Granola alternative for Windows.
A9 Voice vs Granola.
Both run on Windows, record without a bot and write AI notes from your meetings. A9 Voice differs on price (Notes $49 once, not $14 a month), offline models on your PC with no internet, your own keys, Markdown files. Granola differs on phone apps, integrations and team admin.
Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit. One small installer, no admin rights.How they compare.
Granola has a Windows app and no bot, so the big differences are the price model and where the work happens. A9 Voice runs speech on your PC and keeps notes as files; Granola keeps them on its servers, on a free plan and a monthly one.
| A9 Voice | Granola | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit | Desktop app for macOS and Windows, iOS and Android apps, and an Apple Watch app. Source, source |
| Free plan limits | Transcribe (dictation): no word limit and no account. Notes: free for 30 days, then $49 once. | Basic: 30 days of meeting history, and AI chat across meetings on its automatic model choice only. Pre-meeting briefs and follow-up emails are on Business. Source |
| Paid price | Notes $49 once, after a 30-day free trial. Transcribe stays free. | Business $14 a month per user. Enterprise $35 a month per user. No annual price is listed. Source |
| Joins the call as a bot? | No: records your mic and your computer’s audio | No: it captures audio on your device and no bot joins, on every plan. Source |
| Names speakers how | Tag a voice once, or let it learn voices (opt-in); names show live | Uses the display names your meeting app shows, in Zoom, Teams and Google Meet. Otherwise the transcript says Me and Them. People sharing one room device can’t be told apart. Source |
| Speech on your PC (offline) | Yes: Parakeet V2 and Whisper models, no key and no internet | Not listed as a way to transcribe without internet. Notes are cached on your device, so you can open and edit them offline. Source |
| Your own API keys | Yes, or none: models run on your PC | Not listed in its plans or help pages |
| Where notes are stored | Markdown files on your PC, in a folder you pick | Granola’s servers on AWS in the United States, with a copy cached on your device. Audio is deleted after transcription. Notes are kept until you or an admin set a retention policy. Source |
| Team features | None: built for one person on one PC | Shared folders on every plan. Business: centralized billing and user management, integrations with Attio, Notion, HubSpot, Affinity and Zapier, API access. Enterprise: SSO, SCIM, admin controls, usage analytics. Source |
When Granola is the better pick.
Pick Granola if you want notes on more than a Windows PC, or you’re buying for a team.
You need Mac, iPhone or Android too
Granola runs on macOS and Windows, with iOS, Android and Apple Watch apps. A9 Voice runs on Windows 10 and 11 only.
You’re rolling out to a team
Granola has shared folders, centralized billing and user management on Business, and SSO, SCIM and admin controls on Enterprise. A9 Voice has no team features.
You want its extras and integrations
Business adds pre-meeting briefs, follow-up emails, a workspace-wide dictionary, and integrations with Attio, Notion, HubSpot, Affinity and Zapier. A9 Voice has none of these.
When A9 Voice is the better pick.
Pick A9 Voice if you work on Windows and would rather own your tools than rent them.
You only use Windows
It’s built for Windows 10 and 11 and nothing else, with no Mac or phone app to compete for attention. It also dictates into any app: hold a key and talk.
You don’t want a monthly bill
Notes is $49 once. Granola Business is $14 a month per user, and its free plan keeps 30 days of meeting history.
You want offline, or your own keys
Run speech models on your PC with no internet, or use your own provider keys and pay those providers directly.
You want notes as files
Every note is a folder of Markdown on your PC, so Claude, ChatGPT or any tool that reads files can use it.
What a year costs.
For one person, Granola Business is $168 a year ($14 × 12; its pricing page lists no annual rate). A9 Voice Notes is $49 once, plus whatever your own providers charge, which is $0 on models that run on your PC.
| A9 Voice | Granola Business | |
|---|---|---|
| First year | $49, plus provider costs | $168 ($14 × 12) |
| Each year after | Provider costs only | $168 again |
| Provider costs | About 24 cents per 27-minute meeting and about 4 cents per hour of dictation on your own keys; $0 on models that run on your PC | Included in the plan |
An example: ten 27-minute meetings a month at 24 cents is $2.40 a month, or $28.80 a year. The first year is $49 + $28.80 = $77.80 against $168. If 30 days of meeting history is enough, Granola’s free plan costs nothing too.
Our arithmetic from list prices checked on October 13, 2026. The 24-cent and 4-cent figures come from our own test, explained in the first answer on the features page; your usage will differ.Moving over takes three steps.
You can have A9 Voice dictating in a few minutes. Your Granola account can stay where it is until you’re happy.
1. Install
One small installer, no admin rights. Getting started walks through the first dictation.
2. Add your names and jargon
Put the words you use in the Dictionary so they come out spelled your way. How the Dictionary works.
3. Turn on Notes for your call apps
Pick Teams, Zoom or another call app and A9 Voice records when it opens the mic. How recording a meeting works.
Questions
Is there a free Granola alternative for Windows?
Yes. Transcribe, the dictation half of A9 Voice, is free with no word limit and no account. Notes, the meeting half, is free for 30 days and then costs $49 once. Granola has a free plan too, with 30 days of meeting history. If you use cloud keys you pay those providers directly; models that run on your PC cost nothing per use.
Does Granola work on Windows?
Yes. Granola runs on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android, and its speaker names work in Zoom, Teams and Google Meet on the Windows app. The reasons to pick A9 Voice instead are a one-time price, speech models on your PC, your own keys and notes kept as files.
Does A9 Voice join my call as a bot?
No. It records your microphone and your computer’s audio on your PC, so nothing joins the call or shows in the participant list. Granola doesn’t join either: it captures audio on your device. Nothing from A9 Voice announces the recording, so tell the people on the call: you’re responsible for any consent your location requires.
Can A9 Voice run without internet?
Yes. Download a speech model in Settings › Speech models and dictation and meeting transcripts work with no internet. For summaries and Ask offline, point the app at a language model running on your PC. Granola caches notes on your device so you can open and edit them offline; its pages don’t list transcribing without internet.
Where are my notes kept?
In A9 Voice, in a folder you pick on your PC, as plain Markdown files, and voiceprints never leave your PC. Granola keeps notes on its servers on AWS in the United States and caches a copy on your device.
Try it next to what you use now.
Transcribe is free. Notes is free for 30 days, then $49 once. One small installer, no admin rights needed.
Download free Windows 10/11, 64-bit · Manual · Pricing · All comparisons