CallNote vs Granola at a glance
| Feature | CallNote | Granola |
|---|---|---|
| Captures meeting audio | No. It only receives a transcript that already exists | Yes. It accesses your microphone and computer audio and transcribes it |
| Stores audio | No call audio stored | No. Granola says it stores only the transcript and your notes |
| Sends a bot to the call | No | No |
| How it gets the transcript | From Aircall, Dialpad or Microsoft Teams automatically, or paste, .vtt/.txt upload, Email-in, or a dictated voice memo | Transcribes your device audio itself. You start it manually for each meeting |
| Platforms | Web app, any device | macOS, Windows, iOS and Android |
| Phone calls | Yes, through Aircall and Dialpad transcripts | iPhone app only, outbound calls only. Granola's help centre says calls to or from Telstra numbers are not supported |
| Where data is stored | Sydney (AWS ap-southeast-2) | US-hosted AWS |
| AI training on your data | Not used to train AI | No third-party training. Granola trains on anonymised data unless you opt out in Settings. Off by default for Enterprise |
| Security statements | Encrypted, hosted in Sydney. No SOC 2 claim | SOC 2 Type 2 |
| Sealed notes and audit log | Yes. SHA-256 checksum on publish, append-only amendments, full audit log | Not described on its site |
| Note format | Your own template, built from one of your past notes | AI notes built around what you type, with customised note templates |
| Where notes go | HubSpot, Clio or Microsoft Dynamics 365, plus Slack, Notion, Zapier and PDF | Business plan lists Attio, Notion, HubSpot, Affinity and Zapier |
| Pricing | Solo AUD $149/month. Team AUD $99 per seat/month. 14-day free trial, no credit card | Basic $0. Business $14 per user/month. Enterprise $35 per user/month, as listed on its pricing page. The page does not state a currency |
Which one to choose
When Granola is the better choice
- You want notes from your own meetings with almost no setup. Install Granola, start it when the meeting starts, and it transcribes the audio on your device with no bot in the call.
- You do not have a transcript. Granola makes one from the audio. CallNote needs a transcript to exist already.
- You want a free plan. Granola's Basic plan is $0 with 30 days of meeting history. CallNote has a 14-day free trial instead.
- You want a native app on Mac, Windows, iPhone or Android. CallNote is a web app.
- You need a vendor with SOC 2 Type 2 on the page. Granola states it. CallNote does not claim a SOC 2 certification.
- US hosting is fine for the meetings you want notes on.
When CallNote is the better choice
- You keep client records in Australia and want them hosted here. CallNote's data is hosted in Sydney. Granola's notes are stored in its US-hosted AWS cloud.
- You do not want a note tool listening to client calls at all. CallNote only ever sees text. Granola accesses your microphone and computer audio to transcribe, even though it does not keep the audio.
- Your phone system already makes transcripts. Aircall and Dialpad call transcripts arrive in CallNote automatically, and so do Microsoft Teams meeting transcripts.
- You need a file note in your firm's own format. Paste one of your past notes and CallNote builds a matching template. System templates cover general calls, a short chronological call log, and mortgage and NCCP.
- You need the record locked. Publishing seals the note with a SHA-256 checksum, amendments are append-only and there is a full audit log.
- You want the note on the client record. CallNote publishes to HubSpot, Clio or Microsoft Dynamics 365.
If you are searching for a Granola alternative, it helps to say what kind. Granola is a good product: an AI notepad that transcribes your meeting audio with no bot and does not keep the audio. If you want another general meeting note taker, our comparisons with Jamie and Fathom are the place to start. CallNote is the alternative for one specific case: client-facing work in Australia where the note has to become a proper file note, hosted here, without the note tool capturing the conversation.
We make CallNote. Everything below about Granola comes from its own website (home, pricing and security pages) in October 2026. Check their site for current details before you decide.
What Granola does
Granola describes itself as an app for desktop and mobile that works a lot like a notes app. You start it manually for a meeting. It then accesses your microphone audio and your meeting audio on your computer and transcribes it. It does not add a bot to the call. Its site lists apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android, says the desktop app works with any meeting platform, and says the mobile app is built for in-person meetings. In September 2025 Granola announced notes on phone calls for its iPhone app.
On audio, Granola's security page says it does not store the audio from meetings. It transcribes in real time on macOS and Windows, or after the meeting using temporarily cached audio on mobile, and stores only the transcript and the notes you provide. Notes are stored in its US-hosted AWS cloud, encrypted at rest and in transit. Granola holds SOC 2 Type 2.
The real difference: who makes the transcript
Granola is bot-free and does not keep audio. Both are true and worth crediting. But Granola is still the thing that listens. It captures your device audio and does the transcription, using transcription and AI providers it names on its security page.
CallNote does not do that step. It does not record, does not send a bot and does not listen to the call. It receives the transcript your phone system or meeting platform already produced and writes the note from that text. Your Aircall or Dialpad call already has a transcript, so CallNote takes it. A Microsoft Teams meeting with transcription on already has one too. For anything else you paste it, upload the .vtt or .txt file, or forward it by email. After an in-person meeting you can dictate a voice memo instead. We compare the two approaches in meeting bots versus transcript-only note tools.
