Circleback vs Granola

Circleback

• Individuals who want unlimited meetings on a free plan
• Teams that update a CRM or issue tracker automatically after calls
• People who meet in person as well as online
• Developers giving AI agents meeting context through the API or MCP

Granola

• People who do not want a recording bot visible in their calls
• Note-takers who like to type their own points and have them filled out afterwards
• Back-to-back meeting schedules across Zoom, Google Meet and Teams

Circleback

• The Free plan keeps only 30 days of meeting and recording history and has limited automations.
• Recordings are stored for 1 year on Pro and 2 years on Business. Unlimited recording storage needs Enterprise.
• Single sign-on, SCIM and HIPAA compliance are on Enterprise, which is billed yearly only.
• Desktop apps are offered for macOS and Windows; no Linux app or browser extension is listed.

Granola

• The free Basic plan shows only the last 30 days of notes; older notes need a Business subscription to view.
• Notion, HubSpot, Attio, Affinity and Zapier integrations start on Business; Salesforce, SSO and SCIM are Enterprise only.
• Basic and Business are billed monthly only; annual billing is offered on Enterprise contracts.
• There is no web app or browser extension, and the Mac app needs macOS 14 or later.

Circleback

Notes and action items

Notes are written automatically after each meeting, and action items are captured, assigned to people and organized without manual entry.

Bot or bot-free capture

A bot can join online meetings, or the desktop app for macOS and Windows records any call on the computer without one, including Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Webex and Discord.

In-person meetings

Mobile apps for iOS and Android and an Apple Watch app record conversations that happen away from a computer.

Ask Circleback

An assistant that answers questions using every conversation in the account. It is included on the Free plan and can also be used from Slack.

Automations

Rules run after meetings to update other apps, for example Notion pages, HubSpot or Salesforce records and Linear issues. Free has limited automations; Pro opens all integrations.

API, MCP and CLI

Every plan, including Free, lists API, MCP and command-line access, and webhooks can send meeting data to custom integrations.

Granola

Bot-free capture

Transcribes from your device's microphone and system audio, so it works with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or other call software without adding a participant to the meeting.

Notes built on what you type

Type rough notes during the call and Granola expands them into a full write-up using the transcript. Custom templates control the structure of the result.

Chat across meetings

Ask questions about one meeting or your whole history, such as what you agreed to do this week. Basic uses automatic model choice; paid plans let you pick the model.

Shared folders

Notes are private until you share them. Shared folders give a team a common place for meeting notes and are included on every plan.

MCP and API access

An MCP connection lets assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT read your meeting notes. Basic exposes personal notes from the last 30 days; API access starts on Business.

Phone apps for in-person meetings

The iPhone and Android apps take notes away from the desk, for walking meetings, conferences or coffee catch-ups, and there is an Apple Watch app.

Circleback

• Free$0

  AI notes and action items, Ask Circleback, desktop and mobile apps, and API, MCP and CLI access, with 30-day history, limited automations and 2 teams.

• Pro$15

  per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly)

  Unlimited meeting history, 1 year of recording storage, automations with all integrations, custom AI insights and 5 teams.

• Business$25

  per user / month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly)

  Admin and member roles, unlimited free viewers, custom data retention, enforceable settings, 2 years of recording storage and unlimited teams.

• Enterprise$35

  per user / month, yearly billing only

  SAML or OIDC single sign-on, SCIM, invoice billing, unlimited recording storage and HIPAA compliance. The per-user rate falls above 50 users.

Granola

• Basic$0

  AI meeting notes, chat across meetings, shared folders and note templates, with 30 days of meeting history.

• Business$14

  per user / month, billed monthly

  Unlimited history, model selection in chat, pre-meeting briefs, API access and integrations such as Notion, HubSpot and Zapier.

• Enterprise$35

  per user / month, monthly or annual contract

  Starting price. Adds SSO, SCIM, workspace-wide admin policies, usage analytics, HIPAA-compliant workspaces and Salesforce.

Circleback

• Annual discount

  Lower per-user price on yearly billing

  At listed prices Pro costs $180 a year ($15 a month) instead of $18 a month, and Business $300 a year ($25 a month) instead of $29 a month, per user.

• Education

  50% education discount for students

  Circleback's pricing FAQ offers students 50% off. It applies automatically when signing up with a school email, or through support with proof of student status.

• Nonprofit

  30% non-profit discount

  The pricing FAQ states a 30% discount for non-profits: sign up with a non-profit email and contact support to have it applied.

• Startups

  Deals for startups of partner firms

  Circleback's startups page says startups affiliated with its partners can get special deals and discounts. The amounts are not published.

Granola

• Startups

  1 year of Business free for startups

  Granola's startup program gives accepted companies 12 months of the Business plan at no cost. It is open to startups with fewer than 30 employees that have raised a pre-seed or seed round.

• Education

  12 months free for students

  Currently enrolled students at accredited universities in the US, UK and Canada can apply for 12 months of Granola Business free.

• Nonprofit

  50% off Business for nonprofits

  Registered nonprofits get 50% off the Business plan after verifying their status through Goodstack. Approval is at Granola's discretion.