Granola vs Otter.ai for meeting automation

Here's what you should look for in an AI meeting automation tool:

• Transcripts that create a word-for-word record of the meeting. For example, a one-hour product development meeting generates a searchable document containing every feature discussion, technical requirement, and team decision.

• Action items are pulled directly from the conversation. When someone says "John will update the wireframes by Friday," the AI automatically creates a tracked task with the assignee and deadline.

• Meeting summaries distill hour-long conversations into 2-3 paragraphs. A 45-minute sprint planning meeting becomes a concise overview of sprint goals, resource allocation, and key decisions.

• Topic segmentation breaks discussions into labeled sections. A client call covering multiple projects is automatically divided into sections like "Website Redesign," "Q1 Marketing Campaign," and "Budget Review."

Other key features

In addition to the quality of these deliverables, we'll want to look at a number of other key factors:

• Ease-of-use: does it have a simple, intuitive setup that works for non-technical users?

• In-person meeting support: can it transcribe audio from live recordings or uploaded files, not just virtual calls?

• Security and privacy: how is customer data handled on the platform?

• Integrations: can it connect with your existing stack, like HubSpot, Notion, or Slack?

• Functionality: does it go beyond transcriptions and actually help you take action?

• Languages: can it transcribe and summarize meetings in different languages?

• Desktop and mobile apps: can you access it on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android for on-the-go meetings?

Understanding Granola and Otter.ai

Granola is an AI notepad for meetings that runs locally on Mac computers. It captures system audio from any meeting platform without requiring a bot in the call, allowing users to take minimal notes during meetings. After meetings end, it processes the audio recording and user notes to generate structured summaries with sections like key takeaways and next steps. The app features customizable note templates and an AI assistant for generating follow-up content.

The tool works with all major meeting platforms including Zoom, Teams, and Webex. Pricing starts with a free trial of 25 meetings, then moves to paid plans starting at $18/month for individuals and $14/user/month for business teams. Current limitations include Mac-only support (no Windows version yet), no mobile apps, and limited integrations beyond calendar sync and Notion export.

Otter.ai is an AI note-taking service that provides live transcription for meetings, audio recordings, and video uploads. It captures conversations, identifies speakers, and generates summaries of key points. The system works across various meeting platforms through direct integrations with Zoom and Teams, or by recording audio through web and mobile apps. Users can search transcripts, highlight segments during calls, and share notes with others.

The service offers tiered pricing, from a free plan with 600 minutes monthly to paid options starting around $10/month for increased transcription time and features. Otter works for both virtual and in-person meetings, supports English, Spanish and French, and includes mobile apps for iOS and Android. Its "OtterPilot" functionality can automatically generate summaries and push meeting content to integrations like HubSpot and Notion.

Comparing Granola and Otter.ai

Granola

• Granola operates locally on Mac devices, capturing system audio without requiring a meeting bot. It produces structured notes from audio recordings combined with user-provided keywords, supporting all meeting platforms through system audio capture.

• Despite its clean interface and ability to work without meeting intrusion, Granola is currently limited to Mac users with no mobile app option. Its notes are only accessible through desktop or web, and its integration capabilities remain fairly basic without substantial workflow automation features.

Otter.ai

• Otter.ai provides real-time transcription during meetings with automatic summaries and speaker identification, integrating with platforms like Zoom and Teams via an assistant bot. It offers searchable transcripts with the ability to highlight or comment during meetings.

• While Otter offers more platform flexibility with mobile apps and a generous free tier, transcripts can be verbose and poorly structured, making it difficult to quickly identify key information. Its accuracy can also suffer with complex audio, and the meeting assistant may cause unwanted calendar interactions if not properly configured.

Granola appears best suited for Mac users who prefer a clean, minimalist approach to meeting notes without the intrusion of a bot. Its offline capabilities and local processing make it appropriate for those with privacy concerns or who work in environments with unreliable internet connectivity.

Otter.ai better serves users needing cross-platform accessibility and real-time transcription features. Its broader platform support and integration options make it more suitable for teams that require immediate access to meeting content across various devices, though both tools ultimately fall short in providing deep integrations that help users meaningfully act on meeting outcomes.

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