Does an AI notetaker keep the audio recording?
It depends on the tool, and it is worth checking before you rely on the notes. Granola deletes the audio as soon as transcription finishes. Otter keeps it until you or an admin delete it. Reline keeps the recording with the note, so any transcript line can be played back at the moment it was said.
It depends on the tool, and it is worth checking before you rely on the notes. Granola deletes the audio as soon as transcription finishes. Otter keeps it until you or an admin delete it. Reline keeps the recording with the note, so any transcript line can be played back at the moment it was said.
The details
- Granola's own security documentation says audio is temporarily cached during the meeting for transcription only, that once transcription is complete the audio is deleted from its systems and any third-party services, and that it does not retain audio recordings. There is nothing to play back afterwards.
- Otter keeps a conversation, audio included, until someone deletes it. Enterprise workspaces can ask their Otter account manager for a custom retention policy that deletes the audio and video after a set number of days while the transcript stays, or deletes both.
- Why it matters: a transcript is a best guess at what was said. A misheard number, name or commitment looks exactly like a correct one on the page. If the audio is gone, the transcript is the only record and there is no way to settle the question.
- Reline records on your machine, stores the audio with the note and links every transcript line to its moment in the recording. Press play on a line and playback starts there, so you check the quote instead of trusting the paraphrase.
- Keeping audio is a trade, not a free win. The recording exists and has to be governed. Reline stores it in private buckets, playback runs through short-lived signed links that are checked against your access to that note, and deleting the note deletes the audio with it.
- On the free plan you can record up to 1 hour per note, transcribe up to 10 hours a month and store 2 GB. Professional is $15 per month, or $12 per month billed annually.
Sources
Last updated September 2026
Stop taking notes.Start shipping outcomes.
Free forever for individuals. Five minutes to install. Your next meeting writes its own notes.