What is Granola?
Quick answer
Granola is an AI notepad for meetings. It transcribes the call from your computer's audio, with no bot joining the meeting, and when the call ends it combines your own quick notes with the transcript into enhanced notes, action items and a follow-up you can share.
Last updated
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Updated · By Robert Breen
Why it matters for a small business
Most AI notetakers join the call as an extra participant. Granola does not. Its docs say plainly that there is no meeting bot: it listens to your computer's microphone and system audio, so it works with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Slack huddles without anyone admitting a recorder. That matters with clients who are wary of a bot in the room, though you still tell people you are taking AI notes.
The other idea is the notepad. You type a few words as the call goes, such as "budget approved" or "send SOW Friday", and Granola uses them as the outline when it writes the enhanced notes after the call. Templates change the format, and you can regenerate the notes. From the same screen you can ask questions about the meeting, draft a follow-up email, and share notes by link, email, Slack, Notion, HubSpot or Zapier. Granola lists a free plan with unlimited meeting notes; older notes need a paid plan.
In a real lesson: Granola: Client Call Notes Written for You, With No Meeting Bot
In the Granola client call notes lesson, Dana, a consultant at the made-up Larkspur Advisory, takes a scoping call with a new client. She starts a note from the meeting, checks that the live transcript is running, and types four short lines of her own as the client talks.
When the call ends she lets Granola write the enhanced notes, switches the template to one built for client calls, checks the budget and the deadline against the transcript, and copies a share link for her partner. Her four lines become the headings, so the notes read the way she thinks about the account.
Try this lesson free or read the step-by-step guide.
Common confusions
Granola vs a meeting bot
A bot-based AI note-taker joins the call as a participant and records it there. Granola transcribes on your own computer, so nothing joins the meeting.
Enhanced notes vs a transcript
The meeting transcript is every word said. Enhanced notes are the short version, built around the notes you typed, with action items pulled out.
Tips
- Type a few words at each key moment; they become the structure of your notes.
- Check numbers, dates and names in the notes against the transcript before you share.
- Tell the people on the call that you are taking AI notes, even with no bot.
Related terms
More AI assistants terms
Where you use it: free lessons
- Granola: Client Call Notes Written for You, With No Meeting Bot (Granola, 5 min)
- Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT (ChatGPT, 9 min)
AI tools that use it
Frequently asked questions
- Does Granola join my meeting as a bot?
- No. Granola's docs say there is no meeting bot. It transcribes from your computer's audio, so nothing appears in the participant list.
- Is Granola free?
- Granola lists a free plan with unlimited meeting notes. Notes older than 30 days need a paid plan, so check granola.ai for the current details.
- What does Granola work with?
- Granola's docs list Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Slack huddles for calls, Google Calendar and Outlook for your schedule, and Slack, Notion, HubSpot, Attio, Affinity and Zapier for sharing notes.