Granola Alternative for Mac That Works Fully Offline
Updated
If you want a Granola alternative that works fully offline on a Mac, Rebrief for Mac records your call and writes the transcript and notes on the Mac itself, with no internet needed once its models have downloaded. Like Granola, it adds no bot to the call. The difference is where the work happens and how you pay: Granola streams audio to cloud transcription providers and is billed per user each month, while Rebrief processes everything locally and is a one-time purchase.
Granola is a strong app, and for some people it's the better choice. It shows a transcript during the call, has shared folders and runs on Windows and phones. The details below come from Granola's security, help center and pricing pages, checked on 19 October 2026.
Granola vs Rebrief at a glance
| Granola | Rebrief for Mac | |
|---|---|---|
| Bot in the call | No. Captures your microphone and computer audio (security page) | No. Captures your microphone and the call audio |
| Where transcription happens | At transcription providers such as Deepgram and AssemblyAI, in real time during the call | On your Mac, after the call |
| Where notes are written | By model providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic | On your Mac |
| Where notes are stored | Granola's US-hosted AWS cloud, with a cached copy on your device | On your Mac |
| Meeting audio kept | No. Audio is deleted after transcription | Yes, both tracks stay on your Mac and can be exported |
| Works offline | You can open and edit cached notes offline, but transcription needs a network connection (network guide) | Yes, recording, transcription, notes and Ask, once the models have downloaded |
| Live transcript | Yes | No |
| Starting a recording | You start it for each meeting | Starts and stops automatically when a call is detected, or manually |
| Pricing | Basic is free with 30 days of visible history. Business is $14 per user per month, billed monthly. Enterprise starts at $35 per user per month (Granola pricing) | Free for recordings up to 15 minutes, then a one-time purchase |
| Account | Google or Microsoft sign-in | No account |
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Apple Watch | Mac only, Apple Silicon, macOS 15 or later |
| Team sharing | Shared folders, Slack, and on Business, Notion, HubSpot and Zapier | None. You copy and send notes yourself |
Where your meeting goes in each app
This is the main reason people look for a Granola alternative, so it's worth being exact. Neither app puts a bot in the call, and both capture audio on your computer. What happens next is different.
Granola's transcription guide says it passes audio from your microphone and system audio to its transcription provider. Its security page names providers like Deepgram and AssemblyAI for transcription and OpenAI and Anthropic for summaries. Granola says it doesn't let those providers train on your data, doesn't store the audio, and keeps transcripts and notes encrypted on AWS in the US. It also says Granola trains its own models on anonymized data unless you opt out in Settings, and Enterprise has this off by default.
Rebrief does the transcription and the notes on your Mac. The audio, transcript and notes stay on the Mac, and nothing about the meeting goes to a server of ours. Only the one-time model downloads and optional usage statistics use the network, and you can switch the statistics off in Settings. The privacy policy spells out what those statistics include.
Two practical effects follow. First, Rebrief keeps working on a plane or with no Wi-Fi, while Granola can't transcribe without a connection. Second, Rebrief keeps the audio, so you can listen again when a name or number in the transcript looks wrong. Granola deletes it, which some people prefer for privacy, but it means the transcript is all you have.
What you give up when you leave Granola
- The live transcript. Granola shows the transcript as the call happens. Rebrief writes it after the call, and the time it takes depends on the meeting length and your Mac. You can start another recording while the last one is still processing.
- Your own notes in the same place. Granola keeps any notes you type during the call next to the transcript. Rebrief writes its notes from the transcript, so keep anything you jot down for yourself in a separate document.
- Shared folders and integrations. If your team opens meeting notes in Granola's shared folders, Rebrief has no equivalent. Agree on a new place for notes, such as a project doc or channel, before you switch.
- Other devices. Granola runs on Windows and phones. Rebrief is Mac only.
What you gain: no account, no monthly bill, notes that stay on your Mac, automatic start when a call begins, and a record you can search later with Ask, which answers questions across your meetings and shows the lines each answer came from.
When to choose Granola and when to choose Rebrief
Choose Granola if you want to see the transcript during the call, your team already shares notes in Granola, you use Windows or want notes on your phone, and cloud processing is acceptable for the meetings you record. In that case, switching adds work without solving a problem you have.
Choose Rebrief if your meetings shouldn't leave your Mac, for example client calls under an agreement, research interviews or internal finance discussions. It also fits if you often work without a reliable connection, want to keep the original audio, or prefer to pay once instead of $14 a month per person.
Don't choose Rebrief if you're on an Intel Mac or need live notes. It can't do either.
If you're weighing Otter as well, see the Otter comparison. Otter also processes in the cloud, but unlike Granola it can send a bot to meetings you can't attend.
How to move from Granola to Rebrief
- Install Rebrief from rebrief.co on an Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 15 or later.
- While online, let the models download and grant microphone and audio permissions. The setup guide walks through it.
- Record a permitted call under 15 minutes. That's the free limit, and the recording comes with the full transcript and notes.
- Compare the result with what Granola gave you for a similar meeting. Check the decisions and action points against the transcript.
- Decide where shared notes will live now. Copy Rebrief's notes as Markdown into that place, and export the transcript when someone needs more detail.
- Buy the one-time unlock before you rely on it for longer meetings. Each recording can run up to eight hours.
Keep your Granola history while you build up meetings in Rebrief. Rebrief records new calls, so older Granola notes stay in Granola. On the free Basic plan, Granola shows only the last 30 days, so copy out anything older you need before you downgrade.
Common questions
Does Granola work offline?
Partly. Granola caches your notes so you can open and edit them offline, according to its security FAQ. Transcription needs a network connection, because audio is streamed to its transcription provider.
Is Granola bot-free?
Yes. Granola captures audio on your computer and doesn't join the call. Rebrief works the same way in that respect. The difference is that Granola sends the audio to the cloud for transcription and Rebrief doesn't. Here is why bot-free doesn't always mean private.
Is there a Granola alternative without a subscription?
Rebrief is one. It's free for recordings up to 15 minutes, and a one-time purchase removes the limit. There's no account and no per-user fee. For more options, see meeting notes apps for Mac with no subscription.
Does Granola keep the meeting audio?
No. Granola says it doesn't store meeting audio and keeps only the transcript and your notes. Rebrief keeps both audio tracks on your Mac, and you can export them.
A note on consent
Tell the other people in the call that you're recording, and follow your organization's rules. Recording laws differ by place, and some require everyone's agreement. Rebrief doesn't announce itself in the call, so letting people know is up to you.