How much does Granola cost in 2026?
- Granola has a free plan (25 meetings/month), Pro at $18/month ($14/month billed annually), and Business at $35/seat/month. Granola is Mac-only — it does not run on Windows or in a browser. For professionals who need meeting notes that feed into email follow-ups and task management, alfred_ extends beyond notes to handle the full post-meeting workflow.
Granola Pricing Plans at a Glance
| Feature | Free | Pro | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $18/month ($14/mo annual) | $35/seat/month |
| Meeting limit | 25 meetings/month | 100 meetings/month | Unlimited |
| AI note quality | Standard | Enhanced | Enhanced |
| Integrations | Basic | Notion, HubSpot, Salesforce | All + admin controls |
| Custom templates | |||
| Team features | |||
| Platform | Mac only | Mac only | Mac only |
| Best for | Light meeting users | Regular meeting-heavy users | Teams and enterprises |
Granola's free plan is genuinely useful for occasional meeting note-takers. The 25-meeting monthly limit works out to just over 1 meeting per working day — enough for most professionals. The Pro plan is necessary if you have 5+ meetings per week, or if you want the richer integrations and custom note templates.
Free Plan: What You Get
Granola's free plan is among the more generous in the AI meeting tools space. You get 25 meetings per month with the core AI note-taking experience — no watermarks, no time-limited transcripts.
- •25 meetings/month: Sufficient for 1–2 meetings per working day; resets monthly
- •AI-generated notes: Granola's core feature — formatted notes with key points, action items, and decisions, not a raw transcript
- •Editable notes: Unlike many tools that just dump transcripts, Granola produces structured notes you can edit and refine
- •Mac app required: Granola runs as a Mac desktop app; the free plan has the same platform requirement as paid
- •Limited integrations: Basic export options; CRM and project management integrations require Pro or Business
The free plan is a genuinely good starting point for Mac users who want to try AI meeting notes without commitment. Most evaluators can run a meaningful test within the free tier.
Pro Plan ($14–$18/month): Worth It?
The Pro plan's primary unlock is higher meeting volume (100/month vs. 25/month) and the integrations that make notes actually useful beyond Granola itself. The 100-meeting cap works out to 5 meetings per working day — enough for almost all individual professionals.
- •100 meetings/month: Covers 5 meetings per working day — sufficient for executives and high-volume meeting schedules
- •Notion integration: Push meeting notes directly to Notion pages or databases
- •HubSpot and Salesforce: Log meeting notes directly to CRM contact records — valuable for sales and account management
- •Custom note templates: Create templates for recurring meeting types (1:1s, standups, client calls) that pre-structure your AI notes
- •Enhanced AI quality: Improved accuracy and more sophisticated note structuring
At $14/month annually, Pro is fair value for Mac users who regularly attend 3+ meetings per week and want notes to flow into Notion or their CRM automatically. The Notion and HubSpot integrations alone justify the upgrade for many professionals.
Business Plan ($35/seat/month): What's Added
The Business plan is designed for teams that want shared meeting notes, admin controls, and enterprise integrations. At $35/seat/month, it's significantly more expensive — a 5-person team pays $2,100/year.
- •Unlimited meetings with full team access
- •Shared note access and team collaboration features
- •Admin controls and user management
- •Priority support and SSO (enterprise accounts)
Hidden Costs to Know About
- •Mac only — strictly: Granola has no Windows app, no web app, no mobile app for taking notes. If you or your team uses Windows machines, Granola is simply not an option. Cross-platform teams need a different tool.
- •Pro still has a meeting cap: 100 meetings/month sounds like a lot until you realize it covers roughly 5 meetings per working day. Executives with dense meeting schedules (external calls, internal syncs, 1:1s) may still hit the limit.
- •Notes stop at notes: Granola creates excellent meeting notes but does not draft follow-up emails, track action items in your inbox, or connect meetings to your email threads. The post-meeting workflow is still manual.
- •Business tier is expensive for teams: $35/seat/month means a 10-person team pays $4,200/year — more than tools like Fathom that offer generous free team plans.
Is Granola Worth the Price?
Granola is worth it for Mac users who attend regular meetings and want notes that are genuinely readable and editable — not raw transcript dumps. The free plan covers light users well. Pro at $14/month annually is a reasonable upgrade for anyone with 3+ meetings per week who wants Notion or CRM integration.
