Oaken Notes vs Granola
Both capture device audio without a meeting bot. The difference: Oaken Notes processes everything on your Mac. Granola sends audio to the cloud.
Granola and Oaken Notes both avoid meeting bots by recording your device's audio directly. But Granola transmits that audio to AWS servers for cloud-based transcription (then deletes it). Oaken Notes processes audio entirely on your Mac using Apple Intelligence — your meeting audio never touches a server.
Feature Comparison
| Oaken Notes | Granola | |
|---|---|---|
| Audio processing | On-device | Cloud (audio deleted after) |
| Meeting bot | None | None |
| Account required | No | Yes |
| Audio stored on servers | Never | During transcription (then deleted) |
| Data used for AI training | Never | De-identified (opt-out available) |
| Works offline | Yes | No |
| AI approach | Full transcription + AI summaries | Enhances your written notes |
| AI engine | Apple Intelligence (on-device) | Cloud AI (OpenAI, Anthropic) |
| Platforms | macOS | macOS, Windows, iOS |
| Team features | No | Shared folders, team history |
| Integrations | Apple Calendar | Notion, Slack, HubSpot, Zapier |
Privacy & Data
Granola captures audio from your device (no meeting bot), but transmits it to AWS servers in the United States for cloud-based transcription. Granola's privacy policy states that audio recordings are not retained after transcription is complete. However, transcripts and meeting data are stored on Granola's servers encrypted at rest. Granola uses de-identified data for AI model training, with an opt-out option in account settings. Third-party AI providers (OpenAI, Anthropic) are contractually prohibited from using your data for their own training.
Oaken Notes goes further: audio is processed entirely on your Mac using Apple Intelligence and WhisperKit. There is no cloud step at all — audio doesn't leave your device even temporarily. Transcripts are stored locally in a SQLite database protected by macOS FileVault. No account is required, no data is collected, and there is nothing to opt out of because there is no server to opt out from.
Pricing
Pro: $9.99/mo or $79.99/yr — unlimited AI, iCloud sync
Business: $14/user/mo — advanced integrations
Enterprise: $35/user/mo — custom deployment
Oaken Notes Pro at $9.99/month is 29% less expensive than Granola Business at $14/month. Both offer free tiers, though Oaken Notes Free includes unlimited transcription with no minute caps.
When to Choose Granola
Granola is a strong choice if you want a note-enhancement workflow (where you write notes during the meeting and AI fills in what you missed), need cross-platform support including Windows and iOS, require team collaboration features like shared folders and meeting history, or need integrations with tools like Notion, Slack, and HubSpot. Its "chat with folders" feature for querying across meetings is useful for teams managing large volumes of calls.
When to Choose Oaken Notes
Choose Oaken Notes if you want the strongest possible privacy guarantee — audio that never leaves your Mac, not even temporarily for cloud transcription. If you don't want to create an account, don't need an internet connection for your meetings, and prefer full automatic transcription over a note-enhancement workflow, Oaken Notes is built for you. It's the only meeting notes app where the architecture itself makes data leaks impossible.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Granola different from Oaken Notes?
Both apps capture device audio without sending a bot to your meetings. The key difference is processing: Granola sends audio to cloud servers for transcription (then deletes it), while Oaken Notes processes everything on your Mac using Apple Intelligence. Granola requires an account and internet connection; Oaken Notes requires neither. Granola also takes a different approach to notes — it enhances what you write during the meeting, while Oaken Notes generates full transcripts and AI summaries automatically.
Does Granola store my meeting audio?
Granola states that audio recordings are not retained after transcription. However, audio is transmitted to AWS servers for processing before deletion. Transcripts and meeting data remain on Granola's servers. With Oaken Notes, audio never leaves your Mac — transcription happens on-device, and all data stays in a local database.
Which works offline — Granola or Oaken Notes?
Only Oaken Notes works offline. Granola requires an internet connection because audio processing and AI note enhancement happen in the cloud. Oaken Notes uses Apple Intelligence and WhisperKit for fully on-device transcription and summarization, with no cloud dependency.
Which is cheaper — Oaken Notes or Granola?
Oaken Notes Free offers unlimited meetings and transcription with 25 AI enhancements per month. Granola's Basic tier is also free but with more limited features. Oaken Notes Pro ($9.99/mo or $79.99/yr) is 29% less expensive than Granola Business ($14/mo). Both are significantly cheaper than Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai.
Does Granola use a meeting bot?
No. Like Oaken Notes, Granola captures audio directly from your device without joining meetings as a bot participant. This is a shared advantage over competitors like Otter.ai (OtterPilot) and Fireflies.ai (fred bot) that send visible bots into your calls.
Keep your meetings on your Mac.
Download Oaken Notes — fully on-device AI meeting notes.
Download for MacRequires macOS Tahoe 26+ and Apple Silicon
More comparisons: vs Otter.ai · vs Fireflies.ai