My Honest Review of Granola AI Note Taker

If you spend your day in meetings or online calls, keeping track of everything can be difficult. This is where Granola AI Note Taker comes in. Granola is an AI-powered tool that helps you take notes automatically during meetings.

It listens to your conversation, converts the audio into written notes, and organizes the content for you. Unlike many AI bots that join your calls, Granola works quietly in the background. It does not join as a participant or record your screen. It just listens and transcribes.

That makes it one of the cleanest and most private AI note taking tools I have used so far.

My First Impression of Granola

When I first visited the website, I was greeted by a simple Granola AI logo and a minimal interface. It looked neat and easy to understand. The signup process was quick, and installation took only a few minutes.

But there is one important thing to know: Granola requires you to download software on your computer. It works only with Google Workspace accounts. So if you use Gmail for personal work, you might face a small issue.

I wanted to test it for freelance work, but since I use a business email linked to Google Workspace, setup was smooth.

How to Get Granola for a Personal Account

At the moment, Granola AI Note Taker is designed mainly for business users. If you want to know how to get Granola for a personal account, you need to request access or check their updates for individual plans.

You can still install it, but you might not get full access unless your email is connected to a Google Workspace domain. This is a limitation for students or freelancers who work with personal Gmail accounts.

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How Granola AI Works

Granola runs in the background and listens to your device’s audio output. It transcribes what it hears in real time, but here’s the interesting part:

• It does not record audio or video.
• It does not join calls as a bot.
• It only transcribes live conversations from your computer.

This means you can use it for any platform — Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Skype — without any integration setup. I tested it across these platforms, and the transcription was smooth in all of them.

Granola also handled a mix of English and another language quite well. I even tried it on a short online language session, and it still understood the main sentences accurately.

However, because it does not record, there’s no way to replay or double-check the audio later. This is something you need to remember if accuracy is critical for your work.

Features of Granola AI Note Taking

Here’s what I noticed while using Granola Note Taking software:

Feature	Description
Live Transcription	Transcribes meetings and calls in real time
No Bot Required	Works without joining the meeting as a participant
Supports All Platforms	Works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and others
Data Privacy	Does not save recordings; transcribes only from your system audio
AI Summaries	Creates automatic summaries of your discussions
Multilingual Support	Detects and transcribes different languages automatically

This setup makes Granola great for people who prefer minimal setup and want quick results.

What I Liked About Granola AI Note Taker

The biggest benefit for me was the seamless experience. I didn’t need to invite a bot to my calls or grant special permissions. I could just open the software and start my meeting.

It worked quietly in the background, transcribing everything I said and heard. I liked that it could handle long meetings without lag. The live transcription was surprisingly accurate.

Another small detail I liked was the way it highlighted key sentences automatically. It made it easier to review later.

I also liked how I could organize my notes by meeting name or date. It reminded me of using a simple granola notetaker notebook, only smarter and faster.

What I Did Not Like

No tool is perfect, and Granola AI Note Taker also has its downsides.

First, the fact that it only works with Google Workspace emails is a big limitation. It excludes a large number of users who rely on personal accounts.

Second, while it transcribes well, it cannot record audio or video. If you want to replay your meeting, that’s not possible. You only get the text notes. This can be a problem if the transcription makes mistakes or misses small parts of the conversation.

Another point that concerns me is data usage. Granola trains its AI on your data unless you opt out under the enterprise plan. They say it’s anonymized, but there are no clear details on how that anonymization works.

So if you handle sensitive business calls, you should keep this in mind.

My Experience During Testing

I tested Granola for one week. During that time, I used it on Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.

The software automatically detected when my meetings started and asked if I wanted to transcribe them. I liked that I didn’t need to press many buttons. It felt like a hands-free experience.

For simple meetings and online classes, the transcriptions were almost perfect. For fast-paced conversations, it missed a few words, but that’s normal for most AI transcription tools.

The Granola note taking experience was clean. It organized my notes into sessions, and I could review each one after the meeting. However, I wished it had more tagging or folder options like Notion AI or Otter.

Still, for basic transcription, it did the job well.

Granola AI Pricing and Plans

When I used Granola, there was a free trial version. Now, they have changed it into a Basic free plan. The details are not completely clear on what’s included. Earlier, the free version allowed up to 25 conversations.

Currently, the free plan has limited transcription access. You’ll need to upgrade for unlimited usage or enterprise features.

The paid plans include access to enterprise settings, team management, and the option to disable AI training on your data. Pricing may vary depending on your plan and company type.

Pros and Cons Summary

Pros	Cons
No bot joins the call	Works only with Google Workspace
Fast and accurate transcription	Cannot record audio or video
Works across multiple platforms	Limited organization tools
Simple interface	Data privacy not fully transparent
Easy to use	No playback option

Best Use Cases

Based on my test, here’s who will benefit most from Granola software:

• Professionals who attend many meetings and want quick notes.
• Remote workers who need summaries of client calls.
• People who want a bot-free note taking experience.
• Users who prefer privacy and no recording.
• Teams using Google Workspace for collaboration.

However, if you need deep meeting analytics, playback, or team-wide note management, you might need a different tool.

Comparison with Other Tools

I have used other AI note takers like Fireflies, Otter, and Notta. Compared to them, Granola feels simpler.

It focuses only on transcription, not analysis or workflow automation. Tools like Otter provide replay and audio storage, while Granola focuses on keeping the experience light.

If you just want notes without bots or complex setups, Granola notetaker is perfect. If you want full meeting management, you might find it limited.

My Final Verdict

After a full week of testing, my conclusion is simple:
Granola AI Note Taker is a clean, minimal, and efficient tool for people who want quick and accurate meeting notes.

It’s not built for those who need recordings or deep analytics. It’s built for those who value simplicity and privacy.

The transcription quality is strong, and the interface is easy for beginners. However, the lack of clear pricing on the free plan and limited personal account access are small drawbacks.

For everyday professionals, Granola is a great choice if you want a no-bot, no-hassle transcription experience. It does what it promises: takes notes quietly, quickly, and efficiently.

Final Thoughts

The Granola AI Note Taker is a solid option if you want a smart and simple transcription tool for your meetings. It’s especially useful for professionals who prefer not to invite bots or deal with complicated integrations.

It’s fast, clean, and accurate enough for everyday work. However, it still has room to improve in terms of account flexibility, organization, and data transparency.

If you’re okay with these limitations, Granola is definitely worth trying. It’s one of those tools that quietly make your work easier, one meeting at a time.

FAQs

1. What is Granola AI Note Taker used for?
Granola is used for automatic note taking and transcription during online meetings. It helps users capture conversations in text form without recording video or audio.

2. How does Granola record meetings?
Granola does not record meetings. It listens to your device’s audio and transcribes in real time, so no recording or playback is available.

3. Can I use Granola with a personal email account?
Currently, Granola works only with Google Workspace accounts. Personal Gmail accounts may not have full access, but updates for individual users are expected.

4. Does Granola AI train on my data?
Yes, Granola trains its AI using user data unless you opt out in the Enterprise plan. The data is anonymized, but details of the anonymization process are not fully clear.