Granola Alternatives: 8 Bot-Free Meeting Note Apps for 2026
November 10, 2026
Most Granola alternatives are not really alternatives. They send a bot into your call, and the whole reason people pick Granola is that it doesn't. So this list sticks to the same category: apps that capture meeting audio from your own device, with no extra participant in the call.
Here's the short version:
- You want EU data handling and no stored audio: Jamie
- You also want noise cancellation on every call: Krisp
- You want video, not just audio: Bluedot
- You want free, open source and fully on-device: Meetily
- You want a cheap plan with translation: Notta
- You want a live transcript you can read during the call: Otter's desktop app
- You want a generous free plan and a bot-free option: tl;dv or Fireflies
If a bot is fine with you, the field gets much wider, and our Otter.ai alternatives guide covers the bot-based tools too.
Quick comparison
| Tool | How it captures | Platforms | Free option | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granola | Device audio, never a bot | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android | Yes, 30 days of history | Typed notes enhanced by AI |
| Jamie | Device audio, no bot | Mac, Windows, iOS, web | Yes | EU data residency |
| Krisp | Device audio by default, bot optional | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, browser | 7-day free trial | Noise cancellation plus notes |
| Bluedot | Chrome extension or desktop app | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android | First 5 meetings | Video recordings without a bot |
| Meetily | On-device transcription | Mac, Windows | Free and open source | Full local control |
| Notta | Desktop app on your device, or bot | Mac, Windows, web, iOS, Android | Monthly minute cap | Translation, low cost |
| Otter | Desktop app without bot, or bot | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android | Monthly minute cap | Live transcripts |
| tl;dv | Bot or no-bot recording | Desktop and web; no native mobile app | Free Forever plan | Unlimited free recordings, EU hosting |
| Fireflies | Chrome extension without bot, or bot | Web, desktop, iOS, Android | Yes | Integrations and languages |
What Granola does, and why people look elsewhere
Start with what you'd be giving up. Per Granola's homepage, it's an AI notepad for back-to-back meetings that "doesn't join your meeting." It transcribes your computer audio in the background, works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and other meeting apps, and runs on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android. You type rough notes; Granola fills them out from the transcript when the call ends.
It has grown well past a notepad, too. Granola now offers pre-meeting briefs, an AI chat across your meetings, voice typing, and an MCP connector so other AI apps can read your notes.
The reasons people switch tend to repeat:
| Reason | What Granola offers today |
|---|---|
| Free plan history | The free Basic plan keeps 30 days of meeting history; older notes need an upgrade |
| Integrations behind a paywall | Notion, HubSpot, Zapier, MCP and API access sit on the Business plan, per Granola's pricing page |
| No recording to share | Granola gives you notes and a transcript, not a video to clip |
| Admin and compliance | SSO, SCIM and HIPAA-compliant workspaces sit on the Enterprise plan |
| Paying per seat | Every paid plan is priced per user, so a team pays for each person |
If none of those bother you, Granola is still one of the best tools in this category. The typed-notes-plus-AI workflow is genuinely different, and most alternatives below are closer to "record everything, summarize after."
Granola for Windows and mobile
This used to be the top reason to look elsewhere. It isn't anymore. Granola now lists Windows alongside macOS, plus iOS and Android apps for in-person and phone conversations. If you only left because you're on a Windows laptop, check again before switching.
Bot-free alternatives to Granola
Jamie
Jamie works the same way Granola does: "No bot joins your calls." It runs on Windows, macOS, iOS and the web, works with Zoom, Teams and Google Meet, and captures in-person meetings from your laptop or phone.
Its pitch is privacy. Jamie says storage and processing stay in the EEA, Switzerland and the UK, audio is streamed and never stored, and data is never used to train models. It also lists ISO 27001 certification and GDPR compliance.
- Good at: European teams with strict data rules
- Free option: yes, with paid plans above it
- Weaker at: no Android app listed on its homepage
Krisp
Krisp started as noise cancellation and added a meeting assistant on top. By default it captures audio on your device, so no bot is needed, though its plans also list recording with a bot if you want one. Because it works at the audio level, Krisp says it works with all major conferencing apps.
It runs on Windows and macOS, iOS and Android, and in a browser extension. It connects to Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive and Slack, and to tools like Asana and Jira through Zapier.
- Good at: people on lots of calls who want cleaner audio and notes from one app
- Free option: a 7-day free trial with no credit card, then a paid plan
- Weaker at: the note-taking is a second product, not the core one
Bluedot
Granola gives you text. Bluedot gives you text and video, still without a bot. Its Chrome extension records Google Meet and other browser calls, and its Mac and Windows desktop app records Zoom, Teams and Slack. iOS and Android apps cover in-person meetings.
