Ottex
Mac, iOS
Choose if
You want dictated emails to follow your saved writing instructions.
Look elsewhere if
You need voice dictation on a Windows computer.
ComparisonEvery claim sourced · verified Oct 2026
Aqua Voice vs Granola: the honest comparison.
Three tools. Different strengths. Find your fit.
Ottex
Aqua Voice
GranolaAll comparisons
FAQ
At a glance
Which one fits your work?
Each tool takes a different approach. Here’s a quick side-by-side to help you choose based on your workflow, platforms, and goals.
Aqua Voice
Mac, Windows, iOS
Choose if
You want saved writing instructions applied automatically to dictation.
Look elsewhere if
You need meeting recordings turned into structured summaries.
Granola
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Choose if
You want bot-free meeting summaries guided by your own notes.
Look elsewhere if
You need voice dictation that works across your apps.
The evidence
Pricing
Aqua Voice Pro is $10/month; Granola has free notes or $14/seat/month Business. Ottex Pro is $14/month, with free app access via local models or your own API key (BYOK); provider API charges are separate.
See the evidence — 14 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Aqua Voice | Granola |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers. | PartialSource: aquavoice.com/vs — checked Oct 20261,000 free words | PartialSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026No daily limit; Last 30 days only in the app |
| Subscription | $14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included. | $10/moSource: aquavoice.com/pricing — checked Oct 2026Includes Custom Instructions and an expanded dictionary. | $14/moSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Pricing is per active workspace member, with monthly billing only. |
| One-time payment | Not applicableSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Application is free | NoNo one-time payment plan | Not applicableSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Application is free |
| Bring your own keyPay the model provider, not the middleman | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026OpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers. | No public claim | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Granola does not support bringing your own AI models. |
| Education discount | NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Same pricing for everyone. | YesSource: aquavoice.com/pricing — checked Oct 2026Students with eligible school emails receive 70% off: Pro costs $3/month monthly or $2.40/month billed annually, and Max costs $9/month monthly or $7.20/month billed annually; accepted domains include .edu, .ac.uk, .ac.jp, .ac.kr, and .ac.in. | YesSource: granola.ai/students — checked Oct 2026Accepted currently enrolled students at accredited universities in the US, UK, and Canada receive Business for $0 for 12 months; no percentage discount or recurring monthly or annual student price is published. |
The evidence
Platforms
Aqua Voice supports Mac, Windows and iOS; Granola adds Android. Ottex supports Mac and iOS, so Windows dictation favors Aqua Voice, while Android meeting notes favor Granola.
See the evidence — 5 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Aqua Voice | Granola |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | Mac, Windows, iOSSource: aquavoice.com/guide — checked Oct 2026Some platforms in beta/waitlist | Mac, Windows, iOS, AndroidSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026 |
| Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Native Swift app, ~50MB RAM. | No public claim | NoSource: granola.ai/jobs — checked Oct 2026The desktop application uses Electron with OS integrations; mobile implementation frameworks remain unverified. |
The evidence
Meetings & team memory
Aqua Voice cannot capture meetings. Granola makes bot-free notes with configured camera recording watermarks and recording notices in meeting chat; Ottex records without a bot and has an experimental, opt-in macOS camera recording watermark.
