back meetings | Podcasters and video producers, Researchers transcribing interviews, Media and legal teams, Developers needing a transcription API |
Feature comparison
| Granola | Sonix | |
|---|---|---|
| Records without a bot joining | Yes | Limited |
| Meeting platforms | Any (device audio) | Imports from Zoom, Meet, Teams, Webex |
| Transcription languages | 30+ languages | 54+ languages |
| CRM sync | Yes | No |
| Ask AI across meetings | Yes | Limited |
| Speaker identification | Limited | Yes |
| In-person / mobile recording | Yes | Web recorder only |
| Transcribe uploaded files | No | Yes |
| Translation | Limited | Yes |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Granola | Sonix | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | Enterprise plan | Enterprise plan |
| SCIM user provisioning | Enterprise plan | — |
| SOC 2 | Type II | Type II |
| ISO 27001 | — | Yes |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | BAA available |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | Yes |
| Data residency options | — | — |
| No training on your data | Enterprise plan | — |
| Audit logs | — | — |
| Admin controls | Enterprise plan | Yes |
| 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
Sonix
Sonix is an automated transcription service where you upload audio or video and receive a timestamped, speaker-labelled transcript you can edit in the browser. It supports transcription and translation in 50+ languages, subtitle generation and AI analysis such as summaries, chapters and sentiment. It does not send a bot to join live meetings.
Key features- Automated transcription in 54+ languages
- Machine translation into 54+ languages
- In-browser transcript editor with speaker labels and timestamps
- AI summaries, chapters and sentiment analysis
- Subtitle generation and burn-in
- API, webhooks and Zapier automation
Pricing
Granola
Free plan: yes (limited). Paid from ~$14/user/mo (Business)
Sonix
30-min free trial; Pay-as-you-go $10/hr; Core subscription $25/mo
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.
Sonix
Strengths- Pay-as-you-go option suits occasional users
- Good editor for correcting and exporting transcripts
- Translation built into the same workflow
- Developer API and compliance options (SOC 2, HIPAA)
- No meeting bot to auto-join scheduled calls
- No dedicated mobile app
- No CRM integrations
- Per-hour transcription charges on top of subscriptions add up for heavy use
Not ideal for: Anyone who wants meetings recorded and summarized automatically without uploading files should use a meeting notetaker instead.
Integrations
Granola
Sonix
FAQ
What is the main difference between Granola and Sonix?
Granola is built for professionals who want bot-free AI notes that build on their own jotted notes; Sonix is built for transcribing and translating uploaded recordings with pay-per-hour pricing. Key differences: Granola offers cRM sync; Sonix offers transcribe uploaded files.
Is Granola or Sonix cheaper?
Granola starts from $14/user/mo and Sonix starts from $10/hr (as of September 2026). On entry price, Sonix is cheaper — but compare what each plan includes, since limits differ. Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Granola and Sonix have free plans?
Granola has a free plan, while Sonix offers a free trial.
Which is easier to use, Granola or Sonix?
Both have a low learning curve.
What are good alternatives to Granola and Sonix?
Other meetings tools worth comparing include Fireflies.ai, Otter.ai and Fathom.
