CaptionSnap › Granola alternative
A Granola alternative that saves captions, not audio
CaptionSnap saves the captions Teams, Zoom or Google Meet already show, as a transcript on your Mac with each speaker's name and time. No bot joins the call and no audio is recorded.
What Granola does well
- AI meeting notes. Granola calls itself “the AI notepad for back-to-back meetings”, with AI chat across your meetings (granola.ai, pricing).
- No bot. It “uses your computer audio, so doesn't invite a bot” and works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams “and every other meeting app” (granola.ai).
- Desktop and phone apps. Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android, including “meeting notes on the go and for your phone calls” (granola.ai).
- A free plan, and integrations with Notion, HubSpot and Zapier on Business at $14 per user a month (pricing).
How they differ
Granola sends your Mac's audio to be transcribed. CaptionSnap doesn't use your audio: it keeps the captions your meeting app already shows.
| App | How it gets the words | Uses call audio | Transcripts kept | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granola | Sends your Mac's audio to be transcribed | Yes | Cloud | Free with 30 days of history; Business $14/user/month |
| CaptionSnap | Saves the captions Teams, Zoom or Google Meet already show | No | Your Mac | $9.99 once |
From Granola's website, October 2026.
When CaptionSnap fits
- You want the exact words, with who said them, kept as files on your Mac.
- Your calls are on Teams, Zoom or Google Meet, with captions on.
- You want a transcript without your call's audio being recorded or sent anywhere.
- You'd rather pay once than every month.
When Granola fits better
- You want AI-written notes. CaptionSnap doesn't write summaries; it keeps the exact words in a plain file that you can paste into any AI tool.
- Your meeting has no captions, such as one in a room or a phone call. Granola's phone app covers phone calls; CaptionSnap needs the captions of Teams, Zoom or Google Meet.
- You're not on a Mac. CaptionSnap is for Mac only.
Free for 14 days, then $9.99 once. macOS 26 or later, Apple Silicon.
Questions
- Is CaptionSnap a free Granola alternative?
- No. You can try it free for 14 days; after that it's $9.99, once.