the verdict
granola is a polished meeting notes tool that excels at its narrow focus - capturing and summarizing meetings. however, it only works during meetings and requires google workspace. screenpipe captures your entire digital life 24/7, not just meetings. developer-friendly with full api access, yet simple enough for anyone. if you only need meeting notes, granola works. if you want comprehensive memory with the flexibility to build on top of it, screenpipe is the choice.
why screenpipe wins
meeting-only notes vs 24/7 complete memory
at a glance
beyond meetings
granola captures meetings. screenpipe captures everything - that stack overflow answer you found, the slack conversation with context, the research rabbit hole you went down. memory isn't just meetings; it's your entire digital workflow.
developer friendly
screenpipe offers a full api for querying your captured data. build custom automations, integrate with other tools, or create entirely new applications. granola offers no api - what you see is what you get.
privacy by default
screenpipe is private by default, open-source, and your data never leaves your machine. granola stores data in the cloud, and advanced privacy controls require their enterprise tier.
no vendor dependencies
granola requires a google workspace account. no gmail? no granola. screenpipe has no such dependencies - it works with whatever tools and accounts you already use.
granola: pros & cons
where granola is strong
- excellent meeting transcription
- no bot joins your calls
- clean, focused interface
- good template system
- ios app available
- team collaboration features
limitations
- meeting-only - no general screen capture
- google workspace required
- no linux support
- closed-source
- no api access
- cloud-dependent
ready for true data ownership?
join thousands who chose open-source, local-first ai memory. your data stays yours.