Users often struggle with Granola's limited functionality, finding that it only handles basic note-taking without offering more advanced features. Many reviewers mention that while the tool is simple to set up, it lacks the depth needed for comprehensive meeting management and follow-up actions. The platform appears to focus primarily on recording and basic transcription rather than providing intelligent automation or workflow integration.

The pricing structure and accessibility of Granola has drawn criticism from users who find the cost-benefit ratio unfavorable compared to alternatives. Several reviews highlight that the tool requires significant manual effort to organize and distribute meeting outcomes, making it time-consuming rather than time-saving. Users report frustration with having to manually handle action items and follow-ups that could be automated.

Technical limitations become apparent in challenging audio environments, with users noting decreased accuracy in noisy settings or when multiple people speak simultaneously. The transcription quality suffers when meetings involve background noise or poor audio conditions, requiring users to spend additional time correcting errors. Some users also report issues with speaker identification and language support limitations compared to more robust alternatives.

Readers can learn more about these issues at 1, 2, and 3.

Circleback addresses these pain points by offering a comprehensive meeting automation platform that goes far beyond basic transcription. While Granola users struggle with manual follow-ups and limited functionality, Circleback automatically identifies and assigns action items, creates structured workflows, and integrates with over 100 business tools to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Where Granola fails in noisy environments, Circleback delivers superior transcription accuracy with support for 100+ languages and precise speaker identification, plus it works seamlessly for both online and in-person meetings without requiring a bot.

Granola excels as a simple, discreet meeting note-taker that runs locally on Mac computers without requiring bots in calls. Users appreciate its "set and forget" approach, allowing them to focus on conversations while knowing quality notes will be generated afterward. The interface is clean and reminds users of Apple Notes in its simplicity, making it easy to adopt.

The tool delivers well-organized summaries that can be customized through templates, with users noting it formats notes "exactly how you like it" when given proper guidance. Granola works across all meeting platforms by capturing system audio and offers an AI assistant for follow-up tasks like drafting email summaries. The development team is responsive to feedback and quickly implements improvements based on user requests.

However, Granola's platform limitations significantly restrict its usefulness compared to more comprehensive solutions. It currently only supports Mac computers, with Windows users unable to access the tool at all. The lack of mobile apps means users cannot capture in-person meetings or access notes on their phones, limiting its versatility for modern work scenarios.

Granola falls short of Circleback's capabilities in several key areas, particularly around integrations, automation, and platform support. While Granola focuses solely on note-taking with limited integrations, it lacks the powerful automation engine and extensive CRM/project management integrations that make Circleback a comprehensive meeting workflow solution. Additionally, Granola's Mac-only availability and missing mobile apps contrast sharply with Circleback's full cross-platform support and robust mobile capabilities.

Why users switch away from Granola

One major reason users switch away from Granola is its limited platform availability. The software only works on Mac computers, leaving Windows users unable to access the tool at all. Additionally, there's no mobile app available, which means users can only take and access their meeting notes through the desktop application or web interface. This restriction becomes particularly problematic for people who need to review notes on their phones or tablets, or who work across different operating systems.

Another significant limitation that drives users away is the lack of comprehensive integrations with other business tools. While Granola offers basic calendar sync and Notion export, it has very limited connections to popular platforms like HubSpot (which is still in beta). For users who rely on integrated workflows and need their meeting notes to automatically flow into their CRM, project management tools, or other business systems, Granola's minimal integration options create friction in their daily processes.

The pricing structure also pushes some users toward alternatives. After a 25-meeting free trial, users must pay $18 per month for individual use with no option for a free tier. For occasional meeting participants or users on tight budgets, this monthly commitment can feel steep, especially when they might only attend a few meetings per month. The lack of a ongoing free plan means users who exceed their trial meetings must either commit to the paid subscription or lose access entirely.

FAQs

For in-person meetings, Granola only offers partial support. While the Mac app can capture audio in the room locally, there's no mobile app available yet, which limits its usefulness for meetings away from your computer.

No, Granola doesn't require a meeting bot to join. It runs locally on your Mac and captures system audio directly from your computer.

The context doesn't include specific user feedback about transcription quality.

Granola can help with action items by organizing your notes into structured sections like "next steps" after the meeting ends. It also has an AI assistant that can generate follow-up content like email summaries. However, it lacks any automation features to actually track or manage those action items beyond the initial note generation.

Integration options are quite limited. There's basic calendar sync and Notion export functionality. While HubSpot integration exists, it's only in beta. There's no mention of Salesforce or Linear integrations, and overall the tool is described as having "limited" integrations compared to other meeting tools.

Another alternative: Circleback

Circleback directly addresses Granola's key limitations through comprehensive platform support, advanced automation, and superior technical capabilities.

Platform Accessibility

While Granola only works on Mac computers with no mobile apps, Circleback runs on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. This means Windows users can access the platform, and anyone can capture in-person meetings using their phone or review notes on mobile devices. Teams no longer face the restriction of needing Mac computers to use meeting automation tools.

Automation and Workflow Integration

Granola requires manual handling of action items and follow-ups, making it time-consuming rather than time-saving. Circleback eliminates this manual work through its automation engine, which automatically identifies and assigns action items, creates structured workflows, and connects with over 100 business tools. Users can set up automations to update CRM records, create tasks in project management tools, send recap emails, or post summaries to Slack channels without any manual intervention.

Integration Capabilities

Where Granola offers limited integrations (basic calendar sync, Notion export, and beta HubSpot), Circleback provides comprehensive connections to major platforms. It integrates with CRM systems like HubSpot, Salesforce, Attio, and Zoho; project management tools like Linear, ClickUp, and Notion; communication platforms like Slack; and automation tools like Zapier and Make. This extensive integration network means meeting outcomes automatically flow into existing business workflows.

Technical Performance

Granola struggles with transcription accuracy in noisy environments and when multiple people speak simultaneously. Circleback delivers superior transcription performance with 95%+ accuracy under good conditions and maintains better quality in challenging audio situations. It also provides precise speaker identification and supports over 100 languages compared to Granola's 16.

Comprehensive Meeting Support

While Granola has limited support for in-person meetings, Circleback offers full mobile app recording capabilities for face-to-face conversations. Users can capture meetings anywhere using their phone's microphone, with the same AI-powered analysis available for online meetings.

Advanced Features

Granola focuses on basic note-taking and transcription. Circleback goes beyond this with AI-powered search across meeting history, the ability to ask questions about past meetings, automated insights generation, and shareable meeting clips. These features transform meetings into searchable, actionable knowledge rather than static notes.

Team Functionality

Granola offers basic team features, while Circleback provides advanced team management including shared automations, centralized billing, team-wide retention policies, collaboration features, and unlimited viewer accounts for people who need read-only access to meeting notes.

The pricing trade-off reflects these expanded capabilities. While Granola costs $18 per month after a 25-meeting trial, Circleback starts at $25 per month with a 7-day trial but delivers significantly more functionality through automation, integrations, and cross-platform support that can save substantial time and improve workflow efficiency.