See the evidence — 23 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Aqua Voice | Granola |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026With speaker separation. | NoSource: aquavoice.com/creators — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | PartialSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Live audio is captured for transcription, but playable audio and video recordings are not retained. |
| Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026System-audio capture, no bot joins the call. | NoSource: aquavoice.com/creators — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | YesSource: granola.ai/security — checked Oct 2026The app captures device audio without adding a participant bot. |
| Camera recording watermarkShow recording in your camera video | PartialExperimental macOS virtual camera adds an Ottex icon to video; install/enable the extension, select it and turn video on. Guide covers Meet in Chrome and Zoom desktop; effects may obscure it. | NoSource: aquavoice.com/creators — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | PartialSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026All plans can install and select a virtual camera on macOS 14+ or Windows 11; Enterprise enforcement requires chat notices and may require workspace activation by support. |
| Participant noticesRecording notices in chat or calendar | No public claim | NoSource: aquavoice.com/creators — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | PartialSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Desktop chat notices support Meet through a Chromium extension and Zoom or Teams through app setup; Enterprise admins can enforce them, while calendar-invite notices remain unverified. |
| Speaker separation | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | NoSource: aquavoice.com/creators — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | PartialSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Configured desktop speaker tags identify participants in Meet, Zoom, and Teams; mobile transcripts use speaker labels. |
| Calendar detection | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Calendar-based meeting detection. | NoSource: aquavoice.com/creators — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | YesSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Calendar reminders and microphone-use detection prompt the user to start notes. |
| Cross-meeting search | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | NoSource: aquavoice.com/creators — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | YesSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Chat queries multiple meetings, with Basic limited to the accessible 30-day history. |
| Shared team memory | PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace. | NoSource: aquavoice.com/creators — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | YesSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Folder-level Chat queries shared meeting-note collections. |
The evidence
From meeting to finished work
Granola and Ottex turn transcripts and your notes into summaries; Aqua Voice cannot. Granola offers shared meeting-note collections; Ottex drafts CRM updates and tickets but shares through links rather than a full team workspace.
See the evidence — 17 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Aqua Voice | Granola |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting template libraryTurn a transcript into a structured document | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Choose a ready-made document template to extract relevant information from a meeting transcript into a structured document, such as a product review or client-call report. | NoSource: aquavoice.com/creators — checked Oct 2026Meeting-transcript document templates are not supported. | PartialSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Desktop users select built-in meeting-type templates that generate or regenerate enhanced notes in the chosen structure. |
| Transcript chat prompt libraryReady-made prompts for AI chat about meetings | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Use ready-made reusable prompts in AI chat to ask questions, analyze discussions and extract information from meeting transcripts. | NoSource: aquavoice.com/creators — checked Oct 2026Reusable prompts for chat over meeting transcripts are not supported. | YesSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026The Recipes menu and Discover tab provide reusable Granola and community prompts that run over individual or multiple meetings. |
| Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Decisions with owners extracted. | NoSource: aquavoice.com/creators — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | YesSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Chat extracts action items from meeting notes and transcripts. |
| Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Drafted from templates or your own. | NoSource: aquavoice.com/creators — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | PartialSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Automatic drafts require a paid plan or trial, connected Gmail, an external guest, and no more than 10 attendees. |
| CRM update / ticket draft | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Structured for the target app. | NoSource: aquavoice.com/creators — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | No public claim |
| Your rough notes steer the result | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result. | NoSource: aquavoice.com/creators — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | YesSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Typed raw notes guide generated notes alongside the transcript and calendar context. |
The evidence
Dictation & transcription AI
Aqua Voice and Ottex automatically format dictation and apply saved writing rules; Granola rewrites meeting notes but cannot dictate across apps. Ottex has Messaging and Email profiles; Aqua Voice offers lowercase messaging output.
