Yes, Granola has a free plan. Granola's Basic plan, which it calls a free taste of Granola, includes AI meeting notes, bot-free audio capture and its desktop and mobile apps. The main limit is meeting history: Basic keeps 30 days, and integrations such as Notion, Zapier and HubSpot need an upgraded plan.
Granola is an AI notepad for meetings. Instead of sending a bot into your call, it listens to your device's audio, then turns your rough notes and the transcript into a clean summary. That makes it popular with consultants, founders and anyone who hates the awkward 'a notetaker has joined' moment. Here's what you get without upgrading, based on Granola's own plans page.
What Granola's free Basic plan includes
- AI meeting notes that combine what you type with what was said.
- Bot-free, device-audio capture, so nobody else in the call sees a notetaker join.
- Apps for desktop, iOS, Android and Apple Watch.
- Speaker tagging, customised note templates and multi-language support.
- Recipes, included on every plan.
- AI chat within and across your meetings, on automatic model selection.
- Shared folders and an integration with Slack.
That's a usable meeting tool, not a trial. You could run every call for a month on Basic and get a tidy set of notes from each.
The catch: only 30 days of history
Here's the limit that matters. Granola's comparison table lists meeting history on Basic as 30 days, and its plan summary describes it as limited meeting history. The same applies when you connect Granola to an AI assistant through MCP: on Basic it can reach your personal notes from the last 30 days.
For a discovery call you'll follow up on this week, that's fine. For a client project that runs for months, where you want to search back to the kick-off meeting, it's the reason to upgrade, or to copy important notes into your own system as you go.
What Basic doesn't include
| Feature | On Basic (free)? |
|---|---|
| Meeting history | 30 days |
| Pre-meeting briefs | Not included |
| Follow-up emails | Not included |
| Integrations with Notion, Zapier, HubSpot and more | Not included |
| AI chat model choice | Automatic only |
| API access | Not included |
| Single sign-on and HIPAA-compliant workspaces | Not included |
Upgraded plans add pre-meeting briefs, follow-up emails, the wider integrations and a choice of AI model in chat, according to Granola's comparison table. The enterprise tier adds admin controls, single sign-on and HIPAA-compliant workspaces.
Privacy on the free plan
This is where Granola is stronger than people expect. On every plan, including Basic, Granola says audio is deleted after transcription, you can opt out of model training at any time, and the service is SOC 2 Type II certified. You can also set transcript retention and auto-deletion per user. On Basic you control the setting that tells people you're using Granola yourself.
Even with no bot in the call, it's good manners, and in some places a legal requirement, to tell people you're taking AI notes. Check the rules where you and your clients are based.
How to start using Granola for free
- Download the desktop app (or the iOS or Android app) and sign up.
- Pick a note template that suits the kind of meeting you're having.
- Join your call as normal; Granola captures your device audio, so there's no bot to admit.
- Jot down a few key points during the meeting.
- After the call, let Granola write up the notes, then edit and share them.
If you want to compare it with other note takers before you commit, I've rounded up the main Granola alternatives, and my page on whether Otter AI is free covers one of the best-known rivals.
Who the free plan suits
Basic suits freelancers and small business owners who want clean notes from a handful of calls each week and act on them quickly. It's less suited to teams who need shared history, CRM updates in HubSpot or a searchable archive going back months.
A simple habit makes Basic go further: at the end of each week, copy the decisions and actions from your Granola notes into your project tool or CRM. That way the 30-day window doesn't matter, because anything you need long term already lives somewhere permanent.
Granola Basic vs a meeting bot
Most AI notetakers join your call as a separate participant. Granola's approach is different: it captures your device's audio, which means there's nobody extra in the attendee list and no recording notice from a bot. For client calls, coaching sessions and interviews, many people find that less intrusive.
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The trade-off is that Granola relies on you running the app on the device you're taking the call on. If you join from a phone in the car and a laptop at your desk on different days, install it on both, since Granola has desktop, iOS and Android apps on every plan, including Basic. And because the free plan keeps 30 days of history, it helps to name each note clearly so you can find it quickly while it's still there.
One more thing in Basic's favour: you can share folders with colleagues, so a small team can keep notes from shared clients in one place even before anyone upgrades.
If you're testing several note takers, run Granola on Basic for a fortnight of normal calls before deciding. That's long enough to see whether its summaries match how you work.
My verdict
Granola is free, and the Basic plan is a solid AI notetaker with no bot and good privacy defaults. The 30-day history is the real limit, so either build the weekly copy-over habit or plan to upgrade once you rely on searching old meetings. If you need Notion, Zapier or HubSpot connections, those are upgrade features too.
Frequently asked questions
Is Granola free to use?
Yes. Granola's Basic plan is free and includes AI meeting notes, bot-free device-audio capture, templates, speaker tagging and its desktop and mobile apps.
How much meeting history does Granola Basic keep?
Granola's comparison table lists meeting history on Basic as 30 days.
Does Granola join meetings as a bot?
No. Granola captures your device audio, so there's no bot in the call.
Does Granola Basic connect to Notion or HubSpot?
No. Granola lists integrations with Notion, Zapier, HubSpot and more as not included on Basic. A Slack integration is included.
Does Granola keep my meeting audio?
Granola says audio is deleted after transcription on every plan, including Basic.
