COMPARISONEvery claim sourced · verified Jun 2026

Alter vs Granola: the honest comparison.

Pick Granola for bot-free meeting notes and team memory; pick Alter only if you specifically want a Mac voice-writing app and can verify its gaps. We make Ottex, so we include it plainly: it is the broader Mac/iOS option for dictation, meetings, files, and finished work.

Ottex

Mac, iOS · Free tier · $14/mo · PAYG

Ottex is unusually broad for a young Mac/iOS-first tool: it turns dictation and meetings into emails, tickets, CRM updates, notes, and docs, but it is not the pick if you need Windows, Android, web, browser extension, or compliance paperwork.

Choose if

You want one tool for system-wide dictation, meeting recording, and finished written outcomes like follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and docs
You want a real free path: unlimited local dictation, file transcription, and meetings on Mac with Whisper/Parakeet, or BYOK instead of a forced subscription
You need multilingual dictation with 100+ languages, auto-detection, mixed-language speech, personal vocabulary, and per-app output rules

Look elsewhere if

You need Windows, Android, Linux, web access, or a browser extension
You need mature team infrastructure such as a shared workspace, API/webhooks, third-party note destinations, or assistant chat over transcripts today.

Alter

Mac · Limited free · $2/mo · $720 one-time

Alter looks like a Mac-focused tool for dictating into apps and recording meetings, but its public claims are thin: pricing, languages, transcription imports, summaries, privacy posture, and non-Mac platforms are all unverified.

Choose if

You want a Mac app that publicly positions itself around writing by voice in other apps.
You want one product that at least publicly mentions both dictation and meeting recording, and you are willing to verify the missing details directly with the0

Look elsewhere if

You need confirmed Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, web, or browser-extension support.
You need published pricing, trial details, language coverage, offline/local processing, or compliance claims before buying.

Granola

Mac, Windows, iOS, Android · Limited free · $18/mo

Granola is a strong bot-free meeting notes tool with polished AI summaries and team memory, but it is not a general dictation or file-transcription app.

Choose if

You want bot-free meeting capture that records from your mic and computer audio without joining calls.
You want AI meeting notes shaped by your own notes, with action items, decisions, follow-up emails, and reusable prompts.
You want a team meeting memory with shared workspaces, folders, cross-meeting Q&A, and Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar support.

Look elsewhere if

You need system-wide dictation, hotkeys, voice commands, auto-formatting, snippets, or text insertion into other apps.
You need imported audio or video file transcription, batch processing, timestamps, or export controls with public vendor claims behind them.

The evidence

What actually differs, claim by claim.

Each section opens with the takeaway. The table underneath is the receipt — every cell carries its source and the date we checked it.

Pricing

Granola is the only compared tool with public recurring pricing: Basic is free for 25 meetings/month, Business is $18/seat/mo, and Enterprise is custom. Alter does not publish pricing and only shows custom or unknown terms, so it cannot win on budget clarity. Ottex has the cheapest real path for dictation and transcription with free local AI or your own key, plus $0.2/hour PAYG and $14/mo Pro.

See the evidence — 13 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026

	Ottex	Alter	Granola
Free tier	YesWhisper & Parakeet run on your Mac. Dictation and meetings, $0.	PartialAll core features; uses own API keys or local models; 7 days unlimited access to 50+ AI models; free meeting recording is Very Slow (Whisper) and has no speaker identification.	Partial25 meetings/month
Subscription	$14/mo$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.	$2/moOptional annual add-on for advanced local speech-to-text and meeting recording.	$18/moBusiness is $18 per member/month or $14 per member/month billed annually.
Pay-as-you-go / one-timeEscape the flat subscription	$0.2/hourHosted models at cost: dictation ~$0.2/h, meetings ~$0.5/h (~$3/mo average).	$720 one-timePermanent access to Alter, future platform upgrades, all current and future features, and all AI models subject to fair use.	NoSubscription only
Bring your own keyPay the model provider, not the middleman	YesOpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers.	YesFree plan supports connecting own AI providers like OpenAI and Anthropic.	No public claim
Education discount	NoSame pricing for everyone.	YesSpecial pricing is available for students and academics by email request.	No public claim

Platforms

Granola wins platform coverage with Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. Alter is Mac only, while Ottex is Mac and iOS. If Windows or Android matters, Granola beats both; Ottex only improves on Alter by adding iOS.

See the evidence — 5 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026

	Ottex	Alter	Granola
Platforms	Mac, iOS	Mac	Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke	YesNative Swift app, ~50MB RAM.	YesLinkedIn describes Alter as built natively in Swift.	No public claim

Meetings & team memory

Granola wins meeting capture among Alter and Granola because it is confirmed for bot-free meeting capture from mic and computer audio, with 25 meetings/month on Basic and unlimited meetings on Business. Alter does not have verified meeting support in the digest, so it is a weak pick for capture until confirmed directly. Ottex also supports meetings, but Granola has the stronger public team-memory story today.

See the evidence — 16 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026

	Ottex	Alter	Granola
Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all	YesWith speaker separation.	YesAlter records meeting audio from applications or the system microphone.	YesGranola records and transcribes meetings without joining as a bot.
Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call	YesSystem-audio capture, no bot joins the call.	YesAlter records from the Mac audio system without a bot joining the meeting.	YesGranola does not send a bot to meetings.
Speaker separation	Yes	YesPaid plans include speaker identification for meeting recordings.	No public claim
Calendar detection	YesCalendar-based meeting detection.	YesAlter detects common meeting apps and prompts the user to record.	YesGranola surfaces calendar events and can start notes from upcoming meetings.
Cross-meeting search	Yes	YesAlter allows search through all past meetings.	YesAsk Granola can answer across past meetings.
Shared team memory	PartialPublic share links, not a full team workspace.	No public claim	YesBusiness workspaces include shared notes and folders for teams.

