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Comparison · Meeting notesOtter.ai vs Granola
Initial editorial ratings, testing in progress. Scores are editorial judgments, not benchmark results, and will be replaced by hands-on test scores. Sponsors never affect scores.
Otter.ai and Granola both appear in our meeting notes ranking. This page puts them side by side: our current ratings, what each costs and includes according to its own pricing page (checked 2026-10-15), and which one to pick for which job. Where we could not verify something on the official site, we say so instead of guessing.
At a glance
| Otter.ai | Granola | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 8.5/10 | 8.0/10 |
| Why it ranks | Mature transcription, live notes | Notes without a bot joining |
| Pricing | Pro $16.99/user/month billed monthly ($8.49 billed annually, shown as a 50% saving); Business $30/user/month (shown at $24 with a 20%-off-for-3-months offer); Enterprise via demo. Prices in USD. | Business $14/user/month; Enterprise $35/user/month. |
| Free tier | Basic plan is free: 300 monthly transcription minutes, live transcription, speaker identification, 3 lifetime file imports, Zoom, Teams and Google Meet. | Basic plan at $0: AI meeting notes with limited meeting history, AI chat across meetings, shared folders and templates. |
| Best for | People who want to follow a live transcript during the call and need long, searchable records. | People whose clients or colleagues don't want a recording bot in the meeting. |
| Source | Checked 2026-10-15 on the official site | Checked 2026-10-15 on the official site |
Scores by criterion
Our methodology weights five criteria. Per-criterion scores come from hands-on testing, which hasn't been done yet for this category, so we show the weights and leave the scores blank instead of making numbers up. The overall ratings above are editorial.
| Criterion | Weight | Otter.ai | Granola |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output quality | 40% | Not yet tested | Not yet tested |
| Speed & reliability | 20% | Not yet tested | Not yet tested |
| Ease of use | 15% | Not yet tested | Not yet tested |
| Value | 15% | Not yet tested | Not yet tested |
| Privacy & trust | 10% | Not yet tested | Not yet tested |
Key differences
These solve different problems. Otter.ai joins and transcribes meetings with live notes; Granola takes notes without a bot joining. Granola's Business plan is $14 per user; Otter Pro is $16.99 monthly or $8.49 billed annually. Granola's free plan limits meeting history; Otter's limits minutes.
Otter.ai in brief
Otter.ai is the most established tool in this category, and its free Basic plan is still built around transcription minutes: 300 a month, with live transcription and speaker identification included. Paid plans lift the per-meeting cap (90 minutes on Pro, 4 hours on Business) and add CRM integrations. We rate it 8.5/10 for its mature transcription and live notes.
- Live transcription and speaker identification
- AI Chat within and across meetings
- Pro: 1,200 recording minutes, up to 90 minutes per meeting, Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier integrations
- Business: up to 4 hours per meeting, 3 concurrent meetings, admin analytics
- Enterprise: SSO/SCIM, HIPAA add-on, API and webhooks
Granola in brief
Granola's difference is that no bot joins your meeting; it takes notes alongside you. The free Basic plan limits how much meeting history you can see, and Business at $14 per user unlocks unlimited history and integrations. Its pricing page says you can opt out of model training at any time. We rate it 8.0/10.
- Takes notes without a bot joining the call
- Opt out of model training any time (all plans)
- Business: unlimited notes and history, advanced models, Attio, Notion, HubSpot, Affinity and Zapier integrations, MCP and API
- Enterprise: SSO, org-wide auto-deletion and training opt-out, usage analytics
- Mobile and phone-call notes
Which should you pick?
Verdict: Pick Granola if a recording bot in the call would bother your clients. Pick Otter.ai if you want a full live transcript and longer recording limits.
How that maps to our criteria:
- Output quality (40%): until testing is done, our editorial ratings are the best guide: Otter.ai 8.5/10, Granola 8.0/10. Otter.ai is rated higher.
- Value (15%): compare the free tiers in the table. Otter.ai: Basic plan is free: 300 monthly transcription minutes, live transcription, speaker identification, 3 lifetime file imports, Zoom, Teams and Google Meet. Granola: Basic plan at $0: AI meeting notes with limited meeting history, AI chat across meetings, shared folders and templates.
- Ease of use (15%): Otter.ai is best for people who want to follow a live transcript during the call and need long, searchable records. Granola is best for people whose clients or colleagues don't want a recording bot in the meeting.
- Speed & reliability (20%) and Privacy & trust (10%): not yet tested. Before you commit, read each vendor's data-retention and training settings on its own site.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Granola record a bot in the call?
- No. That's its main difference: notes are taken without a bot joining.
- Which is rated higher, Otter.ai or Granola?
- Otter.ai is rated higher in our initial editorial ratings (8.5 vs 8.0). These are not benchmark results; testing is in progress.
- How much does Otter.ai cost?
- Pro $16.99/user/month billed monthly ($8.49 billed annually, shown as a 50% saving); Business $30/user/month (shown at $24 with a 20%-off-for-3-months offer); Enterprise via demo. Prices in USD.
- How much does Granola cost?
- Business $14/user/month; Enterprise $35/user/month.
- When was pricing checked?
- On 2026-10-15, on each tool's official pricing page. Prices change often, so confirm on the vendor's site before you buy.
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