Granola vs Read.ai for meeting automation

Granola is an AI notepad that runs directly on Mac computers to capture and enhance meeting notes. It works by listening to system audio from any meeting platform without requiring a bot in the call. Users can type brief notes during meetings, and afterward Granola combines these with the audio recording to generate structured notes with sections like key takeaways and next steps. It offers customizable templates for different meeting types and an AI assistant for follow-up content generation.

The tool works offline, recording and transcribing locally on Mac devices. After a free trial of 25 meetings, pricing starts at $18/month for individuals and $14/user/month for business teams. Current limitations include Mac-only support (Windows version pending), no mobile apps yet, and limited integrations beyond calendar sync and Notion export. It supports approximately 16 languages, though users must manually set the meeting and summary language.

Read.ai is a meeting "copilot" that provides real-time transcription and summarization for virtual meetings on Zoom, Teams, and Meet platforms. It captures not only the content but analyzes engagement metrics like speaking time, sentiment, and attention scores. After meetings, it generates reports with key points and action items, while offering search functionality across meeting transcripts. Additional features include Slack thread and email summarization, support for 16+ languages with real-time translation, and integrations with tools like Notion, Confluence, HubSpot, and Salesforce.

The service offers three pricing tiers: a free plan with 5 meeting transcripts monthly, a Pro plan at $19.75/user/month (annual) for unlimited meetings and team collaboration, and Enterprise at $29.75/user/month with video playback and highlight reels. It works through web apps and browser extensions rather than a desktop client, though it offers an iOS mobile app for in-person meeting capture. Read.ai functions without requiring meeting bots, using cloud recording or extensions for virtual meetings and the mobile app for offline audio.

Comparing Granola and Read.ai

Granola

• Granola functions as a Mac-only AI notepad that captures meeting audio locally and generates summaries with minimal note-taking effort. It works across meeting platforms without requiring a bot, offering templates for different meeting types, but remains limited by its lack of Windows support and mobile apps.

• While Granola provides local recording and offline functionality, its integration capabilities are quite limited with only basic calendar sync and Notion export. The tool falls short on workflow automation and lacks the depth of integrations needed to fit into complex business processes.

Read.ai

• Read.ai serves as a meeting analytics tool that transcribes conversations while measuring engagement and sentiment metrics. It integrates with major platforms like Zoom and Teams, offering real-time transcription and post-meeting reports, but users find the interface cluttered and the free tier restrictive.

• Despite supporting numerous integrations with business tools like HubSpot and Salesforce, Read.ai offers only partial automation capabilities without a true workflow engine. The tool provides extensive data but struggles to translate insights into actionable improvements for meeting effectiveness.

Granola suits individual Mac users who value simplicity and privacy in their note-taking process. Its local processing approach appeals to privacy-conscious professionals who need clean, structured notes without the complexity of analytics. The minimal interface works well for those who get distracted by feature-heavy tools and prefer a focused experience.

Read.ai better serves teams that need deeper meeting analytics and extensive integrations with business tools. Organizations looking to analyze communication patterns and improve meeting effectiveness will benefit from its metrics on engagement and speaking time. Despite more complexity, its broader platform support and robust integration ecosystem make it suitable for enterprise environments where meeting insights need to flow into other systems.

Granola vs Read.ai: What do users say?

Users praise Granola for its "set and forget" note-taking capability that allows them to focus on conversations while still producing quality meeting notes afterward. They appreciate its clean, simple interface (comparable to Apple Notes) and well-organized summaries that can be tailored via templates. The tool works discreetly without meeting intrusion, which is beneficial for those with back-to-back calls. However, limitations include its Mac-only availability (Windows support frequently requested), lack of a mobile app, and potential issues if audio isn't played through the system. Pricing starts with 25 free meetings, then $18/month for individuals or $14/user/month for teams.

Read.ai users value its comprehensive feature set that goes beyond transcription to provide meeting quality insights like engagement scores and speaker balance. The tool offers "smart" summaries capturing questions and topics discussed, supports 16+ languages with real-time translation, and integrates well with workflows through automatic summaries in Slack and syncing with tools like Notion. Criticisms include a limited free tier (5 meetings/month), complex UI that some find confusing, potential privacy concerns when joining others' meetings, inconsistent metrics, and relatively high pricing for full functionality.

To learn more about these tools, check out Granola.ai's official site, Read.ai reviews on Trustpilot, Read.ai on Microsoft AppSource, and Granola reviews on G2.

FAQs

• Would Granola work for in-person meetings? What about Read.ai?

Granola: Partially. The Mac app can capture in-room audio locally, but there's no mobile app yet (Android/iOS are "coming soon").

Read.ai: Yes. It has an iOS app that captures in-person/offline meetings with one tap.

• What about meeting bots? Does either of these tools require a meeting bot?

Granola: No meeting bot required. Granola runs on your computer and listens to meetings without needing a bot in the call. It works fully offline on Mac – records and transcribes locally.

Read.ai: No meeting bots required. Read.ai records virtual meetings via cloud or extension, and offline audio via mobile app.

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