Avoma is a comprehensive AI meeting assistant that excels at recording, transcribing, and generating detailed meeting summaries with high accuracy. It offers strong CRM integration for sales teams and includes features like agenda templates and live collaboration, making it well-suited for sales organizations and customer success teams. However, its extensive feature set can feel overwhelming for individual users or simple use cases, and the premium pricing tiers may be prohibitive for smaller teams.

Granola takes a more minimalist approach as an AI notepad that runs locally on Mac computers without requiring meeting bots. It allows users to jot down brief notes during meetings and then enhances them with AI-generated summaries and structured sections afterward. The tool appeals to users who want a clean, simple interface and discreet note-taking, but it's currently limited to Mac users only and lacks mobile app support.

Avoma works best for sales teams, customer success organizations, and businesses that need robust CRM integration and don't mind a more complex platform. Its automation features and comprehensive meeting management capabilities justify the investment for teams that handle numerous client calls and need detailed meeting analytics. Granola is better suited for individual professionals, consultants, and Mac users who prefer a lightweight, unobtrusive solution for personal meeting notes.

Both tools, while effective at their core transcription and summarization functions, have limited integration ecosystems that don't fully bridge the gap between meeting insights and actionable workflow automation. Neither platform offers the depth of third-party connections or task management features needed to truly transform meeting outputs into completed work, leaving users to manually bridge these gaps in their productivity workflows.

Comparison table

What users say about Avoma and Granola

Users consistently praise Avoma for its practical functionality and ease of use in meeting management. According to reviews on HubSpot Ecosystem, users love the platform because it significantly improves upon manual note-taking for important client calls, helping them remember and capture details they would otherwise miss. The platform receives high marks for its user-friendly setup process, with reviewers on G2 noting that it's very easy to use and integrates seamlessly with Zoom and other video calling systems while providing both recording and recap capabilities.

Granola receives mixed feedback from users based on extensive real-world testing. An in-depth review from tl;dv provides detailed insights into both the strengths and weaknesses of the platform after testing it across more than 20 meetings. The review offers a balanced perspective, highlighting specific aspects that users appreciated as well as areas where the platform fell short of expectations. This comprehensive analysis gives potential users a realistic view of what to expect from Granola's meeting assistant capabilities.

Users switch away from Avoma primarily due to its complexity and feature overload for simpler use cases. The platform functions as a comprehensive AI meeting assistant with extensive capabilities, but this can become overwhelming for individual users or teams who only need basic transcription services. The robust feature set that includes CRM integrations, agenda templates, and detailed analytics may feel like overkill when users simply want straightforward meeting notes without the additional complexity.

Technical reliability issues also drive users to seek alternatives. Some users report that the meeting bot occasionally joins calls late, which can result in missing important opening discussions. Additionally, there are instances where speaker identification fails to work correctly, leading to confusion about who said what in the transcript. These technical hiccups, while not frequent, can be frustrating enough to prompt users to look for more reliable solutions.

Cost considerations become a significant factor for smaller teams and budget-conscious users. While Avoma offers a free plan with limited functionality, the paid tiers reach premium pricing levels, with plans ranging from $19 to $129 per user per month. For small teams or individual users who don't require all the advanced features like CRM sync and detailed analytics, these pricing tiers can feel excessive, especially when simpler alternatives might meet their basic transcription and note-taking needs at a lower cost.

Users switch away from Granola primarily because of its limited platform availability. The tool is currently Mac-only, which excludes Windows users entirely from accessing the platform. This restriction significantly limits its potential user base and forces Windows users to seek alternatives to Granola that support their operating system. Additionally, the lack of mobile apps means users cannot access their notes on-the-go through iOS or Android devices, making it less convenient for users who need flexibility in how they access their meeting information.

Another major reason for switching is the absence of a permanent free tier. While Granola offers 25 free meetings as a trial, users must transition to paid plans afterward with no ongoing free option. This contrasts with competitors that offer sustained free plans, making Granola less attractive to budget-conscious users or those with lighter usage needs. The pricing structure forces users to commit to a monthly subscription even for occasional use, which can drive them toward alternatives with more flexible pricing models.

The limited integration ecosystem also prompts users to switch to more comprehensive solutions. Granola offers only basic calendar sync and Notion export, with HubSpot integration still in beta. Users who rely heavily on CRM systems, advanced workflow automation, or extensive third-party integrations find Granola insufficient for their needs. The lack of an automation engine means users cannot set up sophisticated workflows or automatic data entry into their existing business systems, pushing them toward platforms that offer more robust connectivity with their existing tech stack.

Using Avoma

Does Avoma work for in-person meetings?

Yes, Avoma works for in-person meetings through its mobile app, which can record offline/in-person meetings for later transcription.

Does Avoma require a meeting bot to join the meeting?

Based on user feedback mentioning that "the bot sometimes joins a meeting late," it appears that Avoma does use a meeting bot for online meetings. However, for in-person meetings, you can use the mobile app to record without needing a bot.

What do users say about the quality of Avoma transcriptions?

Users highly rate Avoma's transcription quality, with transcriptions being approximately 95% accurate even when dealing with jargon or accents. However, some users note that while the transcripts are detailed, they can be dense and difficult to skim quickly. There are also occasional issues with speaker identification.

How does Avoma help users follow up on action items?

Avoma generates organized notes broken into topics including next steps and actionable insights. It also automates follow-up emails and has CRM data entry capabilities to help users track and follow through on action items from meetings.

Does Avoma integrate with software like Hubspot, Salesforce, or Linear?

Yes, Avoma integrates with HubSpot and Salesforce for CRM sync, allowing it to capture meeting information directly into these platforms. It also has a strong integration ecosystem that includes Zoom, Slack, and other tools. For Notion integration, it connects via Zapier.

Using Granola

Does Granola work for in-person meetings?

Granola partially works for in-person meetings. The Mac app can capture in-room audio locally, but there's no mobile app available yet (though one is coming soon for Android/iOS).

Does Granola require a meeting bot to join the meeting?

No, Granola does not require a meeting bot to join the meeting. It runs on your computer and listens to meetings without needing a bot in the call, working discreetly with no meeting intrusion.

What do users say about the quality of Granola transcriptions?

Users report that Granola produces quality notes and well-organized summaries. They appreciate the "set and forget" note-taking approach, knowing that Granola will deliver quality notes afterward. Users have noted that it formats notes "exactly how you like it" when given proper guidance through templates.

How does Granola help users follow up on action items?

Granola helps with follow-ups by structuring meeting notes into organized sections including next steps. It also offers an AI assistant that can generate follow-up content, such as drafting email summaries of meetings.

Does Granola integrate with software like Hubspot, Salesforce, or Linear?

Granola has limited integrations. It includes calendar sync and Notion export capabilities. HubSpot integration is currently in beta. There's no mention of Salesforce or Linear integrations.

Both tools serve different needs in the meeting assistant space, but users seeking more comprehensive alternatives may find solutions that better balance features, platform support, and pricing for their specific workflows.

Another alternative: Circleback

Circleback provides best-in-class AI-powered meeting notes and automations. We support over 100 languages and automatic participant identification in both in-person and online meetings.

• Automatically-identified and assigned action items

• AI-enabled search across all meetings

• Automations with 100+ app integrations

• Industry-leading security with SOC 2 Type II, EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, and HIPAA compliance

• Ability to capture both online and in-person meetings with desktop and mobile apps