Free Granola AI Alternatives for Meeting Notes
Last checked: . Prices and limits change often, so each listing links to the page we checked.
How we pick: free plan or license checked on the vendor's own page. Paid placement can't change the order. How we check
Short answer
- Best for local notes on Mac, Windows and Linux, no bot anarlog
- Best for hosted, unlimited free recordings Fathom
- Best for also on iPhone OpenWhispr
Granola AI (the meeting-notes app, granola.ai) has a free Basic plan, but it keeps only 30 days of meeting history. If you want free AI meeting notes without that limit:
- Open source, runs on your computer, no bot: anarlog, Meetily Community, OpenWhispr, Conversationaly, and Muesli (Windows, early project).
- Hosted notetakers with free plans: Fathom, Otter and Fireflies. No setup, but each free plan has limits.
Open-source apps are free software. Summaries are free with a local model, or you pay your AI provider if you connect a cloud API key.
Free swaps for Granola
8 options. Every card shows the same facts in the same order; "Not stated" means the vendor's page doesn't say.
anarlog
- Cost/license
- Free, open source (MIT, community app)
- Runs on
- macOS, Windows, Linux
- Commercial use
- Not stated
- Free limit
- Free app; cloud features optional
- Last release
- desktop_v1.4.31 · 2026-10-20 (GitHub)
Skip it if: you want a hosted service with nothing to install.
Meetily Community
- Cost/license
- Free, open source (MIT)
- Runs on
- Windows, macOS; Linux from source
- Commercial use
- Not stated
- Free limit
- Community Edition is free; Pro from $10/
user/ month billed yearly - Last release
- v0.4.1 · 2026-09-12 (GitHub)
Skip it if: you're on Linux and don't want to build from source.
OpenWhispr
- Cost/license
- Free, open source (MIT)
- Runs on
- macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS
- Commercial use
- Not stated
- Free limit
- Free: 5 hours of meeting recordings a month, 2,000 cloud words a week, unlimited local models
- Last release
- v1.10.4 · 2026-10-22 (GitHub)
Skip it if: you record more than 5 hours of meetings a month on Free.
Conversationaly
- Cost/license
- Free, open source (MIT)
- Runs on
- macOS, Windows, Linux
- Commercial use
- Not stated
- Free limit
- Fully free; no paid tier
- Last release
- v1.4.1 · 2026-08-26 (GitHub)
Skip it if: you need a phone app; it lists macOS, Windows and Linux only.
Muesli
- Cost/license
- Free, open source (MIT)
- Runs on
- Windows 10 and 11
- Commercial use
- Not stated
- Free limit
- Free
- Last release
- v0.1.0 · 2026-07-06 (GitHub)
Skip it if: you're not on Windows 10 or 11, or you want a mature app (it's an early project).
Fathom
- Cost/license
- Free plan; not open source
- Runs on
- Not stated on the pricing page
- Commercial use
- Not stated
- Free limit
- Free forever: unlimited recordings and transcriptions
- Last release
- Not stated
Skip it if: you want recordings kept on your own computer; it's hosted.
Otter
- Cost/license
- Free plan; not open source
- Runs on
- iOS and Android apps
- Commercial use
- Not stated
- Free limit
- Basic: 300 transcription minutes a month, 3 lifetime file imports
- Last release
- Not stated
Skip it if: you need more than 300 transcription minutes a month.
Fireflies
- Cost/license
- Free plan; not open source
- Runs on
- Desktop app, Android and iOS apps, Chrome extension
- Commercial use
- Not stated
- Free limit
- Free: "unlimited transcription" (footnoted), limited AI summaries, 400 mins of storage
- Last release
- Not stated
Skip it if: you need more than 400 mins of storage.
Is Granola AI free?
Yes, Granola has a free plan called Basic. Per the Granola pricing page (checked 2026-10-23), Basic costs $0 per user a month and includes:
- AI meeting notes, with bot-free, device-audio capture
- Desktop, iOS, Android and Apple Watch apps
- Speaker tagging, note templates and multi-language support
- AI chat within and across meetings
- Meeting history: 30 days. Business and Enterprise have unlimited history.
Pre-meeting briefs and follow-up emails are not included on Basic. Business is $14 per user a month and Enterprise is $35 per user a month. Granola's homepage says it's "Available for macOS, Windows, iOS, Android."