Granola is not worth it for cross-platform teams. The Mac-only constraint is a hard blocker for any team with Windows users. And at $35/seat/month, Business is expensive relative to Fathom (which has a strong free tier) and other tools.
For professionals who want a complete meeting-to-action workflow — where meeting notes automatically feed into follow-up emails and task lists — Granola requires additional tools. The notes are excellent; the workflow stops there.
The Better-Value Alternative: alfred_
alfred_ costs $24.99/month and extends beyond meeting notes into the full post-meeting workflow. When you finish a meeting, alfred_ can draft the follow-up email, extract action items from the discussion, and add them to your task list — without you manually writing a recap. alfred_ also handles your inbox between meetings: triaging emails, drafting replies, and preparing a Daily Brief.
For Mac users who want meeting notes specifically, Granola Pro at $14/month annual is a focused, affordable tool. But for professionals who want both meetings and email covered in one assistant, alfred_ covers the complete individual workflow for $24.99/month.
| Feature | Granola Pro | alfred_ |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $18/month | $24.99/month |
| Annual price | $168/year ($14/mo) | $249.99/year (~$20.83/mo) |
| Free plan | Yes (25 meetings/month) | 30-day free trial |
| Platform | Mac only | Web + integrations |
| Meeting notes | Yes — enhanced AI | Via calendar integrations |
| Email triage | No | Yes — autonomous |
| Follow-up email drafting | No | Yes |
| Task extraction | Manual from notes | Automatic from email + meetings |
Our Verdict
Granola is worth it for Mac users who want beautiful meeting notes with light editing; alfred_ is better for the full meeting-to-action workflow
Granola is a genuinely excellent product for what it does: AI-enhanced, editable meeting notes on Mac. The free plan is solid; Pro at $14/month annually is fair for regular meeting attendees. The hard constraints are the Mac-only limitation and the gap between notes and action — Granola doesn't draft follow-up emails or track action items in your inbox. alfred_ at $24.99/month handles the complete workflow: email triage, calendar management, post-meeting follow-ups, and task extraction in one AI assistant.
Best for
- Granola Free: Mac users with fewer than 25 meetings/month who want quality AI notes
- Granola Pro: Mac users with dense meeting schedules who use Notion or HubSpot
- alfred_: professionals who want meeting notes connected to email follow-ups and task management
- alfred_: anyone on Windows or needing cross-platform meeting tools
Not for
- Granola: Windows users — the product does not run on Windows
- Granola: professionals who need the post-meeting workflow automated (follow-up emails, task tracking)
- alfred_: teams specifically seeking collaborative meeting notes with shared access
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Granola cost per month?
Granola has a free plan (25 meetings/month), Pro at $18/month ($14/month billed annually), and Business at $35/seat/month. The free plan is a genuine ongoing free tier, not a time-limited trial.
Does Granola have a free plan?
Yes. Granola's free plan includes 25 AI-powered meeting notes per month with no time limit. This is a permanent free tier, not a trial. The main upgrade reasons are more meetings (100/month on Pro), Notion/CRM integrations, and custom templates.
Is Granola worth $18/month?
Granola Pro is worth $18/month (or $14/month annually) for Mac users who attend 3+ meetings per week and want notes that automatically flow into Notion or their CRM. It's not worth it for Windows users (incompatible), cross-platform teams, or professionals who need the full post-meeting workflow including follow-up email drafting.
What is the cheapest Granola plan?
Granola's free plan is permanently free for up to 25 meetings/month. The cheapest paid plan is Pro at $14/month when billed annually ($168/year). Monthly billing is $18/month.
How does Granola compare to alfred_?
Granola specializes in AI meeting notes for Mac users: beautiful, editable notes with Notion and CRM integrations. alfred_ handles the broader individual workflow: email triage, meeting note actions, follow-up email drafting, task extraction, and a daily briefing. Granola Free is available at no cost; alfred_ is $24.99/month with a 30-day trial. They can also be used together — Granola for notes, alfred_ for everything else.
Can I cancel Granola anytime?
Yes. Granola allows cancellation at any time. On a monthly plan, you retain access to the end of the billing period. On annual billing, you retain access through the end of the paid year. Free plan users keep their 25 monthly meetings regardless.
Try alfred_
Go Beyond Meeting Notes with alfred_
alfred_ at $24.99/month handles email triage, drafts follow-up emails after meetings, extracts tasks automatically, and delivers a daily briefing — the full individual workflow that Granola's notes alone don't cover. 30-day free trial.
Try alfred_ Free