Compare/Head to head

Granola vs Otter

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

Starting price

Granola

$14/user/mo

For recruiters on back-to-back screens and client calls who do not want a bot joining: Granola listens through your laptop or phone audio and turns your rough jottings into full notes. Free with 30 days of history, then $14/user/mo for unlimited history.

Where Granola fits

  • Agency recruiters on heavy call days who want clean notes without a visible meeting bot
  • Recruiters who already use Claude or ChatGPT and want to query past screens and client calls
  • Phone and in-person conversations as well as video calls, through the iOS and Android apps

Otter

$8.33/user/mo Free tier

General AI note taker that joins Zoom, Teams and Meet, writes a live transcript and sends a summary after each call. Free plan with 300 minutes a month; Pro from $8.33/user/mo billed annually.

Where Otter fits

  • Recruiters who want a free note taker for screening calls
  • Small teams on Zoom, Teams or Meet
  • People who want to read the transcript while the call is still running
  • HubSpot or Salesforce users on the Pro or Business plan

At a glance

DetailGranolaOtter
Starting price$14/user/mo$8.33/user/mo
Free tier–No✓Yes
MCP server✓Yes–No
Public API✓Yes–No
Listed underAI note takersAI note takers

Where they pull apart

Granola

Stands out: No bot joins the call. Granola captures your device audio in the background, works on Zoom, Meet, Teams, Slack huddles and in-person meetings through its mobile apps, and builds the notes around what you typed, so a candidate sees a normal call rather than a recorder in the participant list. Its MCP server then lets Claude or ChatGPT answer questions across all your past calls.

Watch out: It is a general meeting notepad, not a recruiting tool: there is no ATS or recruiting CRM integration, no scorecards and no interview kits, CRM sync with HubSpot, Attio or Affinity needs Business, and Salesforce is Enterprise only. Because no bot announces it, you have to tell candidates you are transcribing yourself; an admin-enforced notice is Enterprise only. Audio is deleted after transcription, so there is no recording to replay or share.

Not the right fit for

  • In-house teams that need interview notes pushed into Greenhouse, Lever or Ashby
  • Teams that want call recordings or clips to share with hiring managers
  • Anyone who wants structured interview scorecards

Otter

Stands out: Otter's transcript builds live during the call, so you can scroll back mid interview, and the free Basic plan gives 300 minutes a month without a card.

Watch out: Otter does not write notes into an ATS. Pro caps transcription at 1,200 minutes a month and 90 minutes a meeting, and SSO needs a 100 user Enterprise licence.

Not the right fit for

  • Teams that need interview notes filed on the candidate record in an ATS
  • Heavy users who would hit the 1,200 minute Pro cap

Pros and cons

Granola

  • No bot in the meeting; captures device audio on desktop and mobile
  • Unlimited notes on the free plan
  • First-party MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor
  • SOC 2 Type II, and audio is deleted after transcription
  • Free plan only shows the last 30 days of notes
  • No ATS or recruiting CRM integration
  • Salesforce, SSO and an admin-enforced recording notice need the $35 Enterprise plan

Otter

  • Free plan with 300 minutes a month
  • Live transcript during the call
  • Mobile apps for in person conversations
  • No ATS integration
  • 1,200 minute monthly cap on Pro
  • SSO only with a 100 user licence

What each one costs

Granola

$14/user/mo

Basic is free with unlimited meeting notes, but only the last 30 days of history can be viewed and searched. Business is $14/user/mo for unlimited history, pre-meeting briefs, follow-up emails, API access and integrations with Notion, HubSpot, Attio, Affinity and Zapier. Enterprise is $35/user/mo and adds SSO, SCIM, workspace-wide retention and sharing policies, HIPAA-compliant workspaces and Salesforce. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 28 Sep 2026

Otter

$8.33/user/mo

Basic is free with 300 transcription minutes a month and a 30 minute cap per conversation. Pro is $8.33/user/mo billed annually ($16.99 monthly) with 1,200 minutes and up to 90 minutes a meeting. Business is $19.99/user/mo billed annually ($30 monthly) with unlimited meetings and up to 4 hours a meeting. Enterprise is quoted. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 22 Sep 2026

Common questions

Is Granola cheaper than Otter?
Otter starts lower, at $8.33/user/mo against $14/user/mo for Granola. That is the entry plan on each side, so the real number depends on seats and the tier you land on.
Can you try Granola or Otter for free?
Otter carries a free tier on our listing.
Does Granola or Otter have an MCP server?
Granola ships a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 28 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?