Fireflies.aiPro $10/seat/mo billed annually ($18 monthly)
GranolaBusiness $14/user/mo, billed monthly (no ann…Fireflies.ai vs Granola
Need a recording to replay, or notes without an extra participant? That is the first choice here. Fireflies joins as a notetaker or captures through its Chrome extension and keeps recordings. Granola uses audio from your own computer without a bot, retaining transcripts and notes rather than audio. We used the vendors' pricing, security and help pages checked on 27 Oct 2026; this is not a hands-on comparison.
- For annual billing, Fireflies has the lower paid seat rate: Pro is $10/seat/mo, or $18 monthly; Business is $19 annually or $29 monthly. Granola Business is $14/user/mo on monthly billing only. So the cheaper paid starting point changes when you stop comparing annual rates and compare month-to-month bills.
- Granola doesn't invite a bot or store audio, and you start each note yourself. Fireflies can automatically join calendar meetings and keeps audio, with video listed from Pro. Decide which record the business needs to keep before comparing the summaries.
- Both have free plans, with different limits. Fireflies allows 400 minutes of team storage and limited AI summaries. Granola Basic has unlimited notes but shows only the most recent 30 days. An unlimited note count is not an unlimited visible archive.
Disclosure: our Fireflies.ai link is an affiliate link. It doesn't change the facts or the order. Methodology · Checked 2026-10-27
Fireflies.ai vs Granola: what actually differs
| Feature | Fireflies.ai | Granola |
|---|---|---|
| How it captures | Notetaker joins Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and 10+ apps; Chrome extension can record without the Fireflies bot; upload audio/video files. | Desktop app (Mac/Windows) transcribes your mic and system audio, with no bot; works with any meeting app. No import of recorded files. |
| Recordings | Keeps recordings; video recording is listed from the Pro plan, with downloadable transcripts, summaries and recordings. | No audio or video kept. Only transcripts and your notes are stored. |
| Free plan | Free $0: unlimited transcription, limited AI summaries, 400 mins storage per team, 20 AI credits. | Basic $0: unlimited AI meeting notes, AI chat, templates, shared folders, Slack; history limited to the last 30 days. |
| Cheapest paid plan (annual) | Pro $10/seat/mo. | No annual option on Business. Business is $14/user/mo. |
| Cheapest paid plan (monthly) | Pro $18/seat/mo. | Business $14/user/mo. |
| Mid / top tier | Business $19 annual / $29 monthly; Enterprise $39/seat/mo, annual only. | Enterprise from $35/user/mo, monthly or annual. |
| Seat minimum | None stated; volume discounts for 50+ members. | None on any plan. |
| AI assistant | AskFred across meetings; AI credits (20 on Free and Pro, 30 on Business, 50 on Enterprise) for some features. | AI chat within and across meetings; Business adds model selection, pre-meeting briefs and follow-up emails. |
| CRM & apps | Unlimited integrations from Pro (e.g. Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Zapier); API on all plans. | Slack on all plans; Notion, HubSpot, Attio, Affinity and Zapier on Business; Salesforce via Zapier (native connector in early access); API from Business; MCP on all plans. |
| Languages | Transcription in 100+ languages. | 31 languages on desktop (mixed-language meetings supported), 17 on mobile. |
| Security | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 42001, GDPR; HIPAA, SSO/SCIM and private storage on Enterprise. Says data is never used for AI training. | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR DPA; data on AWS in the US, no EU residency; anonymized data may train Granola's own models unless you opt out (off by default on Enterprise); HIPAA and SSO (50+ seats) on Enterprise. |
| Mobile | Android and iOS apps. | Free iPhone, Android and Apple Watch apps for in-person meetings. |
From each vendor's pricing page, checked 2026-10-27. USD before tax; "annual" is the per-month price when billed yearly.
Decide what must remain after the call
A replayable client call and a searchable note serve different purposes. Fireflies retains recordings; Granola keeps the transcript and the notes, not the audio or video. If a colleague must hear the original wording later, that difference can settle the shortlist. If retaining audio is the thing you want to avoid, the absence of a recording is a benefit rather than a missing feature.
