Kimiko vs Granola: Bot-Free Meeting Notes, Local or Cloud (2026)

The short answer

Both apps capture your computer’s audio on Mac and Windows and turn your notes and the transcript into a summary. Kimiko transcribes and summarizes on your computer and keeps your library there. Granola sends audio and notes to cloud AI providers and stores them in the United States, and it adds a free plan, phone apps and team features.

Choose Kimiko if

You want transcription and summaries to run on your own computer.
You need to process meetings offline once your models are downloaded.
You’d like to choose your AI models, or use your own provider account.
You also want voice dictation in your other apps, in the same plan.
You share notes as PDF or Word documents.

Choose Granola if

You want a free plan and can work with a 30-day note history.
You take notes in person on an iPhone or Android phone.
Your team shares notes in folders and connects Slack, Notion or a CRM.
Your company needs SOC 2 Type II or a HIPAA agreement.

Side by side

Kimiko and Granola compared, checked 17 October 2026. Numbers link to the sources at the end of the page.
Feature	Kimiko	Granola
Recording
Records without a bot in the call	YesThe desktop app records your microphone and computer audio, so nobody new joins the call.17	YesThe Mac and Windows apps capture your computer audio and microphone. No bot joins.4
Zoom, Teams and Google Meet	Yes, and other call appsIt listens to your computer’s audio, so it works alongside Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet and other call apps.18	Yes, and other call appsWorks with any call whose audio plays through your computer, including huddles.1
Apps	Mac and WindowsApple silicon Macs with macOS 14.4 or later, and 64-bit PCs with Windows 11. No web or mobile app.19	Mac, Windows, iPhone, AndroidDesktop apps for macOS 14 or later and Windows, plus phone apps for in-person meetings.1
Privacy and processing
Transcribes on your computer	Yes, by defaultLocal speech models run on your Mac or PC. Cloud transcription with Deepgram or ElevenLabs is optional.20	NoAudio goes to cloud transcription providers such as Deepgram and AssemblyAI.3
Summaries and chat on your computer	Yes, by defaultBuilt-in local AI writes summaries, suggests tasks and answers questions. Cloud AI is optional.21	NoSummaries and chat use cloud AI providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic.3
Works without internet	Yes, after setupDownloaded models work offline. Downloads, activation and subscription checks still need a connection.22	NoTranscription needs a live connection. Notes you already have open offline.7
Where your meetings are kept	On your computerAn encrypted database on your computer. Your Kimiko account doesn’t upload or sync your meetings.23	Granola’s cloud, USStored on AWS in the United States, encrypted at rest and in transit.5
Meeting audio	Not saved by defaultKimiko transcribes, then discards the audio, unless you choose to keep it for 7 or 30 days.24	Not savedThe desktop apps transcribe in real time without saving the audio.3
AI training on your content	NoYour meetings don’t reach Kimiko’s servers. A cloud provider you choose applies its own terms.23	Yes, unless you opt outOn Basic and Business, anonymised data may improve Granola’s own models. Enterprise is opted out.5
Choose your AI models	YesPick local models, connect Ollama or LM Studio, or use OpenAI, Anthropic or OpenRouter with your own account.25	Chat model, paid plansBusiness and Enterprise can choose the chat model. Basic uses Auto.8
Notes and AI
Write your own notes during the call	YesWrite in a full notes editor beside the live transcript. Your notes help shape the summary.17	YesType notes during the call; Granola treats them as key points in its summary.9
Ask questions across meetings	YesAsk about one meeting, a project or your whole library, then follow the source links back.26	YesAsk across all notes, a folder, a person or one meeting. Basic covers the last 30 days.10
Action items	YesKimiko suggests next steps. You keep or dismiss each one, and it stays linked to its meeting.27	YesSummaries include highlights, decisions and action items.16
Speaker labels	YesLive labels for up to eight remote voices; your microphone is “You”. Remembering voices is experimental.28	YesDesktop apps name participants from Zoom, Google Meet and Teams; otherwise “Me” and “Them”.11
Voice dictation in other apps	IncludedTurn it on and dictate into most apps’ text fields with your shortcut, using local or cloud speech.29	NoThe chat bar takes spoken questions, but there’s no dictation into other apps.12
Export formats	PDF, Word and MarkdownExport the summary, your notes or the transcript.30	Markdown copy, links, CSVCopy notes as Markdown or share them by link and email. Past notes export as CSV.13
Connect AI assistants (MCP)	Yes, localDesktop AI apps can read your notes, meetings and tasks through local MCP, off until you turn it on.31	Yes, hostedA hosted MCP server on every plan. Basic reaches your notes from the last 30 days.14
Teams and plans
Integrations	Calendars and MCPOptional Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook connections. No CRM, Slack or Notion sync.32	Slack, Notion, CRMsSlack on every plan; Notion, Zapier, HubSpot, Attio and Affinity on Business.2
Shared workspaces and admin	NoBuilt for individuals. One license works on up to 3 of your computers; ask us about team licensing.33	YesShared folders and team spaces; SSO and SCIM on Enterprise.15
Security certifications	None yetKimiko doesn’t host your meetings: they stay in the encrypted database on your computer.23	SOC 2 Type IISOC 2 Type II on all plans, HIPAA with a BAA on Enterprise. ISO 27001 isn’t available yet.5
Free option	Free trialTry the full app free. No credit card needed.34	Free planBasic is free. Notes older than 30 days stay hidden until you upgrade.6
Paid plans from	$12 a month, or $107.88 a yearThe full app, tax included.35	US$14 per user a monthBusiness, billed monthly. Enterprise starts at US$35 per user a month.2

