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LokalBot vs Granola

Granola is one of the most polished AI notepads around — bot-free capture, great templates, strong team features, and apps on desktop and phone. The trade-off is that your meetings are processed in the cloud, under an account. LokalBot keeps the bot-free workflow but transcribes and summarizes on your Mac by default: no account, no LokalBot backend, and remote inference only when you approve the server.

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Side by side

Feature by feature.

Feature LokalBot Granola
Where the AI runs On your Mac — Qwen3-ASR speech model by default and llama.cpp summaries In the cloud, via third-party AI providers
Account required None Yes
Works offline Fully, after a one-time model download Needs a connection for AI notes
Bot-free meeting capture Microphone + selected-app system audio; labels show capture source, not identity Yes — no bot joins your call
Model training on your data No LokalBot training pipeline or telemetry; approved remote servers have their own terms Opt-out of model training on every plan
Meeting history Unlimited, stored on your Mac Basic: 30 days · Business and Enterprise: unlimited
Compliance No LokalBot server ever holds your meetings SOC 2 Type II; HIPAA workspaces on Enterprise
Connect AI tools Read-only CLI and MCP server, off until you enable Agent Access MCP for Claude, ChatGPT, and others; API on paid plans
System-wide dictation Hold ⌥ Space in any app No
Day timeline App and window activity by default; screen text and encrypted screenshots are opt-in and deleted after 14 days No
Writing autocomplete Cotyping, in almost any app No
Source code Open source, GPLv3 Proprietary
Price Free Basic free · Business $14 per user/mo · Enterprise $35 per user/mo
Platforms macOS 15+ on Apple Silicon Desktop, iOS, Android, and Apple Watch apps

Verdict

Which one fits you?

Pick Granola if…

It is a genuinely good product — these are real advantages.

  • You want shared folders, team workspaces, and admin controls
  • You take notes on your phone or watch too
  • You prefer AI-polished typed notes over full transcripts
  • You need a vendor with SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA-ready workspaces

Pick LokalBot if…

Built for when the content of your meetings must stay yours.

  • Your meetings can't leave the machine — legal, health, finance, source protection
  • You want no account and no per-seat subscription — it's free
  • You want dictation, a day timeline, and autocomplete in the same app
  • You want source code you — or your security team — can read

Questions

The short answers.

Isn't bot-free capture the differentiator?

Not anymore — Granola and several others skip the meeting bot now. The differentiator is where processing happens. LokalBot transcribes and summarizes on the Mac with its built-in default; if you opt into a remote inference server, it receives the request context.

What does LokalBot send over the network?

Model downloads, update checks, optional Agent Mode setup, and remote inference origins you explicitly approve. Audio stays on the Mac; built-in inference keeps transcript and workday context there too.

Can I try LokalBot next to Granola?

Yes. LokalBot is free — run it on your next few meetings and compare the notes. Neither app puts a bot in your call, so nobody on the call will notice either one.

Download

Keep your meetings on your Mac.

Free and open source. Models download on first use; built-in inference then works offline.

Download for macOS

.dmg installer · brew install --cask stevyhacker/tap/lokalbot · all releases and notes

Granola is a trademark of its owner; LokalBot is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. Details are based on public pages and pricing as of September 2026 and may change — if something here is wrong or out of date, open an issue and we'll fix it.