Neither capture method excuses skipping consent. Tell participants what is being captured, who can read the output and how long it will stay. For a proposed trial, check one agreed action against the available source and open the recap as the intended recipient. We haven't run that trial, so these recommendations don't establish that either tool produces more accurate notes.
Check the destination as well as the capture
A note in the app is not yet a completed CRM handoff. Use the integration rows to find the required plan, then check whether the result reaches the correct account or project. Fireflies' paid integrations and Granola Business integrations have different coverage. A Salesforce connection through Zapier is also a different route from a native connector.
Before a purchase, compare the dated allowances with your normal calls and archive needs. Annual Fireflies pricing and monthly Granola pricing describe different commitments. We would keep the bill, history window and required integration on the same worksheet rather than pick a winner from one seat label. The facts in the table keep their original verification date.
What it costs your team
List prices × seats. Granola has no seat minimum and bills Business monthly only, so its price is the same in both billing rows. Try other team sizes in the meeting-notes cost calculator.
| Team | Fireflies.ai | Granola |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | Free, or Pro $10/mo annual ($18 monthly) | Free, or Business $14/mo |
| 5 people, billed annually | Pro $50/mo · Business $95/mo | Business $70/mo (monthly billing) |
| 5 people, billed monthly | Pro $90/mo · Business $145/mo | Business $70/mo |
| 10 people, billed annually | Pro $100/mo ($1,200/yr) · Business $190/mo | Business $140/mo ($1,680/yr) |
AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes and summarizes your calls across Zoom, Google Meet and Teams, then pushes notes and tasks into your CRM and apps.
- Starting price
- Pro $10/seat/mo billed annually ($18 monthly)
- Free tier
- Yes
- Setup
- ~10 min (est.)
AI notepad for meetings that transcribes your computer audio without a meeting bot, then turns your rough notes into clean summaries, action items and follow-ups. Free plan with 30 days of history; Business $14/user/mo.
- Starting price
- Business $14/user/mo, billed monthly (no ann…
- Free tier
- Yes
- Setup
- ~5 min (est.)
Full comparison
| Feature | Fireflies.ai | Granola |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free $0; Pro $10/seat/mo billed annually ($18 monthly); Business $19/seat/mo billed annually ($29 monthly); Enterprise $39/seat/mo, annual only. Volume discounts for 50+ seats. | Basic $0 (unlimited meeting notes, history limited to the last 30 days); Business $14/user/mo, billed monthly (no annual option on Business); Enterprise from $35/user/mo, monthly or annual. No seat minimum on any plan. |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Setup time | ~10 min (est.) | ~5 min (est.) |
| No-code | Yes | Yes |
| Replaces | Manual meeting notes and follow-up admin | Typing meeting notes by hand, meeting bots in client calls, and copy-pasting recaps into CRM, Notion or Slack |
| Best for | Sales teams, Agencies & consultants, Recruiting & HR, Customer success teams | Founders & executives, Agencies & consultants, Sales teams, Product & research teams, Investors & advisors |
| Integrations | Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier, Dropbox, OneDrive, Aircall, RingCentral, Workable | Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Notion, HubSpot, Attio, Affinity, Zapier, Google Calendar, Outlook / Microsoft 365 calendar, MCP (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor), API |
| Pros | **Generous free plan:** unlimited transcription with auto-join, plus desktop, mobile and Chrome capture.; **Cheap paid entry:** Pro at $10 per seat (annual) adds unlimited summaries, video and all integrations.; **100+ integrations** including HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, dialers and ATS tools.; **Many capture options:** bot, bot-free extension, desktop, mobile, dialers and file upload.; **Clear security posture:** SOC 2 Type II, ISO 42001 and a stated no-training policy. | **No bot in the call:** device-audio capture keeps client meetings natural.; **Notes stay yours:** your own jotted notes guide the AI summary, and notes are private by default.; **Simple pricing:** one $14 Business seat with no seat minimum and no per-minute caps.; **Free plan with unlimited notes:** Basic has no meeting or transcription limit, only a 30-day history window.; **Strong ecosystem:** Slack on every plan, CRM and Notion on Business, plus MCP and API.; **Startup, student and nonprofit offers** published in the help center. |
| Cons | **Tight AI credits:** 20 a month on Free and Pro, consumed by AI Skills and assistants.; **Storage caps below Business:** 400 minutes on Free, 8,000 per seat on Pro.; **US processing:** even Enterprise Private Storage doesn't move processing to the EU.; **Monthly billing costs more:** Pro is $18 and Business $29 per seat month to month.; **SSO needs Enterprise** at $39 per seat, annual only. | **No recordings:** no audio or video playback, and no import of recorded files.; **30-day history on Basic:** older notes are hidden until you upgrade.; **No annual discount** below Enterprise.; **US-only data storage**; no EU residency option.; **Model training on by default** (anonymized) for Basic and Business users until they opt out.; **Manual start:** someone has to open the note for each meeting; SSO needs Enterprise and 50+ seats. |
| SMB score (draft) | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Sources |
Which should you choose?
