Auldera

Auldera vs Granola: which is better for private meeting notes?

Granola and Auldera both record meetings without adding a bot to the call. Granola transcribes and writes notes in the cloud, so it needs an internet connection (source). Auldera transcribes, summarizes, and answers questions on your Mac or iPhone. Granola wins if you need Windows or Android, team sharing, integrations, SOC 2, or a product that is generally available today.

Auldera is in an invite-only private beta, and every Auldera feature on this page is from that beta.

In the December beta, transcription, Summary and Ask run on your device. The private beta sends crash reports and diagnostics; section 3 of the privacy policy covers what beta builds may collect.

Side-by-side comparison

Auldera (private beta) Granola
Bot joins the call No. On Mac it records the microphone and system audio. On iPhone it records what the microphone hears. No. Captures your microphone and system audio (source).
Where transcription runs On your Mac or iPhone A cloud transcription provider (source)
Where Summary and Ask run On the device Cloud processing (source)
Internet Used for model downloads, update checks, and beta diagnostics Needed to transcribe and generate notes (source)
Meeting audio Kept on your device by default, with playback from any moment. You can choose to delete it after 7, 30, or 90 days, or once notes are written. Deleted after transcription, so you can't replay it (source)
Where notes and transcripts are stored On your device. AWS servers in the US, encrypted, with a local cache on your device (source)
Ask with sources Ask about one meeting or a whole Project. Answers cite the transcript parts they used, so you can check them. Chat across folders returns citations from specific conversations (source)
Organize by project Projects, tags, and a Project Summary Shared folders (source)
Platforms Mac (macOS 26 or later) and iPhone (iOS 26 or later) Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android (source), and Apple Watch (source)
Team features None in the beta Shared folders on every plan. Admin controls on Enterprise (source)
Integrations Export to Markdown or JSON Slack and MCP (Claude, ChatGPT) on every plan. Notion, HubSpot, Attio, Affinity, and Zapier on Business (source)
Security certification None published SOC 2 Type II (source)
Availability Invite-only private beta Generally available
Price The private beta is free. Basic $0, Business $14 per user per month, Enterprise from $35 per user per month (checked Oct 26, 2026, source)

Where processing happens

Granola captures audio on your device and processes it in the cloud. Its help center says it "passes audio directly from your microphone and system audio to our transcription provider for the purpose of transcription" (source). Granola's blog says its AI summaries also use cloud processing (source). On Mac and Windows it transcribes in real time. On iPhone and Android it transcribes after the meeting from audio it caches for a short time (source).

In the December beta, transcription runs on your Mac or iPhone with on-device speech models, and Summary and Ask run on the device too. On Mac, Auldera uses its own local models. On iPhone, Summary and Ask need Apple Intelligence.

The December build has no hosted AI options. Test builds from before December can also use Auldera Enhanced or your own OpenRouter key to send meeting content to hosted models. The December build turns these off.

Internet requirement

Granola needs an internet connection to transcribe meetings and generate notes. Granola's blog says transcription and note generation "are not available fully offline or entirely on your device" (source). Granola keeps a local copy of your notes, so you can open and edit them offline (source).

Transcription, Summary and Ask run on the device. Auldera uses the network for model downloads, update checks, and beta diagnostics.

Where your data is stored

Granola stores all data on AWS servers in the United States and encrypts it at rest and in transit. It doesn't offer EU, UK, or other regional data residency (source). Granola keeps notes and transcripts until you delete them or set a transcript auto-deletion period (source).

On Granola's Basic and Business plans, anonymised data may be used to improve Granola's own models by default. You can turn this off under Settings, Preferences, Data & sharing. Granola says third parties such as OpenAI and Anthropic can't train on your data (source).

Auldera saves your meetings on your Mac or iPhone. It keeps audio by default so you can play back from any moment. A "keep audio" setting lets you keep it always, for 7, 30, or 90 days, or until notes are written.

Platforms and accounts

Granola runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android (source), and its pricing page lists Apple Watch apps (source). Granola's web app at notes.granola.ai is for viewing and editing notes and can't capture or transcribe meetings (source).

The Auldera private beta runs on Macs with macOS 26 or later and iPhones with iOS 26 or later. On Mac it records your microphone and system audio. On iPhone it records what the microphone hears, so it doesn't capture call audio from the phone. The December app has no account or sign-in. During the beta you need an invitation to install Auldera. The iPhone beta is on TestFlight only.

Projects and Ask

Both apps let you ask questions about your meetings and check where each answer came from. Granola's chat across folders returns citations from specific conversations (source).

In the Auldera private beta, you can file meetings into Projects and add tags. You can ask about one meeting or a whole Project. Each answer cites the parts of the transcript it used, so you can check it. A Project Summary covers the meetings in a project. You can edit speaker labels and export meetings as Markdown or JSON.

Pricing

Granola has three plans (checked Oct 26, 2026):

  • Basic is $0 per user per month. You can see the last 30 days of meeting history in the app (source). Granola keeps older notes but hides them until you upgrade (source).
  • Business is $14 per user per month, billed monthly. It adds unlimited history, more integrations, and API access (source).
  • Enterprise is from $35 per user per month, billed monthly or annually. It adds SSO, admin controls, and HIPAA-compliant workspaces (source).

The private beta is free.

Who should pick Granola instead

Pick Granola if:

  • You use Windows or Android. The Auldera beta runs only on Mac and iPhone.
  • Your team shares notes. Granola has shared folders, workspaces, and admin controls (source).
  • You want your notes in other tools. Granola connects to Slack and to AI tools through MCP on every plan, and to Notion, HubSpot, Attio, Affinity, and Zapier on Business (source).
  • You need a product that is generally available today, not an invite-only beta.
  • Your security review asks for SOC 2. Granola holds SOC 2 Type II (source).
  • You need HIPAA. Granola offers it on Enterprise with a BAA (source).

Pick Auldera if you want transcription and summaries to run on your Mac or iPhone.

Frequently asked questions

Does Granola send my meeting audio to the cloud?

Yes. Granola sends audio from your microphone and system audio to its transcription provider (source). It deletes the audio after transcription and keeps the transcript and notes on AWS servers in the US (source).

Does Granola work offline?

Granola needs an internet connection to transcribe and generate notes. You can open and edit notes you already have offline (source).

Does either app add a bot to my meeting?

No. Granola captures audio from your device (source). The Auldera beta records your Mac's microphone and system audio, or your iPhone's microphone. Tell people before you record, and get any consent you need.

Can I try Auldera?

Auldera is in an invite-only private beta. You can request an invitation from the download page.

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