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What is Granola? How the AI notepad for meetings works

Granola popularised the bot-free meeting notepad. Here's how it works, explained plainly and with sources.

Explainer6 min readUpdated The Shin teamAI note takers
In short
  • Granola is an AI notepad: you jot rough notes and it fills them in from the transcript.
  • It captures device audio and microphone; no bot joins the call.
  • Granola says it deletes the audio after transcribing and keeps the transcript and notes.
  • Plans as of November 2026: Basic free, Business $14 per user per month, Enterprise from $35.

What Granola is

Granola describes itself as an AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings. You connect your calendar, open the notepad when a meeting starts, type rough notes, and click Enhance notes afterwards; Granola combines your notes with the transcript to write fuller notes (Granola).

How it captures meetings

Instead of sending a bot into the call, Granola's desktop apps access the computer's microphone and system audio directly. Granola says it transcribes in real time and deletes the audio file (Granola). Because it listens to the device rather than the platform, it works across Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and other apps.

Devices

Granola's own getting-started guide lists macOS, Windows and iOS (Granola); some 2026 reviews also mention Android.

Plans

As checked on 7 November 2026: Basic is free with access to a limited window of recent notes, Business is $14 per user per month, and Enterprise starts at $35 per user per month (DIY AI). Prices change; check Granola's pricing page.

Things to consider with any bot-free notepad

  • Consent: nothing in the call shows you're transcribing, so tell people. See consent basics.
  • Data: where transcripts are stored and whether they're used for training. See our privacy checklist.
  • Accuracy: check numbers and names before sharing. See accuracy.

This is an independent explainer. Shin is not affiliated with Granola.

Questions people ask

What is Granola AI?
An AI notepad for meetings. You take rough notes, it transcribes the meeting from your device's audio, and 'Enhance notes' turns your notes into fuller notes using the transcript.
Does Granola join the meeting as a bot?
No. It captures your computer's microphone and system audio directly, so no participant joins the call.
Does Granola record audio?
Granola says it transcribes in real time and deletes the audio file, keeping the transcript and notes.
How much does Granola cost?
As of November 2026, Basic is free, Business is $14 per user per month and Enterprise starts at $35 per user per month. Check Granola's site for current pricing.

Sources

  1. Granola: get started — Granola blog
  2. How to use AI to take meeting notes — Granola blog
  3. Granola pricing 2026 (DIY AI, checked 7 Nov 2026)

Checked 11 November 2026. Spotted something out of date? Write to [email protected].

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