Choose Fireflies.ai if
you need recordings to replay or share, automatic joining for calendar calls or uploads of recordings made elsewhere. It also lists 100+ transcription languages. Annual Pro at $10 has the lower paid seat rate here, but compare the full allowance. Our Fireflies link is an affiliate link; that doesn't decide the recommendation.
Choose Granola if
you want to jot your own notes and let AI fill in the context without a bot appearing in the call. It also suits a requirement not to store audio at all. Business is $14 per user with monthly billing and no seat minimum, so it is the lower paid starting price here when both are compared month to month.
Also consider Otter.ai if
the entry price matters more than these capture differences. Its pricing page checked on 27 Oct 2026 lists Pro at $8.33/user/mo annually or $16.99 monthly. Basic includes 300 free minutes a month and Pro caps each meeting at 90 minutes. Check the Otter.ai review before treating those limits as interchangeable with either plan above.
Fireflies.ai vs Granola: FAQ
Is Granola cheaper than Fireflies.ai?
For monthly billing, Granola Business is lower: $14 per user against Fireflies Pro at $18. With an annual commitment, Fireflies Pro is $10 per seat a month. Those are the prices checked on 27 Oct 2026, and Granola Business is monthly only. Compare the commitment as well as the rate.
Does Granola or Fireflies join the call as a bot?
Granola transcribes the computer's microphone and system audio without joining as a bot. Fireflies normally joins as a notetaker, although its pricing page also lists capture through the Chrome extension without the Fireflies bot. The capture route doesn't remove the need to tell participants.
Which one keeps recordings?
Fireflies keeps audio and lists video recording from Pro. Granola retains neither audio nor video: audio is deleted after transcription, leaving the transcript and the user's notes. Choose the record you need before treating one method as better.
Which has the better free plan?
There isn't one equivalent allowance. Fireflies Free includes unlimited transcription, 400 minutes of storage per team, limited AI summaries and 20 AI credits. Granola Basic has unlimited notes but only the last 30 days of visible history in the app. The right free plan depends on which limit would block your work.
Do both connect to HubSpot and Salesforce?
Fireflies lists Salesforce and HubSpot integrations on paid plans. Granola Business has native HubSpot, Attio, Affinity and Notion connections; Salesforce is reached through Zapier, with a native connector in early access. Verify the required route and plan rather than just looking for the CRM logo.
Where is the data stored?
Granola stores its data on AWS in the US and lists no EU residency. Fireflies uses US storage and processing by default. Its Enterprise private storage can change the storage location, but processing remains in the US. Moving storage is not the same thing as moving all processing.
Have you tested them hands-on?
No. This is a comparison of published vendor information, not our experience of using both tools. SMB scores are draft editorial assessments. We will add a hands-on verdict after testing rather than imply the documentation review is already that test.
Sources (checked 2026-10-27)
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