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Spokenly vs Granola
Both capture meetings on Mac without a bot. Spokenly offers saved audio and local transcription; Granola enhances your notes with cloud AI.
Updated September 2026
Download SpokenlyQuick Answer
Spokenly is completely free with local models and BYOK, with provider usage billed separately. It records system audio and microphone on Mac without a bot, saves the audio, and transcribes it with your chosen model. It also provides dictation on macOS, iOS, Windows, and Linux. Granola focuses on enhancing hand-typed meeting notes and producing structured summaries with cloud processing.
Spokenly
- Free with local Parakeet or Whisper, BYOK cloud at no cost
- macOS, iOS, Windows, and Linux; Pro access varies by build and purchase source ($9.99 per month)
- Dictation in any app: Gmail, Notion, Slack, ChatGPT
- No audio retained on Spokenly servers, ever
- AI rewriting with custom GPT-4 or Claude prompts
- MCP server (macOS) for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex
Granola
- -AI meeting notepad with cloud transcription
- -Enhances hand-typed notes with AI summaries
- -Calendar integration with Google and Microsoft
- -Free Basic plan (limited history), paid Business and Enterprise tiers
- -macOS, Windows, and iPhone apps (no iOS keyboard)
- -Quietly captures system audio, no meeting bot in your call
Feature Comparison
Side-by-side breakdown of key features and capabilities.
| Feature | Spokenly | Granola |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting recording | System audio + microphone, Mac | System audio capture with AI note enhancement |
| Pricing | Free with BYOK, Pro $9.99 per month | Free Basic, Business $14/user, Enterprise $35/user |
| Free tier | Unlimited local transcription | Basic plan with limited meeting history |
| Primary use case | Dictation + Mac meeting recording | AI meeting note enhancement |
| Offline mode | Yes, local Parakeet and Whisper | No, cloud only |
| BYOK (own API keys) | Yes, free | No |
| Platforms | macOS, iOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, iPhone |
| Audio storage | On-device with local models | Cloud processing |
| Works in any app | Yes, system-wide | No, notepad only |
| Automatic meeting summaries | No | Yes, structured notes |
| Calendar integration | No | Google, Microsoft |
| iOS custom keyboard | Yes | No |
| MCP for AI coding agents | Yes (macOS) | No |
Pricing
Spokenly is completely free with local models and BYOK cloud transcription. Pro at $9.99 per month unlocks premium cloud providers and includes the iOS app with a custom keyboard.
Granola has a free Basic plan with limited meeting history. Business is $14 per user per month with unlimited notes and advanced AI. Enterprise is $35 per user per month with SSO, API, and admin controls.
If you only need meeting note enhancement, Granola is a focused tool worth paying for. If you also need everyday dictation in apps, Spokenly's free tier removes a subscription line item.
Saved Meeting Audio and Enhanced Meeting Notes
Granola is built for one workflow: you join a meeting, type rough notes by hand, and Granola listens in the background, then uses AI to expand and structure your notes into polished meeting minutes. The output is high-quality structured documentation for that single meeting.
Spokenly records system audio and your microphone on Mac without a meeting bot. The recording is saved in History for transcription with local or cloud models. For daily writing, Spokenly also types into Gmail, Slack, and other text fields.
Choose Spokenly when you want to retain the meeting audio and transcribe it locally. Granola is a fit when enhancing rough notes and using structured meeting templates matter most.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Where each app is strong, and where it falls short.
Spokenly
- +Free with unlimited local transcription
- +Works in any macOS, iOS, Windows, or Linux app
- +No audio retained on Spokenly servers, ever
- +BYOK for cloud at no extra Spokenly fee
- +iOS keyboard for system-wide voice input
- +AI coding agent integration via MCP
- -No AI meeting note enhancement
- -No calendar integration
- -No structured meeting summaries
- -No native team collaboration features
Granola
- +Polished AI enhancement of hand-typed meeting notes
- +Strong meeting templates and structured outputs
- +Calendar integration with one-click meeting capture
- +Quietly captures audio without a meeting bot in your call
- -Cloud processing of audio for AI summaries
- -No iOS custom keyboard for system-wide dictation
- -Heavy use requires Business or Enterprise subscription
- -Single-purpose tool, no system-wide dictation
- -No BYOK to bring your own API key
Which One Is Right for You?
Choose Spokenly if you...
- You want free unlimited dictation in any app
- You need iPhone, Windows, and Linux support too
- Audio privacy matters for your work
- You want to bring your own OpenAI key
- You use Claude Code, Cursor, or other AI coding agents
Choose Granola if you...
- -Your main pain point is meeting notes, not dictation
- -You want AI to expand and structure your rough notes
- -You rely on Google or Microsoft calendar for scheduled meetings
- -You are happy with cloud-based AI processing for transcripts
Switching from Granola
Getting started takes a few minutes.
- 1Keep Granola for meeting note enhancement if that is your main workflow.
- 2Download Spokenly free from spokenly.app/download for daily dictation in apps.
- 3Pick a model: Parakeet for fast local, Whisper for accuracy, or BYOK with OpenAI for top quality.
- 4Set your dictation shortcut and start dictating in Gmail, Slack, or any other app.
- 5Install on iPhone for system-wide voice typing with the custom keyboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Spokenly an alternative to Granola?
Yes. Spokenly records meetings on Mac without a bot and transcribes the saved audio with local or cloud models. Granola adds enhancement of hand-typed notes and structured meeting summaries.
Can Spokenly take meeting notes like Granola?
Spokenly records system audio and your microphone on Mac without a meeting bot. The recording is saved in History for transcription with local or cloud models. Granola also enhances hand-typed notes and offers structured meeting summaries.
Does Granola work on iPhone or Windows?
Yes. Granola supports macOS, Windows, and iPhone. Granola does not have an iOS custom keyboard for system-wide dictation, which Spokenly provides on iPhone.
Best Granola alternative for note-taking?
If you want a Granola alternative for note enhancement, the closest peers are Meetily (open source) and meeting bots like Otter.ai. For Mac meeting recording, free local transcription, and everyday voice typing, Spokenly is an alternative. See our Meetily and Otter.ai comparison pages for those tools.
Is Spokenly really free?
Yes. Local Parakeet and Whisper models are free with no usage limits. Pro at $9.99 per month adds premium cloud providers and the iOS app. BYOK with your own API key is free. See spokenly.app/pricing for details.
Ready to try Spokenly?
Free to use with local models. No account required.
Download SpokenlyOther comparisons
This comparison is published by Spokenly. We aim for accuracy and transparency and will update this page as both products evolve. Learn more about Granola on their official website.