Granola Review 2025: The Privacy-First AI Meeting Assistant

Overview

Granola represents a new approach to AI meeting notes, prioritizing user control and privacy over automation. Founded in March 2023 and based in London, Granola has quickly gained traction among executives and VCs who value discretion in their meetings.

Quick Stats

Feature	Details
Starting Price	Free (25 meetings/month)
Pro Price	$10/user/month
Key Differentiator	No meeting bots
Best For	Privacy-conscious professionals
Languages	Multiple with auto-translation
Platform Focus	Originally Mac, now cross-platform

Key Features

Bot-Free Meeting Enhancement

Unlike competitors like Otter.ai or Fireflies, Granola never adds a bot to your meetings. Instead, it records directly from your system audio, maintaining meeting privacy while still capturing everything important.

This approach eliminates awkward moments of explaining why there’s an AI participant, making it ideal for sensitive discussions, client meetings, or situations where recording bots might be inappropriate.

User-Guided AI Enhancement

Granola’s unique “collaborative AI” approach lets you guide how your notes are enhanced. Rather than fully automated summaries, you maintain control over what’s emphasized and how information is structured. The AI enhances your notes based on your input, not predetermined templates.

GPT-4o Powered Intelligence

Leveraging OpenAI’s latest GPT-4o model, Granola provides:

• High-accuracy transcription
• Intelligent summarization
• Action item extraction
• Key decision highlighting
• Automatic translation between languages

Privacy and Security

Granola’s privacy-first design includes:

• Local audio processing
• No cloud recording storage
• End-to-end encryption
• GDPR compliance
• No third-party data sharing

Use Case Examples

Executive Leadership Meetings

💡 Pro Tip: Granola excels in C-suite meetings where discretion is paramount. No visible bots means more open discussions.

Senior executives use Granola for:

• Board meetings
• Strategic planning sessions
• Confidential negotiations
• Performance reviews
• M&A discussions

Venture Capital and Investment

VCs and investors particularly value Granola for:

• Pitch meetings without intimidating founders
• Due diligence calls
• Partner meetings
• Portfolio company updates
• LP communications

Client-Facing Professionals

Consultants, lawyers, and advisors use Granola to:

• Capture client requirements discretely
• Document advisory sessions
• Track project discussions
• Maintain meeting records for compliance

Integrations

While Granola has fewer integrations than established players like Gong or Chorus, it covers essentials:

• Meeting Platforms: Works with any (Zoom, Teams, Meet, etc.)
• Calendar: Google Calendar, Outlook
• Note Storage: Notion, Obsidian, Apple Notes
• Productivity: Slack (coming soon)

Getting Started

1. Download the App: Available for Mac (primary), Windows, and iOS
2. Grant Permissions: Allow system audio access (privacy-focused)
3. Join Your Meeting: Granola runs in background
4. Guide Enhancement: Add your notes during or after the meeting
5. Review AI Enhancements: Accept, modify, or regenerate summaries

💡 Quick Start: The free tier’s 25 meetings/month is perfect for testing Granola’s unique approach without commitment.

Pricing Breakdown

Free Plan

• 25 meetings/month
• Basic AI features
• All core functionality
• No time limits per meeting

Pro Plan ($10/month)

• Unlimited meetings
• Advanced AI features
• Priority processing
• Enhanced formatting options
• Email support

Enterprise Plan

• Custom pricing
• Team collaboration features
• SSO/SAML
• Admin controls
• Dedicated support
• Custom AI training

Compared to alternatives like MeetGeek ($15/month) or Avoma ($19/month), Granola offers competitive pricing with a unique value proposition.

Granola vs Competitors

Granola vs Otter.ai

• Granola: No bots, user-guided, $10/month
• Otter: Bot required, automated, $8.33/month
• Winner: Granola for privacy, Otter for automation

Granola vs Fathom

• Granola: Collaborative AI, cross-platform
• Fathom: Automated summaries, generous free tier
• Winner: Tie - different approaches for different needs

Granola vs Tactiq

• Granola: Native app, any meeting platform
• Tactiq: Chrome extension, browser-based only
• Winner: Granola for flexibility, Tactiq for simplicity

Verdict

Granola is the ideal choice for professionals who prioritize meeting privacy and want AI assistance without sacrificing control. While it may lack the deep analytics of enterprise tools like Gong or the extensive automation of Fireflies, its unique bot-free approach fills an important niche.

Choose Granola if you:

• Value meeting privacy above all
• Want AI help without full automation
• Conduct sensitive or high-stakes meetings
• Prefer user-guided over fully automated notes

Look elsewhere if you:

• Need deep conversation analytics
• Want extensive CRM integrations
• Require team coaching features
• Prefer hands-off automation

For privacy-conscious professionals tired of explaining meeting bots, Granola offers a refreshing alternative that enhances productivity without compromising discretion.