See the evidence — 31 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Aqua Voice | Granola |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engines | Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Source: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local. | Avalon 1.5, WhisperSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Oct 2026Desktop model choices vary by app version and account access. | No public claim |
| Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device. | PartialSource: aquavoice.com/changelog — checked Oct 2026The iOS changelog documents downloadable offline models, but supported models and modes remain unspecified. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. |
| Model selection per task | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Choose the model per task and per provider. | PartialSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Oct 2026The desktop Transcription Model selector exposes models available to the account. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. |
| Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching. | No public claim | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. |
| Automatic formatting | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Dictation automatically fixes punctuation, groups ideas into paragraphs and formats enumerations as lists. Formatting toggles and profile rules customize output. | YesSource: aquavoice.com/changelog — checked Oct 2026Dictation automatically adds punctuation and paragraph breaks, with additional formatting configurable through Custom Instructions. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. |
| Custom dictionary | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Add or delete names and specialist terms with preferred spellings; entries provide recognition context during transcription. | YesSource: aquavoice.com/guide — checked Oct 2026Users can add and remove names, specialist terms, and acronyms in Dictionary. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. |
| Voice snippetsSay a saved phrase to insert a link or text | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Save a voice trigger and expansion text; saying the trigger while dictating inserts the saved URL or text in place. | YesSource: aquavoice.com/guide — checked Oct 2026Replacements expand spoken phrases into saved text such as calendar links and email addresses. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. |
| Custom voice instructionsFree-form rules applied after dictation | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Saved profile instructions automatically process dictation before insertion; rules can include writing examples, personal phrasing and email signatures. | PartialSource: aquavoice.com/guide — checked Oct 2026Plans with Custom Instructions automatically apply saved writing rules and examples to dictation, including email signatures. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. |
| Tone presetsChoose a predefined writing style | YesSelect built-in Messaging or Email profiles for casual or professional dictation; assigning apps or websites enables automatic profile activation. | PartialSource: aquavoice.com/changelog — checked Oct 2026Casual Messaging is a selectable lowercase style for messaging apps; a broader preset selector is unverified. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. |
| Text transforms / AI ShortcutsApply an AI action to existing text | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Select or copy existing text, open Omnibar and run an AI Shortcut to rewrite, translate, summarize or apply a custom prompt; the result is copied/pasted. | YesSource: aquavoice.com/edit-mode — checked Oct 2026Edit Mode rewrites selected text by voice on desktop, excluding search fields, address bars, and selections over 6,000 characters. | PartialSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Desktop Chat rewrites, expands, corrects, or translates selected sections of Granola meeting notes. |
| Per-app output rules | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email. | PartialSource: aquavoice.com/changelog — checked Oct 2026Casual Messaging enforces lowercase in apps such as Slack, iMessage, and Discord. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. |
Questions people actually ask.
Aqua Voice vs Granola: which should I choose?
Choose Aqua Voice for dictation across apps, or Granola for bot-free meeting summaries guided by your notes. Choose Ottex on Mac or iOS if you need both, plus meeting-based CRM updates and ticket drafts.
Is Aqua Voice or Granola free?
Aqua Voice gives you just 1,000 free words, about 8 minutes of dictation. Granola Basic has no daily limit but shows only 30 days of history; Ottex app access is free with local models or BYOK, with provider API charges separate.
How much do Aqua Voice and Granola cost?
Aqua Voice Pro lists $10/month and $96/year, plus a separate $119/year Pro listing; Granola Business is $14/seat/month with no annual price listed. Ottex Pro is $14/month or $168/year; its app is free with local models or BYOK, with provider charges separate.
Is Aqua Voice or Granola better for privacy?
Ottex is the clearest choice for on-device dictation: Whisper and Parakeet v3 run locally. Aqua Voice documents iOS offline models but leaves supported modes unspecified; Granola captures device audio, but its processing location is unspecified.
Is it worth switching from Aqua Voice to Granola?
Stay with Aqua Voice if you need dictation: it formats speech, recognizes custom dictionary terms and expands voice snippets, as Ottex also does. Switch to Granola for summaries shaped by typed notes; choose Ottex if you need both dictation and meeting recordings.
Do Aqua Voice or Granola work on Windows and Android?
Aqua Voice supports Windows dictation but has no Android app; Granola supports Windows and Android meeting notes but cannot dictate across apps. Ottex supports Mac and iOS, with neither Windows nor Android support.
Do Aqua Voice or Granola use a meeting bot?
Granola and Ottex capture meetings without a bot; Aqua Voice cannot capture meetings. Granola supports configured desktop camera recording watermarks and recording notices in meeting chat; Ottex has an experimental, opt-in macOS camera recording watermark, and these mechanisms do not establish participant consent.