Comparison table
| Tool | Open source? (license) | Free plan limit | Bot joins the call? (per vendor) | Runs locally? | Platforms (per vendor) | Source (checked 2026-10-23) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| anarlog | Yes (MIT, community app) | Free app; cloud features optional | No | Yes; on-device transcription on supported Macs | macOS, Windows, Linux | GitHub |
| Meetily Community | Yes (MIT) | Community Edition is free; Pro from $10/user/month billed yearly | No (records on your device) | Yes | Windows, macOS; Linux from source | meetily.ai |
| OpenWhispr | Yes (MIT) | Free: 5 hours of meeting recordings a month, 2,000 cloud words a week, unlimited local models | No ("without a bot") | Yes, with local models | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS | OpenWhispr pricing |
| Conversationaly | Yes (MIT) | Fully free; no paid tier | Not stated (captures mic and system audio) | Yes, by default | macOS, Windows, Linux | GitHub |
| Muesli | Yes (MIT) | Free | No | Yes | Windows 10 and 11 | GitHub |
| Fathom | No | Free forever: unlimited recordings and transcriptions | Your choice: bot-free (in beta) or bot | No (hosted) | Not stated on the pricing page | Fathom pricing |
| Otter | No | Basic: 300 transcription minutes a month, 3 lifetime file imports | Not stated on the pricing page | No (hosted) | iOS and Android apps | Otter pricing |
| Fireflies | No | Free: "unlimited transcription" (footnoted), limited AI summaries, 400 mins of storage | Not stated on the pricing page | No (hosted) | Desktop app, Android and iOS apps, Chrome extension | Fireflies pricing |
Open-source, local options
These apps run on your own computer and capture audio from your device, so nothing extra joins the meeting.
anarlog
anarlog's GitHub repository describes it as an "Open source Granola AI Alternative." Its README says it "takes notes in your meetings without sending a bot to join the call."
- License: the community app is MIT. The README says the team now builds a separate product (char), and that anarlog "is not being retired."
- Local: app data stays in a local SQLite database. On supported Macs, built-in transcription models run on-device. For summaries, use a local server such as Ollama or LM Studio, your own API key, or optional hosted AI.
- Platforms: downloads for macOS, Windows and Linux.
Source: anarlog on GitHub (license: MIT per GitHub) · checked 2026-10-23
Meetily (Community Edition)
Meetily is a "Privacy-First AI Meeting Assistant & Note Taker." Its site says the Community Edition is free, open source and MIT-licensed, and calls it an alternative to "paid services like Granola and Otter AI."
- Local: transcription and recordings are processed on your device. Summaries use local models or your own API key; the README recommends Ollama.
- Platforms: installers for Windows and macOS. On Linux, the README says to build from source. The Windows installer needs an AVX2-capable x64 CPU.
- Pro: $10 a user a month, billed yearly at $120, with a 14-day free trial. Pro adds speaker diarization, custom templates and advanced exports.
Source: meetily.ai, Meetily pricing and Meetily on GitHub (license: MIT per GitHub) · checked 2026-10-23
OpenWhispr
OpenWhispr is an open-source (MIT) dictation and meeting-notes app. Its site says you can "Take meeting notes without a bot."
- Free plan ($0): unlimited local AI models, unlimited cloud transcription with your own API keys, 2,000 words a week of OpenWhispr Cloud transcription and 5 hours of meeting recordings a month.
- Meetings: the README says it auto-detects Zoom, Teams and FaceTime calls, with on-device speaker labelling.
- Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS. Pro is $6.67 a user a month, billed annually ($80).
Source: OpenWhispr pricing, openwhispr.com and OpenWhispr on GitHub (license: MIT per GitHub) · checked 2026-10-23
Conversationaly
Conversationaly is a desktop app that captures your microphone and system audio, transcribes the meeting live and writes a summary. The README says it's "fully free — there is no paid tier, no license key, no telemetry."
- No sign-up: the README says it works "with no account and no cloud round-trip" unless you set up a cloud provider.
- Local: transcription and the summary model run locally by default, with a bundled model, so you don't need Ollama. Cloud providers are opt-in.
- Platforms: macOS, Windows and Linux. Installers are posted on its Releases page and aren't code-signed.
- Note: it's a small project (7 GitHub stars when we checked) and a fork of Meetily.
Source: Conversationaly on GitHub (license: MIT per GitHub) · checked 2026-10-23
Muesli (Windows, early project)
Muesli's README calls it "A free, open-source alternative to Granola for Windows." It records your mic and system audio, transcribes locally with Whisper, and summarizes with Ollama, your own API key or a built-in offline summarizer.
- No sign-up: the README says "No account, no cloud, no subscription."
- Platform: Windows 10 and 11. The build is unsigned, so Windows SmartScreen may warn.
- Note: it's brand new (0 GitHub stars when we checked), so expect rough edges.
Source: Muesli on GitHub (license: MIT per GitHub) · checked 2026-10-23
Free plans from hosted notetakers
These run in the cloud. Nothing to install on a server, but your recordings are processed by the vendor.
Fathom
Fathom's Free plan is "Free forever" and includes unlimited recordings and transcriptions, instant AI call summaries, and clips and search across calls. You choose "bot-free (in beta) or bot capture."
Source: Fathom pricing · checked 2026-10-23
Otter
Otter's Basic plan is free. It works with Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet and includes 300 monthly transcription minutes, 3 lifetime audio or video file imports, live transcription, speaker identification and iOS and Android apps. Pro is $8.33 a user a month on annual billing.
Source: Otter pricing · checked 2026-10-23
Fireflies
Fireflies' Free plan is $0, "Free forever," with "unlimited transcription" (Fireflies adds a footnote mark to it), limited AI summaries, 400 minutes of storage per team and 20 AI credits. It works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and more, and has a desktop app, mobile apps for Android and iOS, and a Chrome extension. Pro is $10 a seat a month, billed annually.
