AI notetaker that records, transcribes, summarizes and searches meetings across Zoom, Meet and Teams.
Granola vs tl;dv
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 tl;dv is best for teams that want free unlimited video recordings with multi-language notes and CRM updates. Only tl;dv offers transcribe uploaded files. Both Granola and tl;dv 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 tl;dv if…
- You need teams that want free unlimited video recordings with multi-language notes and CRM updates
- Transcribe uploaded files matters to you
- You're one of: sales teams, customer success and account managers, user researchers
- Generous free plan for video recording
At a glance
| Granola | tl;dv | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Professionals who want bot-free AI notes that build on their own jotted notes | Teams that want free unlimited video recordings with multi-language notes and CRM updates |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | From $14/user/mo | From €18/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 | Sales teams, Customer success and account managers, User researchers, Remote-first startups |
Feature comparison
| Granola | tl;dv | |
|---|---|---|
| Records without a bot joining | Yes | Yes |
| Meeting platforms | Any (device audio) | Meet, Zoom, Teams, any via desktop |
| Transcription languages | 30+ languages | 30+ languages |
| CRM sync | Yes | Paid plans only |
| Ask AI across meetings | Yes | Business plan only |
| Speaker identification | Limited | Yes |
| In-person / mobile recording | Yes | Yes |
| Transcribe uploaded files | No | Yes |
| Translation | Limited | Yes |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Granola | tl;dv | |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | — | — |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | Yes |
| Data residency options | — | EU |
| No training on your data | Enterprise plan | Yes |
| Audit logs | — | Enterprise plan |
| Admin controls | Enterprise plan | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud (desktop app) | Cloud, private AI hosting |
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
tl;dv
tl;dv records Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams meetings as video, transcribes them and generates AI notes, either through a bot or bot-free via its desktop app. Its free plan includes unlimited recordings, and paid tiers add CRM syncing, unlimited AI notes and team-wide meeting intelligence that answers questions across calls.
Key features- Unlimited video recording and transcription on the free plan
- Bot or bot-free capture via desktop app for any platform
- Transcription and notes in 30+ languages
- HubSpot, Salesforce and Pipedrive syncing
- Ask AI within a meeting; multi-meeting AI reports on Business
- Mobile app for in-person meetings
Pricing
Granola
Free plan: yes (limited). Paid from ~$14/user/mo (Business)
tl;dv
Free plan; Pro EUR 18/seat/mo annual (EUR 29 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.
tl;dv
Strengths- Generous free plan for video recording
- Good multi-language support for European teams
- Timestamped highlights and clips for sharing
- Records any desktop meeting app bot-free
- Free plan caps AI notes at 10 meetings and limits Ask AI queries
- Cross-meeting AI search and coaching require the top tier
- Free plan allows only 5 file uploads
- Fewer languages than tools advertising 100+
Not ideal for: Small teams that need cross-meeting AI search on a budget may find it locked behind the most expensive plan.
Integrations
Granola
tl;dv
FAQ
What is the main difference between Granola and tl;dv?
Granola is built for professionals who want bot-free AI notes that build on their own jotted notes; tl;dv is built for teams that want free unlimited video recordings with multi-language notes and CRM updates. Key differences: tl;dv offers transcribe uploaded files.
Is Granola or tl;dv cheaper?
Granola starts from $14/user/mo and tl;dv starts from €18/seat/mo (as of September 2026). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Granola and tl;dv have free plans?
Both Granola and tl;dv offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which is easier to use, Granola or tl;dv?
Both have a low learning curve.
What are good alternatives to Granola and tl;dv?
Other meetings tools worth comparing include Fireflies.ai, Otter.ai and Fathom.
