Earkeep
The Granola alternative you never have to type into
Last updated: · Reviewed quarterly
Granola and Earkeep both refuse to put a bot in your call. The difference is everything after that: Granola wants your bullets while the meeting runs and processes the audio in its cloud, while Earkeep captures the whole thing on its own, on your device, and lets you mark the meeting once it is over.
14-day full trial, no account required.
- Nothing to type during the call
- Audio never leaves your computer
- €39 once, not $14 per seat
The short answer
If you're happy typing shorthand through a call and paying a recurring per-seat fee for a polished, Notion- and Slack-connected notepad, Granola is the more mature product today. If you want zero interaction, a complete record of everything that was said, and to own that record as plain files with no subscription, that is the gap Earkeep was built to fill.
Why people look for a Granola alternative
Nothing to type, nothing to start
Granola is a human-in-the-loop tool: you type rough bullets during the meeting for its AI to expand, and its own reviews list that typing, and the cognitive load it adds, as a recurring complaint. It is also explicitly per-meeting rather than ambient, which is where the gap shows up.
One user on r/ArtificialInteligence: "I leave it open throughout my work day and it only produces notes for ~60% of my calls. Great that it doesn't show up in meetings as an AI notetaker, but it's caused me to miss significant notes."
Earkeep closes that 40% by never asking for anything. It listens from the moment it is running, and you drag the span across the timeline afterwards.
Processed on your device, not in a cloud
Granola's processing is cloud-side, and reviewers note there is no offline mode. Earkeep's audio is processed only in memory on your own machine, never written to disk and never uploaded: no account, no API key, and no server holding the conversation.
That is what decides it for confidential calls, regulated data, or a team that simply doesn't want a third party in the room.
A verbatim transcript, in files you own
Granola's output is AI-expanded notes rather than a transcript, which is why a VC on r/venturecapital complained the summary was "very very short, lacking a lot of details and not allowing me to get deeper into a specific point."
Earkeep keeps everything that was said, as plain files on your own disk that you can open, grep, back up, or hand to any tool. Summarising is a job for whatever agent you point at them, through the built-in ACP agents or the MCP server.
Side by side
| Capability | Earkeep | Granola |
|---|---|---|
| Always-on capture | Continuous, no start/stop | Explicit, per meeting |
| Nothing to do during the meeting | Nothing at all | Type bullets for its AI to expand |
| Bot-free | No participant joins | No participant joins |
| Audio processed on your device | In memory, never uploaded | Granola's cloud |
| Full verbatim transcript | Everything that was said | AI-expanded notes only |
| AI-written notes when it ends | No, but an agent you connect writes them from the transcript | Its core output, from your bullets |
| Retroactive spans | Or marked by your calendar | No timeline or spans |
| Your own agents can read it | ACP agents plus an MCP server | API on the $35/user/mo tier |
| Share with people who weren't there | No, but your agent files the notes where your team already reads | Shared notes they can question |
| Connects to Notion, Slack and HubSpot | No, but your agent reaches them through its own connections | Native, plus a Slack digest |
| Team admin and SSO | One licence, one device | On the Enterprise tier |
| Runs on Windows or Linux | macOS 13+ for now | Exists, reportedly less polished |
| Free tier that doesn't expire | 14 days free, then €39 once | Free, but capped at 25 notes in total |
| Pricing | €39 once, one device | Free to 25 notes, then $14-35/user/mo |
| Platform | macOS 13+ | macOS; Windows and Linux less polished |
Built inNo, but an agent you connect canPartlyNot available
What each one costs by year five
Switching takes an afternoon
- Install it, then forget about it for a day. Earkeep starts listening as soon as it is running, so a first day of real meetings is captured before you have configured anything. There is no import step, and your Granola notes stay where they are.
- Mark yesterday, or connect a calendar. Drag a span across the timeline where a meeting was, or point Earkeep at Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook or any ICS URL and let every event title its own span.
- Cancel the subscription once you trust it. The trial runs 14 days with no account and no card, long enough to compare two weeks of real meetings. What Earkeep kept is already plain files on your disk, so there is nothing to export if you change your mind.
Which one fits you
Choose Earkeep if
You want the meeting tool to disappear, and the record to be yours.
- You want a complete record, not a summary of the bits you flagged
- Confidential conversations mean the audio must not leave the machine
- You'd rather pay once than carry a per-seat bill forever
- Your own agents should be able to read your meetings directly
- Plenty of what matters is said in huddles that were never on a calendar
Choose Granola if
Granola is the more mature product for a few real reasons, and it's worth saying so plainly.
- You want AI-authored notes the moment a call ends, not a transcript
- You're deep in Google Workspace, Notion, HubSpot or Slack, which Granola integrates with natively
- You need shareable notes non-users can query, or org-wide SSO and admin controls
- Your primary machine runs Windows or Linux, where Earkeep does not ship yet
Granola's own positioning targets founders, VCs, sales leads and consultants in external, high-stakes conversations, where a polished shared note matters more than a full transcript. Earkeep's audience is product and engineering roles running 8-15 meetings a week who already work with their own agents and knowledge bases. See Earkeep for product managers for the role-specific version.
Other tools people weigh this against
Anyone shopping for a Granola alternative usually has a few other tabs open. Each of these gets the same treatment as this page: Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, Fathom, tl;dv, Jamie, MacWhisper, Limitless and Plaud, or all nine side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Is Earkeep a good Granola alternative?
It is, if what drew you to Granola was the absence of a bot rather than the AI-written notes. Earkeep keeps that premise and removes the two things people most often complain about: the typing Granola needs during the call, and the cloud its audio is processed in. What Earkeep doesn't do yet is write the notes for you.
Does Earkeep require typing anything during a meeting, like Granola does?
No. Earkeep captures continuously in the background; you don't type bullets, press record, or interact with it during the meeting at all. You mark the span afterward, or your calendar does it for you.
Does Granola's data ever leave the device?
Yes, per Granola's own product description its processing is cloud-side. Earkeep's audio is processed only in memory on your device and is never written to disk or uploaded anywhere.
Is there a free version of Earkeep like Granola's free tier?
Earkeep offers a 14-day free trial with full functionality, no email and no account required. After that it's a one-time €39 purchase rather than an ongoing subscription; there is no capped free tier.
Does Earkeep produce the same kind of AI-expanded notes as Granola?
Not yet. Earkeep keeps the full verbatim transcript of what was said, saved as plain local files. Summarization is left to whatever agent you run against that transcript, using the built-in ACP agents or MCP server.
Can I use Earkeep on Windows if my team isn't all on Mac?
Earkeep currently requires macOS 13+. Granola's Windows and Linux support exists but is reportedly less polished than its Mac experience.
Try it yourself
14-day full trial, no account required.