Source: Fireflies pricing · checked 2026-10-23
Bot vs no bot: what joins your call
Some notetakers join a meeting as an extra participant (a bot). Others capture audio on your own device, so no one else appears in the call.
- No bot, per the vendor: Granola (bot-free device-audio capture), anarlog, Meetily, OpenWhispr and Muesli. Conversationaly captures your mic and system audio on your machine.
- Your choice: Fathom offers bot-free capture (in beta) or bot capture.
- Not stated on the pricing page: Otter and Fireflies. Check their docs if this matters to you.
Picks by platform
- Mac: anarlog, Meetily, OpenWhispr, Conversationaly. Granola itself also runs on macOS.
- Windows: anarlog, Meetily, OpenWhispr, Conversationaly, Muesli. Granola itself also runs on Windows, per granola.ai.
- Linux: anarlog, OpenWhispr and Conversationaly. Meetily builds from source on Linux.
- Android: none of the open-source apps above list an Android app. Granola Basic, Otter Basic and Fireflies Free list Android apps.
- iPhone: OpenWhispr lists iOS. Granola Basic, Otter Basic and Fireflies Free list iOS apps.
Recording consent
Tell people when you're recording or transcribing a meeting, and ask if they're OK with it. Some places require everyone on a call to agree before it's recorded. This isn't legal advice, so check the rules where you and the other people are.
FAQs
Is Granola AI free?
Yes. Granola's Basic plan costs $0 per user a month. It includes AI meeting notes with bot-free device-audio capture, apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android, and AI chat across meetings, but keeps only 30 days of meeting history. Business, with unlimited history, is $14 per user a month (checked 2026-10-23).
What are Granola's free plan limits?
Granola Basic keeps 30 days of meeting history. Pre-meeting briefs, follow-up emails and integrations such as Notion, Zapier and HubSpot are not included. Its MCP access covers personal notes from the last 30 days. Business removes the history limit.
Is there an open-source Granola alternative?
Yes. anarlog (MIT) describes itself as an open-source Granola alternative, and Meetily Community (MIT) names Granola too. OpenWhispr, Conversationaly and Muesli are also MIT-licensed meeting-notes apps that run on your own computer.
What's a free Granola alternative for Windows?
anarlog, Meetily Community, OpenWhispr and Conversationaly all run on Windows. Muesli is built for Windows 10 and 11 but is a brand-new project. Granola itself also runs on Windows, per granola.ai, and its Basic plan is free.
Is there a Granola alternative for Android or Linux?
For Linux, anarlog, OpenWhispr and Conversationaly offer Linux builds, and Meetily can be built from source. For Android, none of the open-source apps here list an Android app, but Granola Basic, Otter Basic and Fireflies Free list Android apps.
Is Granola free for students?
Granola's student page offers 12 months of Granola Business free to currently enrolled students at accredited universities in the US, UK and Canada (checked 2026-10-23).
Granola vs Otter: which is free?
Both have free plans. Granola Basic has no stated minute limit but keeps 30 days of meeting history. Otter Basic includes 300 monthly transcription minutes and 3 lifetime file imports. Granola captures device audio without a bot; Otter's pricing page doesn't say how it joins calls.
Granola vs Fathom?
Both have free plans. Fathom's Free plan is "Free forever" with unlimited recordings and transcriptions, and lets you choose bot-free capture (in beta) or a bot. Granola Basic is bot-free and keeps 30 days of meeting history (checked 2026-10-23).
How we picked and checked
- How we picked: we started from what people search for alongside "Granola AI free alternative" (open source, local, Windows, Linux, Android, free plans) and kept tools whose free plan or open-source license we could confirm on the tool's own website, pricing page or GitHub repository.
- How we checked: we read each pricing page, website and README on 2026-10-23. Licenses come from GitHub's license data. Every listing links to the page we used.
- What we didn't do: we haven't tested these tools in real meetings, so we don't rank them by transcription quality. Prices and limits change, so check the linked page before you rely on them.
- Affiliate links: some links may earn us a commission. The open-source tools don't pay us.
Sources
All checked 2026-10-23.
- Granola pricing: https://
www.granola.ai/ pricing - Granola platforms (macOS, Windows, iOS, Android): https://
www.granola.ai/ - Granola student program: https://
www.granola.ai/ students - Granola help docs (macOS and Windows): https://
docs.granola.ai/ help-center/ how-to-uninstall-and-reinstall-granola - anarlog: https://
github.com/ fastrepl/ anarlog - Meetily: https://
meetily.ai/ , https://meetily.ai/ and https://pricing github.com/ Zackriya-Solutions/ meetily - OpenWhispr: https://
openwhispr.com/ , https://pricing openwhispr.com/ and https://github.com/ OpenWhispr/ openwhispr - Conversationaly: https://
github.com/ bykof/ conversationaly - Muesli: https://
github.com/ shivankoctupie/ muesli - Fathom: https://
www.fathom.ai/ pricing - Otter: https://
otter.ai/ pricing - Fireflies: https://
fireflies.ai/ pricing