From meeting to finished work

Granola wins classic meeting intelligence with AI notes, action items, decisions, follow-up emails, reusable prompts, shared workspaces, folders, and cross-meeting Q&A. Alter has no verified summaries, team memory, or finished-work workflow in the digest. Ottex surprises by going beyond notes into follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and docs, but Granola is still the more mature team meeting-memory (

See the evidence — 11 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026

	Ottex	Alter	Granola
Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear	YesDecisions with owners extracted.	YesDocs list extracting decisions from meetings.	YesGranola can extract decisions from meetings through templates and AI notes.
Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized	YesDrafted from templates or your own.	YesDocs list a follow-up email draft based on a meeting as a common prompt.	YesRecipes can generate follow-up emails from meetings.
CRM update / ticket draft	YesStructured for the target app.	PartialMeetings page says summaries and action items can be pushed to CRM or project management tools after meetings.	YesGranola lists Attio as an integration for sending meeting notes to CRM records.
Your rough notes steer the result	YesRough notes and instructions steer the result.	No public claim	YesUser notes are used to guide the generated meeting notes.

Dictation & transcription AI

Ottex wins dictation AI because it is the only one here with confirmed system-wide dictation, local models, BYOK, file transcription, 100+ languages, and per-app output rules. Alter is Mac-focused and publicly positioned around writing by voice, but its digest does not confirm dictation capabilities, languages, local processing, or pricing. Granola should not be chosen for dictation because its digest says meetings,

See the evidence — 10 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026

	Ottex	Alter	Granola
Engines	Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local.	Whisper, Whisper Pro, Parakeet v3, local models, cloud models via own API keys or Alter routersPricing names Whisper, Whisper Pro, Parakeet v3, local models, BYOK cloud models, and 50+ cloud models on Pro.	No public claim
Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine	YesWhisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device.	YesMeetings page says no internet is required for recording and local processing with Parakeet V3.	NoGranola states it requires an internet connection to transcribe and generate notes.
Model selection per task	YesChoose the model per task and per provider.	YesPro routes to a model or lets the user choose a favorite model.	No public claim
Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence	Yes100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching.	No public claim	No public claim
Per-app output rules	YesPer-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email.	No public claim	NoNot supported

Cost

What a year actually costs at your volume.

Personal or team — switch tabs. Subscriptions are flat; usage-based pricing depends on how much you speak and meet.

You dictate about 3 h a week≈ 23,400 words at ~130 wpm

0 h5 h10 h

and sit in 4 h of meetings a weekhours you'd want captured and turned into follow-ups

0 h7.5 h15 h

Fill the gaps with:

Dictation appadded to meetings-only toolsMeetings appadded to dictation-only tools

OttexOttex Provider — PAYG$135/yrHosted models at cost: dictation ~$0.2/h, meetings ~$0.5/h (~$3/mo average).

OttexPro$168/yr$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.

GranolaBusiness$168/yr$168 + $0Business is $18 per member/month or $14 per member/month billed annually. · Unlimited meetings

Estimates, not quotes. Striped bar segments are the cost of the second app you picked above to cover the gap — rankings use that combined total. PAYG and BYOK usage are estimated at provider at-cost rates ($0.2/h dictation, $0.5/h meetings) — bring-your-own-key plans still pay the model provider per use. One-time licenses are amortized over 2 years. Subscriptions use published pricing, checked Jun 2026.

FAQ

Questions people actually ask.

Alter vs Granola: which should I pick?

Pick Granola if your main job is meeting notes, because it has confirmed bot-free capture, 25 free meetings/month, and $18/seat/mo Business. Pick Alter only if you want a Mac voice-writing app and are willing to verify pricing, languages, privacy, and non-Mac support directly.

Is Alter free?

There is no published free Alter plan in the input, and its pricing is listed as unknown or custom. That makes Alter hard to recommend if price clarity matters. For a genuinely free option, consider Ottex — unlimited with local models or your own key.

Is Granola free?

Yes, Granola has a Basic plan with 25 meetings/month. That is useful for occasional meetings, but it is not a dictation plan, and Business is $18/seat/mo for unlimited meetings. For free dictation, file transcription, and meetings, consider Ottex — it has free local AI and free BYOK paths.

How much does Alter cost compared with Granola?

Granola publishes Business at $18/seat/mo, with a free Basic tier capped at 25 meetings/month and custom Enterprise. Alter does not publish pricing, so you cannot compare annual cost without asking the vendor. Ottex is cheaper for solo dictation workflows at free local/BYOK, $0.2/hour PAYG, or $14/mo Pro.

Is Alter safe?

The input does not confirm Alter's privacy posture, offline processing, compliance claims, or where audio goes. Granola is better documented for bot-free meeting capture, but it is still a cloud meeting-notes product in this comparison. If privacy is the real reason you are asking, Ottex is the stronger fit because it offers local/on-device options and BYOK.

Is it worth switching from Alter to Granola?

Switch from Alter to Granola if meetings are the job, especially if you want bot-free capture, AI notes, action items, follow-up emails, and team memory. Stay with Alter only if Mac voice-writing into apps is the core workflow and you have verified the missing pricing and capability details.

Does Alter or Granola work on Windows or Android?

Granola works on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. Alter is Mac only in the input, so Granola is the clear pick if you need Windows or Android. Ottex is Mac and iOS, so it does not solve Windows or Android either.

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