Head to head

Gong vs Grain

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Gong

Sales-quoted

Revenue AI that records and analyzes customer calls for sales and CS teams. Quote-based: per-user licenses plus a platform fee.

Where Gong fits

Sales teams that want call recording, coaching and deal warnings
Revenue leaders who already live in a major CRM
Enablement teams building call libraries and scorecards
CS teams reviewing customer conversations after handoff

Grain

$15/seat/mo Free tier 14 day free trial

General AI note taker that works with or without a bot and charges only for people who record. Free plan, plus a 14 day free trial of the paid Starter, Business and Enterprise plans.

Where Grain fits

Teams where a few people record and many people read
Recruiters sharing screening calls with hiring managers
Teams on Webex or Slack huddles as well as Zoom, Meet and Teams
Buyers who want monthly billing without an annual contract

At a glance

Detail	Gong	Grain
Starting price	Sales-quoted	$15/seat/mo
Free tier	–No	✓Yes
Free trial	Not on record	14 day free trial
MCP server	✓Yes	–No
Public API	✓Yes	–No
Listed under	AI note takers, Lead generation, CRM	AI note takers
Capterra	4.8 from 561 reviews	Not enough reviews

Where they pull apart

Gong

Stands out: Captures calls from web meetings, dialers and phones into one deal timeline, with a hosted MCP server for AI assistants.

Watch out: No public seat price. The platform fee scales with how many users you support. Built for GTM teams, not recruiting ops.

Not the right fit for

SMBs that need a published per-seat checkout
Recruiting teams looking for an ATS or sourcing tool

Grain

Stands out: Grain splits paid seats from free viewer seats, so hiring managers and the rest of the team can read and comment on shared calls without a licence.

Watch out: There is no ATS writeback. Custom AI prompts start on Starter, and AI coaching and custom follow up emails need Business.

Not the right fit for

Teams that need interview notes filed in an ATS
Buyers who want coaching features on the entry paid plan

Pros and cons

Gong

Call recording, transcripts and coaching in one
Stack integrations included in the quote
Public API and hosted MCP server

Quote-only, no public seat price
Platform fee grows with the user count
Not built for recruiting teams

Grain

Free viewer seats for the whole team
Bot free AI notes on every plan
No required annual contract

No ATS writeback
Coaching only on Business and above
Custom prompts not on the free plan

What each one costs

Gong

Sales-quoted

Sales-quoted. No public rate card on the vendor site. Licenses are priced per user plus a platform fee based on the number of users, and integrating your existing tech stack is included. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Grain

$15/seat/mo

Grain has a free plan and three paid plans. Starter is $15 per seat a month billed annually or $19 monthly, and Business is $29 per seat a month billed annually or $39 monthly; Enterprise is priced through sales. There is no required annual contract. You pay only for seats that record, upload or import meetings; free viewer seats can read and comment on shared meetings. Paid plans have a 14 day free trial and a 30 day money back guarantee. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 23 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Gong or Grain for free?

Grain carries a free tier on our listing. Grain offers a 14 day free trial.

Does Gong or Grain have an MCP server?

Gong ships a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

Not the pair you wanted?

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 19 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?