- Good at: sharing a recording with someone who missed the call
- Free option: core features for your first 5 meetings, then a paid plan for unlimited recording
- Weaker at: the free plan is a trial, not a permanent tier
Meetily
Meetily is the pick if you want nothing to leave your computer. It's free, open source under the MIT licence, and does transcription and speaker diarization on-device with Whisper or Parakeet models. No meeting bot, and it runs on Windows and macOS.
A paid PRO edition adds speaker identification, custom summary templates, document export, and MCP and webhook integrations.
- Good at: privacy-first teams, regulated work, people who want to inspect the code
- Free option: the Community Edition is free
- Weaker at: less polish than Granola, and no mobile app
Alternatives that offer both bot and no-bot recording
These four are better known as bot-based notetakers. Each now has a way to record without one.
Notta
Notta has a Mac and Windows desktop app that records on your device, with the tagline "no bot joins." It also has web, iOS and Android apps, a Chrome extension, and real-time and bilingual translation. Its free plan is tight: 120 minutes a month and up to 3 minutes per conversation, so treat it as a trial.
- Good at: multilingual meetings and low-cost paid plans
- Weaker at: the free plan is too short for real meetings
Otter
Otter's desktop app for Mac and Windows records meetings without adding Otter Notetaker to the call. Otter is still the best choice if you want to read a live transcript as people talk. The free Basic plan gives 300 transcription minutes per user a month, capped at 30 minutes per conversation.
tl;dv
tl;dv advertises "no bot required" and a Free Forever plan with unlimited recordings and transcriptions in 100+ languages. It says data is hosted and stored in the EU. The catch: tl;dv says it doesn't have a native mobile app yet, so it's weaker for in-person meetings than Granola. Our tl;dv alternatives guide covers it in more depth.
Fireflies
Fireflies lists a Chrome extension that records without the Fireflies bot, alongside its usual bot, desktop app and mobile apps. It's strongest on integrations and languages, with English as the primary language and 100+ others in beta. See our Fireflies alternatives guide for the full picture.
Granola vs Otter: which one?
This is the most common head-to-head, so here it is directly.
| Granola | Otter | |
|---|---|---|
| Joins as a bot | Never | Optional; desktop app skips it |
| During the call | You type notes; AI fills them in after | You read a live transcript |
| Free plan limit | 30 days of history | Monthly minutes and conversation length |
| Best for | People who like writing their own notes | People who want everything captured live |
Pick Granola if your notes are the product and the transcript is backup. Pick Otter if the transcript is the product.
How to choose a Granola alternative
- Decide if "no bot" is a must. If it's a preference, not a rule, bot-based tools like Fathom open up. Our Fathom alternatives guide covers that side.
- Decide where data may live. Jamie keeps processing in Europe. Meetily keeps transcription on your machine. tl;dv hosts data in the EU. For the rest, read the vendor's security page.
- Check your platforms. Meetily has no mobile app. tl;dv has no native mobile app. Jamie lists no Android app.
- Test the free plan for a real week. Free tiers here are measured in very different units: days of history, meetings, or minutes.
- Tell people you're recording. No bot means no automatic notice. Say you're taking AI notes, and stop if anyone objects.
Where Taku fits
A bot-free notetaker solves the capture step. The step after it, turning notes into a client follow-up, a CRM update or a weekly recap, is still often copy-paste. Taku is an AI-native desktop workspace where you can find an AI app or workflow someone already built for that step, mirror it, and remix it for your own meetings without setting anything up. It's not a notetaker, so pair it with one from this list. Taku is in Beta, and the Mac app is available now.
FAQ
What is the best free Granola alternative?
Meetily's Community Edition is free and open source, and it runs on your own computer. tl;dv's Free Forever plan offers unlimited recordings. Granola's own free plan is also usable if 30 days of history is enough.
Are there apps like Granola that don't use a bot?
Yes. Jamie, Krisp, Bluedot and Meetily all capture audio from your device without joining as a participant. Otter, Notta, tl;dv and Fireflies offer a no-bot option alongside their bots.
Is Granola available for Windows?
Yes. Granola now lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Which Granola alternative is most private?
Meetily, because transcription runs on your own computer. Among cloud tools, Jamie stands out for EEA-based processing and for not storing audio.
Is Granola better than Otter?
Neither is better overall. Granola suits people who type their own notes and want them enhanced. Otter suits people who want a live transcript and searchable recordings.
Do bot-free note takers still need consent?
Yes. Recording laws apply either way, and without a bot nobody gets an automatic notice. Tell participants you're taking AI notes.