# Reline vs Granola

Reline (reline.so) is an AI meeting notepad for macOS, Windows, the web and Linux (beta). It records your mic and the call audio on your computer, so no bot joins the call, and keeps the audio with the note so any transcript line plays back. Transcription, AI summaries and storage run in the cloud. Chat answers can cite the note or the exact moment they came from. Reline does not claim on-device AI. Granola's security page says it does not store the audio. Free plan, no credit card.

Last updated: 2026-09-26. Canonical page: https://www.reline.so/vs/granola

## Reline vs Granola

**Choose Reline if you want to keep the audio: Granola's docs say it does not retain audio recordings, while Reline keeps the recording with the note so you can press play on any transcript line. Reline also adds a full web app, five-level permissions and multi-note Lenses. Choose Granola for native iPhone, Android and Apple Watch apps, deep CRM integrations or formal SOC 2 Type 2 certification. Reline has no mobile app yet.**

Reline (reline.so) keeps the bot-free recording Granola pioneered and layers a real team platform on top: shared workspaces, granular permissions, multi-note Lenses, and a free tier that actually fits a daily workflow.

Granola showed teams they don't need a bot in the room. Reline keeps that bot-free capture and finishes the product — shipping a full web app so you can work from anywhere, turning the notepad into a teamspace, the summary into a reusable Lens, and the corpus into something you can chat with. No desktop app required; no lock-in.

| Feature | Reline | Granola | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Web app — full editor in any browser, no install | Yes | No | Reline runs in any browser at https://www.reline.so, nothing to install. Granola requires one of its native apps and has no browser version. |
| No bot joins your meeting | Yes | Yes | Both capture locally, with no bot in the call. Reline also runs on Linux (beta) and in the browser. |
| Native macOS desktop app | Yes | Yes | Both offer a native macOS app; Reline adds Linux (beta) and a web app. |
| Windows desktop app | Yes | Yes |  |
| Free tier | 1 hr per note, 10 hrs / mo, unlimited notes | Basic: free, 30 days of meeting history |  |
| Professional price | $15/user/mo · $12 annual | $14/user/mo (Business) |  |
| Plan with SSO + audit log | Enterprise · $32/mo · $26 annual | Enterprise · $35/user/mo |  |
| Live speaker-separated transcription | Yes | Yes | Reline's free tier includes a live speaker-separated transcript (Me vs Other — mic vs system audio) |
| Keeps the recording + click-to-seek playback | Yes | No | Reline keeps the recording and ties it to the note, so you can press play on any transcript line and hear the moment it came from. Granola's docs say it does not retain audio recordings, so there is nothing to replay. |
| Reusable AI Lenses (templates with 4 output formats) | Yes | partial | Granola has templates; Lenses add multi-output + multi-note |
| Multi-note rollups across a folder | Yes | No |  |
| Notion-grade collaborative notepad (real-time co-edit) | Yes | No |  |
| Granular permissions per note and folder | 5 levels | Private by default; folder (Spaces) and per-note sharing |  |
| RAG chat across notes / folders / workspaces | Yes | Yes, Granola Chat across meetings |  |
| Calendar sync (Google + Microsoft) | Yes | Yes |  |
| Integrations (Slack, Linear, Notion) | Yes | partial |  |
| SSO + audit log | Yes | Enterprise only |  |
| Self-serve sign-up | Yes | Yes |  |
| Audio + transcripts never train third-party models | Yes | Yes |  |

### When Granola is the better choice

Granola ships native apps on more device classes than we do: macOS, Windows, iPhone, Android and Apple Watch. Reline has no mobile app, so if most of your capture happens away from a computer, in person or on a phone call, Granola covers that today and we do not. It is also the more mature single-player experience, with deep native CRM integrations (Attio, HubSpot, Affinity, Notion, Slack) and formal SOC 2 Type 2 certification with enterprise SSO and org-wide admin controls. Its Business tier is slightly cheaper at $14/user/month versus Reline's $15.

### FAQ

**Is Reline really a Granola alternative?**

Yes. Reline shares the same core philosophy — record on-device with no bot in your meeting — and adds team collaboration, granular permissions, reusable Lenses, multi-note rollups, and a generous free tier. Plus, Reline is a web app: sign in at https://www.reline.so and use the full editor in any browser.

**Does Reline require a desktop app?**

No. Reline is first a web app: sign in at https://www.reline.so and you get the full editor in any browser on any device (macOS, Windows, Linux, iPad, whatever). The native desktop apps on macOS, Windows, and Linux (beta) are optional, for those who want system audio recording without browser permissions and faster local performance. Granola requires one of its native apps and has no browser version; Reline gives you the choice.

**Does Reline work without a meeting bot, like Granola?**

Yes. On macOS, Windows, and Linux (beta), Reline captures system audio + microphone locally through the desktop app. Nothing joins your meeting, the host sees no participant added, and no bot joins the call.

**How is Reline different from Granola for teams?**

Both let a team share notes: Granola keeps notes private by default and shares them through folders (Spaces) or one note at a time. Reline adds five permission levels on every note and folder, teamspaces, and SSO with an append-only audit log on Enterprise, and it keeps the recording with every note.

**Is Reline cheaper than Granola?**

Reline starts free for solo note-takers (1 hour per note, 10 hours of transcription / month). Professional is $15/user/month ($12/user/month billed annually). Enterprise — with SSO, audit log, org-policy locks, DPA, and SLA — is $32/user/month ($26/user/month billed annually). Granola Business is $14/user/month and Granola Enterprise is $35/user/month with custom contracts.

**Can I import my Granola notes into Reline?**

Not in bulk. You can import a Markdown file as a new note from a note's ••• menu. There is no bulk or folder import, so switching is forward-looking rather than a data migration. Keep your existing Granola notes for reference and start recording new meetings in Reline, where you get bot-free capture, transcription in 60+ languages, and AI summaries next to the kept recording (press play on any transcript line). The free plan lets you run both side by side first.

**Reline vs Granola: which is better for teams?**

For teams, Reline: it adds shared workspaces, granular permissions, multi-note Lenses, a full web app, and a workable free tier on top of the bot-free capture Granola pioneered. Granola is better if your team works mostly away from a computer, since it has native iPhone, Android and Apple Watch apps and Reline has no mobile app yet, or if you need its native CRM integrations or formal SOC 2 Type 2 certification. Granola has no browser app, and its docs say it does not retain audio, so Reline is the one that keeps the recording with click-to-seek playback.

### Sources

- [Granola pricing plans](https://www.granola.ai/pricing)
- [Granola security and privacy](https://www.granola.ai/security)
- [Granola homepage (bot-free device-audio capture)](https://www.granola.ai/)
- [Granola security and privacy FAQ (audio retention)](https://docs.granola.ai/help-center/consent-security-privacy/security-privacy-data-faqs)

Full page: https://www.reline.so/vs/granola

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All comparisons: https://www.reline.so/compare.md · Alternatives hub: https://www.reline.so/alternatives