Granola is more than a favorite crunchy breakfast snack in your bowl or pantry. For thousands of users, it's also their go-to AI-powered meeting assistant.
In 2025, all the most productive professionals are using one. Manual note-taking is an irritating distraction that pulls your focus away from the actual words being spoken — and it’s quickly becoming obsolete.
However, more and more people are realizing that Granola isn't the best option among AI note takers. In this guide, we'll cover:
- Why users are moving away from Granola,
- Which AI note-takers do professionals use instead, and
- Pricing and pros and cons of our top Granola alternatives.
Let's get into it.
TL;DR
- Granola AI is a capable AI note-taker but lacks video and audio recording, limits integrations, supports only Google Calendar, and doesn’t identify speakers accurately.
- These issues make it less practical for sales teams, remote professionals, and users who need full meeting visibility or CRM automation.
- Bluedot is the best overall Granola AI alternative. It records both audio and video, labels speakers automatically, integrates directly with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Slack, and works through a browser no desktop app or meeting bot required.
- Otter.ai offers solid transcription accuracy and supports both Google and Outlook calendars, but its CRM features sit behind premium plans, and it lacks built-in video capture.
- Fireflies.ai provides deep customization with its AskFred AI assistant and searchable transcripts but relies on credit-based limits and supports only one language per session.
- Notta.ai excels at multilingual transcription and admin control but restricts screen recording and bilingual translation to higher-priced tiers.
4 Reasons to Find a Granola Alternative
Granola isn't the worst AI note taker.
Once its meeting bot joins your call, Granola takes fairly accurate meeting transcriptions.
The AI tool then writes and formats your meeting notes — summarizing the key points of your conversations and providing valuable insights. And it has mobile support, though only for iPhone.
However, Granola has 4 significant downsides compared to competing AI meeting assistants, including:
- No voice or video recordings,
- Limited calendar support,
- Few CRM integrations, and
- No speaker differentiation.
We'll delve into each problem with Granola before recommending worthy replacements.
#1: No Audio / Video Recording
Granola doesn't record meeting video or audio — leaving you only with a meeting transcription and an AI-written summary.
Without a recording, you lose subtext and nuance in each word. You can't revisit a recording to judge a person's tone or body language. Plus, you can't verify who said what in case of a dispute.
For sales calls, this is a major downside. It's like a coach not being able to watch the game tape and spot mistakes or successful plays. And, no video also means no screen sharing or presentation visuals.
#2: Limited Calendar Support
Natively, Granola AI only supports Google Calendar, and you can only log in with a Google account. There’s no direct integration or login option for Outlook.
Instead, you have to jump through hoops and sync your Outlook Calendar to your Google Calendar first. Only then can Granola detect your meetings from Google Calendar.
If your team mainly uses Microsoft tools, getting Granola to work smoothly will take extra effort.
#3: Few Native CRM Integrations
Unfortunately, Granola AI doesn’t support popular CRMs like Salesforce or Zoho.
Its only integration is with HubSpot, and even that is limited. You can attach meeting notes to a HubSpot contact, but you must do it manually in Granola’s settings each time you want to sync data and notes.
For larger teams that rely on an integrated tech stack, this lack of automation is a dealbreaker. You might as well copy and paste notes from Granola to HubSpot yourself.
#4: No Speaker Differentiation
Unlike most Granola AI alternatives, this app doesn't support live speaker identification via voice.
Only Granola's iPhone app can distinguish between different speakers during face-to-face meetings. And it only labels them as Speaker A, Speaker B, and so on.
On the desktop app, transcripts show only “Me” and “Them,” based on your microphone input and system audio.
This means you can’t easily trace who said what in group meetings. In some cases, the Granola's AI summary can attribute statements to individuals, but that's not visible in the transcript — and isn't always correct.
What Are the Best Granola Alternatives?
Plenty of other AI note takers record each word and provide the features missing from Granola — for a similar or lower price.
With that in mind, here's a quick overview of our top 4 Granola alternatives:
Let's examine each app in more detail.
#1: Bluedot — Best Granola AI Alternative Overall
Bluedot is an AI note taker that provides accurate meeting transcriptions and summaries in 100+ languages. Let's see how it fares against Granola.
How Does Bluedot Work?
Unlike Granola, Bluedot can record your screen, camera, and audio — giving you and your team a complete view of each meeting and spoken word.
As a result, you can always go back to any presentation slide or visual cue. You can even edit the video and eliminate long pauses or entire sentences just by editing the transcript — no complex workflow required.
While Granola requires a Google account, Bluedot offers more flexibility. You can sign in with either a Google or Microsoft account and connect your Outlook calendar directly to the platform.
Also, Bluedot offers native, automated CRM integrations with:
- Salesforce — Bluedot's notes and a recording link automatically appear on the Task tab for each relevant Salesforce contact.
- HubSpot — Bluedot automatically stores meeting information related to sales opportunities or deals in relevant HubSpot properties.
Once you connect your HubSpot or Salesforce account to Bluedot, data syncs automatically. You don’t need to transfer each data point manually as you do with Granola.
Finally, the platform also avoids Granola's biggest hurdle: limited speaker identification. Bluedot automatically labels each meeting participant in the transcript, and you can adjust those labels manually if needed.
Also, Bluedot automatically creates a visual report that highlights each speaker’s performance during the meeting.
These insights show you how each person contributed in past meetings, which is especially valuable for larger teams.
Bluedot Pros and Cons
To help users make an informed choice, here's the tl;dr of Bluedot's advantages and drawbacks:
Bluedot Pricing
Curious about Bluedot's prices? Here's a breakdown of Bluedot's various subscription tiers:
#2: Otter.ai – Best for Simple Meeting Notes
Otter.ai is an AI note-taking platform that automatically records each word and transcribes meetings as you talk. Like most AI note takers, Otter.ai gives access creates notes and summaries based on those transcriptions.