Does Granola work on Windows, iPhone and Android?
Yes, according to Granola's site, which lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android as at October 2026. Earlier versions of this page said Granola was Mac only. That is no longer the case.
CallNote is a web app, so there is nothing to install and it works on any device with a browser. The Dialpad and Aircall connections mean a call taken on a desk phone or a mobile still ends up as a note, because the transcript comes from the phone system and not from the device you are holding.
Does Granola work on phone calls?
Granola says its iPhone app can take notes on phone calls: you open the app and tap the phone icon, and it transcribes in the background. Its help centre adds three limits, as at October 2026: phone calls are on iOS only, they work for calls you make and not calls you receive, and calls to or from numbers on the Telstra network in Australia are not supported. Its site describes the desktop app as working with any meeting platform. If you use it on client calls, the call is being captured by an app, so the recording consent rules in your state apply. Broadly, NSW, WA, SA, Tasmania and the ACT require all parties to consent, while Victoria, Queensland and the NT allow a party to record, and the federal Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 applies separately. This is general information, not legal advice. See is it legal to record phone calls in Australia.
Where your data lives
Granola's security page says notes are stored in its US-hosted AWS cloud. It says it does not allow third parties such as its AI providers to train on your data, that Granola itself trains on anonymised data unless you opt out in Settings, and that Enterprise workspaces have training off by default.
CallNote hosts data in Sydney (AWS ap-southeast-2), encrypted, and does not use it to train AI. If a client or a licensee asks where their notes are kept, 'in Sydney' is a shorter conversation than 'in the United States, under contract'. For some work that does not matter. For a client file it often does.
A meeting note or a client file note
Granola is built for meeting notes: capture the discussion, tidy it up, share it, ask questions across past meetings. It does that well and does not claim to be a records tool.
CallNote is built for the note that goes on the client file. You review the draft, then publish it. The note is sealed with a SHA-256 checksum and locked, any later change is an append-only amendment, and the audit log shows who did what and when. The format is yours: paste one of your past notes and CallNote builds a template with your headings and order. There are system templates for general calls, a short chronological call log, and mortgage and NCCP work. On publish the note goes to the one CRM you have connected: HubSpot, Clio or Microsoft Dynamics 365.
Pricing
Granola's pricing page lists Basic at $0 per user with 30 days of meeting history, Business at $14 per user per month with unlimited history and integrations, and Enterprise at $35 per user per month. The page does not say which currency those prices are in. CallNote is AUD $149 a month for Solo and AUD $99 per seat a month for Team, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card. Granola is cheaper. If price per seat is what decides it, Granola wins that line.
So which should you pick?
Pick Granola if you want quick, private notes from your own meetings, you are happy for the app to transcribe the audio, and US hosting is fine. It is one of the better tools of its kind.
Pick CallNote if you are an Australian broker, adviser or lawyer who has to keep a client record, your phone system or Teams already produces transcripts, and you want the note in your own format, sealed, and hosted in Sydney. If you are an adviser weighing this up, we go deeper in Granola alternatives for financial advisers.
You can see every tool side by side on the comparison hub, or start a free trial and run a real call transcript through it. 14 days, no credit card.
Common questions
What is a good Granola alternative in Australia?
It depends what you want to replace. For general meeting notes there are many note takers to compare. For a client file note hosted in Australia, CallNote is the alternative: it never captures audio, works from a transcript your phone system or Teams already made, writes the note in your own format and seals it when you publish. Data is hosted in Sydney.
Does Granola work on Windows?
Yes. As at October 2026 Granola's website lists apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android. CallNote is a web app, so it runs in a browser on any device.
Does Granola work on phone calls?
Granola says its iPhone app can take notes on phone calls, a feature it announced in September 2025. Its help centre says this is for outbound calls on iOS only, and that calls to or from Telstra numbers in Australia are not supported. Because the app is capturing the call, check the recording consent rules in your state before using it with clients. CallNote takes a different route: it receives the transcript your phone system already made, through Aircall or Dialpad, and never captures the call itself.
Does Granola store my audio?
Granola's security page says it does not store meeting audio. It transcribes in real time on macOS and Windows, or after the meeting from temporarily cached audio on mobile, and keeps only the transcript and your notes. CallNote does not store call audio either, because it only receives a transcript.
Where is my data stored with Granola and with CallNote?
Granola's security page says notes are stored in its US-hosted AWS cloud, encrypted at rest and in transit, and that it holds SOC 2 Type 2. CallNote hosts data in Sydney (AWS ap-southeast-2), encrypted, and does not use it to train AI. CallNote does not claim a SOC 2 certification.
Does CallNote record the call?
No. CallNote never records calls, never joins a meeting as a bot and never stores call audio. It receives a transcript that already exists, from Aircall, Dialpad or Microsoft Teams automatically, or by paste, upload or email, and writes a structured file note from that text.