Granola
AI meeting notes from your own device audio, with no bot joining the call, plus an MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT.
From $14/user/mo MCP server API
Bottom line
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.
Stands out for: 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 for: 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.
Overview
Granola describes itself as the AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings. It runs as a desktop app on macOS and Windows and as a mobile app on iOS, Android and Apple Watch, and it transcribes from your device audio instead of sending a bot into Zoom, Google Meet or Teams.
During the call you type as much or as little as you like. When it ends, Granola combines your jottings with the transcript to write notes in your own structure, with action items and a draft follow-up email. Templates and recipes let you fix a layout, for example a screening note with notice period, salary expectations and motivations.
On Business it also syncs with your calendar and prepares a brief before external meetings covering who is attending, what was said last time and what matters now, and chat works across every meeting you have recorded.
The MCP server at mcp.granola.ai/mcp connects your notes to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other MCP clients, and Business adds an API and integrations with Notion, HubSpot, Attio, Affinity and Zapier. Slack sharing works on every plan.
Granola is SOC 2 Type II certified, deletes audio after transcription, and lets each user opt out of model training. Enterprise adds SSO, SCIM, workspace-wide retention rules and HIPAA-compliant workspaces.
Who it's for
Best for
- 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
Not ideal 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
Key features
Bot-free capture. Granola records your device audio rather than joining the meeting, so it works on Zoom, Meet, Teams, Slack huddles and in person on iOS and Android, and nobody sees a notetaker in the call.
Pre-meeting briefs. On Business it reads your calendar and prepares a brief before external meetings: who is attending, what you discussed last time and what matters now.
First-party MCP. Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other MCP clients can search and quote your meeting notes, so you can ask what a candidate said about notice period or salary across several calls.
AI features
| What the AI does | Plan |
|---|---|
| Writes meeting notes from your device audio plus your own jotted notes | Free |
| AI chat within one meeting and across all your meetings | Free |
| Pre-meeting briefs on attendees and what was discussed last time | Business |
| Drafts a follow-up email when the call ends | Business |
| Custom note templates and recipes for repeatable note layouts | Free |
Only features named in the vendor's own documentation. Anything sold separately is marked as an add-on.
MCP server
https://mcp.granola.ai/mcp
First-party MCP at mcp.granola.ai/mcp, hosted by the vendor. Add it as a custom connector in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Claude Code and sign in with your Granola account. On Basic it reaches your own notes from the last 30 days; Business opens personal and public workspace notes, and on Enterprise admins decide what is exposed.
All tools with MCP Check your stack in the MCP readiness checker
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 | Unlimited notes, 30 days of history |
| Business | $14/user/mo | Unlimited history, API, CRM and Notion integrations |
| Enterprise | $35/user/mo | SSO, SCIM, admin policies, Salesforce |
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. Vendors change prices without notice.
Is Granola expensive?
Granola starts at $14/user/mo. We list 29 AI note takers tools in total. 12 have a free tier, and those with a public price typically start around $19 a month.
- 9 quote-based
- 12 free tier
- 17 public price
Worked out automatically from every AI note takers listing, so it updates as the directory changes.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 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
Cons
- 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
Integrations
Zoom Google Meet Microsoft Teams Slack Notion HubSpot Attio Zapier
How Granola compares
See all Granola alternatives, with what each one does differently and a head to head for every pairing.
| Tool | Free tier | From | MCP | API | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granola (this tool) | – | $14/user/mo | ✓ | ✓ | |
| | ✓ | $60/user/mo | ✓ | – | Compare |
| | ✓ | $15/user/mo | – | ✓ | Compare |
| | ✓ | $8.33/user/mo | – | – | Compare |
$60/user/mo Free tier MCP
Built for recruiting interviews, with notes structured for hiring decisions and ATS sync, at $60/user/mo against Granola's $14, if interview notes must land in your ATS.
$15/user/mo Free tier API
Joins as a bot but keeps full recordings and clips you can share with hiring managers, with unlimited free recordings, where Granola keeps no audio at all.
$8.33/user/mo Free tier
Cheaper paid plan from $8.33/user/mo and a live transcript during the call, though it joins your meetings as a bot.
Your next step
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