MeetKeep
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The best Granola alternative for Mac in 2026

MeetKeep is the Granola alternative for people who liked the no-bot approach but not where the audio goes. Granola sends every call to Deepgram and AssemblyAI for cloud transcription, billed at $14/user/month. MeetKeep transcribes on your Mac — audio never leaves it — for $39, once.

Facts verified on 2026-08-26

01

Why people go looking for an alternative

Audio goes to third partiesNo bot in the call — but Granola’s own docs say every recording is passed to Deepgram / AssemblyAI for transcription, and anonymised data trains models unless you opt out.
Free tier shows 30 daysOlder notes are kept but locked behind the paywall. A meeting library you can’t open isn’t really yours.
Monthly-only billingAbove free it jumps to Business at $14/user/month — no annual discount exists. That’s $168 a year, $504 over three.
02

What changes when you switch

Full comparison: MeetKeep vs Granola →
Granola
MeetKeep
Where audio is transcribed
Deepgram / AssemblyAI cloud
On this Mac — works offline
Price
$14/user/month, monthly only
$39 one-time, updates included
Meeting library
Free tier: last 30 days
Permanent, on-device, searchable
Speaker separation
Varies by platform / extension
Same everywhere, plus voiceprints
Chinese meetings
Cloud engines, mixed results
On-device zh + en models
Bot in the call
None
None — same approach

Where Granola still wins: phone and watch apps (iOS, Android, Apple Watch), shared cloud notes for teams, and its jot-during-the-call notepad style. If those matter more than privacy or price, stay put.

03

Other Granola alternatives worth a look

FathomThe most generous free tier of any cloud notetaker — if you’re fine with a bot joining and audio in the cloud.MeetKeep vs Fathom →Otter.aiThe biggest feature set and mobile apps, cloud-based, around $100/year for Pro.MeetKeep vs Otter.ai →MacWhisperAlso local and one-time. A transcription tool rather than a meeting library — no auto-record, no voiceprints.MeetKeep vs MacWhisper →
04

Questions people ask

Is there a Granola alternative that works offline?

Yes — that’s the defining difference. MeetKeep’s transcription model runs on your Mac, so it transcribes with no network at all. Granola requires a connection because transcription happens on Deepgram’s and AssemblyAI’s servers.

Does switching mean losing the no-bot experience?

No. MeetKeep records the same way Granola does — from your Mac’s audio, with nothing joining the call. The other side sees nothing in the participant list, on any platform.

Keep the no-bot. Drop the cloud.

Download MeetKeep7-day full trial · no account, no card · $39 once · 14-day refund