Where they differ

Where your meetings are processed

Granola sends meeting audio to cloud transcription providers such as Deepgram and AssemblyAI, and uses AI providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic to write summaries. Notes are stored on AWS in the United States.

Kimiko starts with local speech and AI models. Transcripts, notes and summaries stay in an encrypted database on your computer. You can still connect a cloud provider for a feature, with your own account, when you want one.

Working without internet

Granola needs a live connection to transcribe, although notes you already have open offline. Kimiko’s downloaded models keep transcribing and summarizing without internet. Setup, model downloads, activation and subscription checks still need a connection.

Teams, phones and integrations

Granola is built for sharing. It has shared folders on every plan, Slack everywhere, Notion, Zapier and CRM integrations on Business, and SSO on Enterprise. Its iPhone and Android apps cover in-person meetings and, on iPhone, phone calls.

Kimiko is a desktop app for your own notes, meetings and tasks. It connects to your calendar and, through local MCP, to the AI apps on your computer, and it exports PDF, Word or Markdown files you can share anywhere.

Pricing

Kimiko

$12 a month, or $107.88 a year

The full app on up to 3 of your computers, tax included. Free to try, no credit card needed.

See Kimiko’s plans

Granola

Basic: FreeAI notes and chat over your last 30 days of notes.
Business: $14 per user a monthBilled monthly. Integrations, workspace notes and model choice.
Enterprise: From $35 per user a monthBilled annually. SSO, SCIM and HIPAA.

As listed by Granola, Inc. on 17 October 2026, in US dollars.2

Questions

Does Granola join my meetings as a bot?

No. Like Kimiko, Granola captures your computer’s audio from its desktop app, so no extra participant appears in the call. Tell the people in the meeting that you’re taking notes.

Can Granola work offline?

Granola needs an internet connection to transcribe, because its transcription runs with cloud providers. Notes you already have open offline. Kimiko’s local models transcribe and summarize without internet once they’re downloaded.

Does Granola use my meetings to train AI?

On the Basic and Business plans, Granola may use anonymised data to improve its own models unless you opt out in its settings; Enterprise is opted out by default. Granola says its AI providers don’t train on your data. Your Kimiko meetings stay on your computer.

Is Kimiko cheaper than Granola?

It depends on the plan. Granola’s Basic plan is free with a 30-day note history, and Business costs US$14 per user a month, billed monthly. Kimiko is one plan for the full app, monthly or annual; the prices are in the Pricing section above.

Can I bring my Granola notes into Kimiko?

Kimiko doesn’t import Granola notes automatically. Granola lets you copy notes as Markdown and export past notes as CSV, so you can keep a copy of your history.

Try Kimiko with your next meeting

Record a short call you have permission to record, then read the summary and the tasks Kimiko suggests. Free to try. No credit card needed.

Download for Mac

Apple silicon · macOS 14.4 or later

Download for Windows

64-bit Windows 11 PCs

Running locally? 16 GB of RAM is a practical starting point. See the system requirements

Sources

We read Granola’s pages on 17 October 2026. Plans and features change, so check them before you decide. Kimiko is an independent product and is not affiliated with Granola, Inc. Product names belong to their owners. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.