Plaud vs Granola: which AI meeting notes tool should you use?

Use Granola if your meetings are mostly on your laptop and you like typing notes as you go. Use Plaud if important conversations happen in rooms, on calls, or on the move. Granola is an AI notepad that listens to your computer or phone audio during meetings and blends the transcript with notes you type. Plaud combines dedicated recording hardware with Plaud Desktop, so it captures in-person meetings, phone calls, and online meetings in one account.

Both avoid meeting bots on video calls.

The core difference is form. Granola is software only, while Plaud pairs its app with dedicated AI note taking devices. Plaud Note Pro is a physical AI note taker for in-person meetings and phone calls. Plaud NotePin S is a wearable AI note taker for in-person conversations on the go. Plaud One is a pair of wearable AI earbuds for phone calls and online meetings.

Who should choose which?

Plaud vs Granola at a glance

Where do your meetings happen?

Granola lives on your screen. Plaud also works where there is no screen.

Granola is built for video calls: open your laptop, type a few notes, and it fills in the rest from the meeting audio. For in-person meetings it relies on your phone's microphone. Plaud Note Pro uses a 4 MEMS microphone array with AI-Beamforming, rated to pick up voices up to 16.4 feet away, and Plaud NotePin S clips to your collar for site visits, client meetings, and conversations on the move. For video calls, Plaud Desktop records on your computer without a bot, just like Granola.

Do you need the recording, or only the notes?

Granola keeps notes and transcripts. Plaud keeps the audio too.

Granola does not store audio for playback, so the transcript is the record. Plaud saves the recording on the device and in your account, synced to the transcript. You can replay a quote, check a number, or confirm who agreed to what. For interviews, sales calls, research, and any conversation you may need to verify later, keep the original audio.

Phone calls

Plaud records the calls you make and take on your phone. Granola only covers outbound calls placed through its own iPhone dialer.

Plaud Note and Plaud Note Pro attach to the back of your phone and capture call audio through a voice pickup unit (VPU). Plaud Note Pro detects calls and switches modes on its own. If your work runs on phone calls, such as sales, recruiting, real estate, or client service, Granola will not capture calls you receive or place from your regular phone app.

Notes you write vs notes written for you

Granola enhances what you type. Plaud writes the notes for you from the full conversation.

Granola's approach works best if you type during the meeting and want AI to expand your notes. Plaud lets you stay in the conversation: press record, and Plaud Intelligence produces a summary from 10,000+ professional templates or your own custom template, in 112+ languages. Press to Highlight marks key moments while you talk, and Ask Plaud answers questions across all your recordings.

What it costs

Granola charges per user per month. Plaud charges by transcription minutes per year.

Granola's free Basic plan keeps 30 days of meeting history, and the Business plan costs $14 per user per month for full history and integrations. Plaud includes 300 transcription minutes a month free with any device. The Plaud Pro Plan costs $99.99 a year for 1,200 minutes a month, and the Plaud Unlimited Plan costs $239.99 a year. A Plaud device is a one-time purchase, starting at $159. Compare tiers on the Plaud AI plans page.

Use them together

Some people use both: Granola for typed notes during video calls, and a Plaud device for in-person meetings and phone calls. If you would rather keep everything in one place, Plaud covers all three, with Plaud Desktop for video calls.

Take calls on earbuds? Meet Plaud One

Many Granola users spend the day in headphones, on video calls and phone calls alike. Plaud One is built for that habit. It is a pair of AI earbuds with a recording charging case, and each earbud has three MEMS microphones plus a voice pickup unit (VPU) that captures both incoming and outgoing audio. Phone calls and online meetings you take on the earbuds are recorded in full, with your voice and the other person's, and no bot joins the call.

When the meeting moves into a room, the charging case records on its own with a 4 MEMS microphone array with AI-Beamforming, picking up voices up to 16.4 feet away. Like every Plaud device, Plaud One keeps the original audio next to the transcript, and the same Plaud Intelligence templates and Ask Plaud work on its recordings.

Granola helps you write better notes. Plaud Agent on Plaud One acts on them. Press the Agent button on the case or ask by voice, and it can draft the follow-up email from the call you just finished, research the company you are meeting next, or prepare a brief for your next meeting, then read the answer back in your earbuds. It can also create Artifacts such as reports, slide decks, and spreadsheets, connect to Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack, and Notion, and run scheduled Routines for recurring tasks. Some Plaud Agent features are in beta, so availability can vary by region and software version.

Laptop meetings or every meeting?

Granola works best when your meetings happen on a laptop and you like typing as you go. Away from the laptop, it relies on your phone's microphone, and it captures phone calls only when you dial out through its iPhone app. Plaud Note Pro covers both, with a 4 MEMS microphone array with AI-Beamforming for the meeting room and call recording on your phone, and Plaud Desktop handles video calls in the same account. If you take calls on earbuds, Plaud One records both sides and lets Plaud Agent draft the follow-up.

For back-to-back conversations

• Smart dual-mode: Auto detects calls and in-person conversations.
• Pro performance: 0.12 in thin, 5 m pickup, 30 hours recording,

Shop Note Pro

For hands-free capture on the go

• Versatile options: Wear it as a lanyard, wristband, clip, or pin.
• Lightweight: 0.61 oz, 20 hours recording, 64GB storage.

Shop NotePin S

Ideal for hybrid work, 
calls & meetings

• Dual-mode recording: Capture calls and in-person conversations.
• Ultra-thin: 0.12 in, 30 hours recording, 64GB storage.

Shop Note

Ideal for hands-free, 
in-person conversations

• Versatile options: Wear it as a lanyard, wristband, clip, or pin.
• Lightweight: 0.61 oz, 20 hours recording, 64GB storage.

Shop NotePin