Granola AI alternative: what works better if you are mostly on the phone?

What is the best Granola alternative?

That depends on the kind of conversation. For video meetings Granola itself is a good choice. For phone calls, an app that joins the line works better, because it also captures incoming calls and works on Android.

Granola is at its strongest on the computer. During a meeting the desktop app picks up the audio of your computer, so it works in Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and other meeting apps, with no bot joining. It then turns your own notes and the transcript into worked-out notes. It is good at that.

A phone call is a different problem. A phone does not hand the audio of a call to another app, so listening in the way the desktop app does is not possible there. On iPhone Granola solves it with its own dialler: you place the call from the Granola app. What falls outside that is in the next section.

To see Granola next to Otter and Fireflies, read can Granola, Otter or Fireflies record phone calls. This piece is about what to pick when Granola does not fit the way you call.

Why do people look for a Granola alternative?

On phone calls, mostly because of what the dialler does not cover. Incoming calls are not captured, and on Android Granola does not do phone calls. On top of that all data is stored in the United States, with no option for storage in the EU.

For outgoing calls on an iPhone, Granola’s dialler does the job. You register your number with a verification call and then dial from the app. The other person sees your own number. Granola lists 40 countries and regions where it works, the Netherlands among them.

Is there a Granola alternative for incoming calls?

Yes. Ajora captures incoming calls through call forwarding. You switch it on once with a button in the app, and after that Ajora joins as soon as someone rings you.

From then on your incoming calls run through your personal Ajora number. You answer as always and there is nothing to do during the call. For outgoing calls you dial from the Ajora app, with your own contacts in it. That part works the same as with Granola: there too you dial from the app.

One condition comes with it: your carrier has to allow call forwarding. It works on KPN, Vodafone/Ziggo, Odido and plenty of other carriers. Where a carrier does not allow it, you add Ajora to the call by hand. How to set it up is in set up call forwarding.

A few minutes after you hang up a debrief is waiting: a summary with the action items and the decisions, and the full transcript underneath.

Is there a Granola alternative for Android?

For phone calls there is: Ajora works on iPhone and Android, for outgoing and incoming calls. Granola has an Android app of its own, but it is for in-person conversations and not for calling.

The difference is in the route. On mobile Granola records through your phone’s microphone, and only the iPhone app has its own dialler for calls. With Ajora the call runs over the line and not through a microphone, so it does not matter which phone you have. How it works on Android is in automatically record a phone call on your Android.

For a conversation across a table both have something. With Granola you start a note in the app. With Ajora you pick Physical recording under Capture.

Is there a free Granola alternative?

Ajora is not it. It costs €19 a month, or €15 a month billed yearly, with 600 calling minutes a month included. If you want free, Granola’s own Basic plan is the first place to look.

Granola’s Basic plan costs nothing. There is no daily limit on transcriptions, and according to Granola the mobile apps are free to use. The limit is in the history: in the app you only see the notes of the last 30 days. Older notes are kept and come back when you upgrade.

Business costs 14 dollars per user per month, with unlimited history, integrations and API access. Business is billed monthly. Yearly billing is on Enterprise only, from 35 dollars per user per month.

Ajora has no free plan. You pay by the month or by the year, and the calling is part of it: the call runs through Ajora, so the calling minutes come with the subscription. The monthly plan can be cancelled every month, and there is a money-back guarantee for fourteen days after your first payment.

If you only make outgoing calls, from an iPhone, Granola costs you less. If people call you too, or you call on Android, with Ajora you pay for the calls Granola does not capture.

Granola or Ajora: what are the differences?

Granola is built around the meeting and adds a dialler for outgoing calls on iPhone. Ajora is built around the phone call and captures outgoing and incoming, on iPhone and Android. Price, language and storage are in the table.

Granola’s prices are listed in dollars on its pricing page and are per user. With Ajora, 600 calling minutes a month are included in the subscription.

When is Granola the better choice?

When your working day is mostly video meetings. Granola captures those from your computer with no bot in the call, and Ajora does not do that. Granola also gets you further if you only make outgoing calls from an iPhone, or want to start for free.

Granola is also stronger in ready-made CRM integrations. From the Business plan you share notes to HubSpot, Attio and Affinity, and there is a Zapier integration. Ajora has an integration with Apollo, and for other systems it runs through the API and webhooks.

It does not have to be one or the other. Granola for what is in your calendar, and Ajora for the calls to and from your mobile number.

Comparing with a recording device rather than a notetaker? Read Plaud alternative. For a recording app there is Ajora vs TapeACall.

Jort van Meenen

One of the three co-founders of Ajora. Jort focuses on user experience and growth.

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