Transform Meeting Notes into Comprehensive Summaries

Keeping up with endless meetings leaves you drowning in scattered notes and missing key details. You're spending too much time organizing information afterward instead of focusing on action items, and important decisions often get lost in the shuffle. Sound familiar?

What is Granola

Granola is an AI-powered notepad designed specifically for professionals with packed meeting schedules. It works by combining your manual note-taking with real-time transcription to create enhanced, structured summaries. Running directly on your Mac, Granola operates in the background during meetings, requiring no meeting bots or participants, and transforms your rough notes into comprehensive, actionable meeting documentation.

Key Capabilities

AI-powered transcription : Captures every conversation detail automatically without requiring you to type frantically, ensuring no important points are missed during discussions.

Customizable meeting templates : Streamlines your workflow with preset formats for different meeting types, saving preparation time and ensuring consistent documentation across your team.

Automatic summary generation : Distills lengthy meetings into concise action items and key takeaways, helping you focus on implementation rather than note organization.

Calendar integration : Provides context-aware note-taking by pulling meeting details directly from your calendar, eliminating manual setup for each session.

AI chat functionality : Enables you to ask questions about meeting content after the fact, extracting specific information without reviewing entire transcripts.

Perfect For

A busy executive with 8+ daily meetings was struggling to maintain quality notes while staying engaged in discussions. With Granola, she now takes minimal notes during calls while the AI captures everything, letting her focus on strategic contributions instead of documentation.

A project manager leading cross-functional teams needed better ways to document decisions and action items. Granola's template system and summary generation allowed him to standardize meeting outputs and easily share consistent summaries with stakeholders.

Worth Considering

Granola is currently only available for macOS, which limits accessibility for Windows or Linux users. The tool works best for those who prefer taking some notes manually rather than relying on fully automated transcription tools. Pricing follows a freemium model with a free tier allowing up to 25 meetings monthly, and paid plans starting at $14-18 per month for unlimited access, making it reasonable for regular meeting-heavy professionals.

Also Consider

Otter.ai: Better for those who prefer fully automated transcription across all platforms and devices.

Fireflies.ai: Ideal if you need deeper integrations with CRM tools and broader meeting platform compatibility.

tl;dv: Consider when you need video recording capabilities alongside meeting notes and direct CRM connections.

Bottom Line

Granola offers a unique approach to meeting productivity by enhancing your natural note-taking process rather than replacing it. For Mac users with packed meeting schedules who want to remain engaged while ensuring comprehensive documentation, it strikes an excellent balance between manual control and AI assistance. Worth trying for the free 25 meetings to experience the difference.