How Does Otter.ai Work?
Note that you can't record footage directly with Otter. To get a transcript of your meetings, you can either:
- Import your own video and audio recordings of past meetings, or
- Have the platform's meeting bot (OtterPilot) join a call and transcribe it in real time.
If you import your own recordings into Otter, you can view the footage side by side with the transcript — but Otter doesn't record video on its own. Of course, it's still an upgrade over Granola, which doesn't let you view video or audio of the meetings at all.
In terms of CRM and app integrations, Otter is also stronger than Granola. It connects directly with Salesforce and HubSpot, automatically logging transcripts and meeting insights into both platforms.
However, Otter locks many integrations behind higher-tier plans.
For example, users can only sync data, notes & comments with HubSpot and Salesforce in the costly Enterprise tier. In contrast, many platforms like Bluedot give access to similar features in more affordable subscriptions.
Unlike Granola, Otter natively integrates with both Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar, syncing meeting data from each.
In terms of speaker labeling, Otter is also a worthy Granola alternative. It automatically recognizes and labels different speakers during transcription. After that, you can manually edit speaker labels to correct any mistakes.
Otter.ai Pros and Cons
To learn more about the platform, see our extensive Otter.ai review. And for a quick look at Otter's pros and cons, check out the table below:
Otter.ai Pricing
Check out the table below for a detailed look at Otter's pricing plans:
#3: Fireflies.ai – Best for Customizable Meeting Summaries
Fireflies.ai is an AI meeting assistant that automatically records, transcribes, and summarizes conversations. It provides teams with searchable notes and AI-generated summaries across their meetings.
How Does Fireflies.ai Work?
Fireflies connects directly to your schedule to identify upcoming meetings. When a session begins, its virtual bot can automatically join Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams to record each word and transcribe your conversation.
If you use another app to record meetings, you can also upload your audio and video files to Fireflies and convert audio to text.
Once the call is over, Fireflies automatically produces a full transcript with labeled speakers, timestamps, and AI-generated highlights. The transcript is shared in your workspace, where you can:
- Search by keyword,
- Filter by speaker, or
- Click on any section to focus on a specific moment.
The built-in AskFred AI assistant lets you interact with recorded meetings conversationally. You can ask questions like “What were the main action items?” or “Summarize the client feedback after this break”. Plus, you can customize the AI summaries and choose which sections they'll include — like action items, outlines, timestamps, etc.
Fireflies generates a short, cited answer from your transcript. Also, the platform integrates with CRMs like HubSpot and project management tools like Slack, Notion, and HubSpot.
However, Fireflies may not be your ideal Granola alternative due to several drawbacks. Some users mention delays when the bot joins meetings.
The platform's AI credits system is also frustrating because AskFred queries and advanced searches quickly spend credits on lower tiers. Also, the time limits may be too low on the less expensive subscriptions.
Furthermore, Fireflies currently supports one language per session.
It's a far cry from competitors like Bluedot, which can translate every word in multiple languages — in a single session. As a result, Fireflies is less practical for global, diverse teams.
Some users also mention slow customer support and difficulty deactivating the bot after canceling the service.
Fireflies.ai Pros and Cons
Think Fireflies is the cool Granola alternative you need? Learn more in our detailed Fireflies.ai review first, and think about its upsides and downsides:
Fireflies.ai Pricing
Here's a quick overview of Fireflies' different price tiers:
#4: Notta.ai – Best for Multilingual Transcription
Notta.ai is a lightweight, multilingual transcription tool that supports real-time meeting recording, uploaded file transcription, and AI-powered summarization. But is it a worthy Granola alternative? Let's dive in and see.
How Does Notta.ai Work?
Notta’s bot assistant can be set to auto-join your scheduled meetings to record and transcribe in real time. You can also use in-browser recording without a bot, or upload audio or video files of past recordings.
After a meeting, Notta will transcribe any speech into text, apply speaker labels, and highlight key moments.
It also generates AI summaries using built-in templates. Depending on your use case, it will focus on different insights and action items. Right now, Notta has custom templates for:
- Consulting,
- Customer success,
- Sales,
- Media & podcasting, and
- Education.
Notta also gives users access to fine-tuning options over the bot’s behavior.
Admins can rename the bot, choose whether it records video or just audio, and disable the standard “recording” banner that notifies participants. In sensitive communication with clients, this is a great way to make the bot less obtrusive.
On higher-tier subscriptions, Notta includes screen recording alongside transcript capture. With this feature, you can archive visual walkthroughs and shared content — not just the conversation.
That said, some of these features don't work as well as users would hope. Screen recording is available only on Business or Enterprise tiers. Plus, one of the platform's key points, bi-lingual translation, is only available as a paid add-on.
Also, bear in mind that Notta tracks and deducts usage from your monthly quota religiously.
Each minute of transcription, summarization, translation, or file upload consumes your monthly points — which run out pretty fast.
Notta.ai Pros and Cons
Stuck with Granola and thinking of switching? Check out our in-depth Notta.ai review first, and consider its pros and cons:
Notta.ai Pricing
Here's what you get with different Notta.ai subscriptions:
What's the Best Granola Alternative With a Free Plan?
Ultimately, Bluedot provides users the most value for its price — especially compared to Granola. Its free plan is a great way for professionals to familiarize themselves with the platform, which:
- Connects effortlessly to tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Notion,
- Records both audio and video directly in the browser,
- Supports a bot-free experience,
- Integrates with Google and Outlook calendars,
- Transcribes and summarizes meetings in 100+ languages.
Don't waste your focus on manual note-taking and money on AI tools that don't give your team enough value.
