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
Granola vs Hedy: the honest comparison.
Three tools. Different strengths. Find your fit.
Ottex
Granola
HedyAll 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.
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.
Hedy
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web
Choose if
You want live suggestions during client calls.
Look elsewhere if
You need system-wide dictation for writing across apps.
The evidence
Pricing
Granola Business costs $14/seat/month; Hedy costs $99.99/year for Pro or $299 for Lifetime. Ottex offers free app access with local models or bring your own API key (BYOK), though API providers may charge.
See the evidence — 14 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Granola | Hedy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers. | PartialSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026No daily limit; Last 30 days only in the app | PartialSource: hedy.ai/pricing — checked Oct 2026Up to 5 hours per month |
| Subscription | $14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included. | $14/moSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Pricing is per active workspace member, with monthly billing only. | $12.99/moSource: hedy.ai/contact — checked Oct 2026Cloud AI is included, local processing is available, optional external speech providers incur separate API charges, and automatic suggestions stop after 120 minutes per session. |
| One-time payment | Not applicableSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Application is free | Not applicableSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Application is free | $299 one-timeSource: hedy.ai/pricing — checked Oct 2026Lifetime feature access and future updates. |
| Bring your own keyPay the model provider, not the middleman | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026OpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Granola does not support bringing your own AI models. | YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Deepgram, OpenAI, and xAI speech recognition accept user API keys and bill usage separately from Hedy. |
| Education discount | NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Same pricing for everyone. | 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. | No public claim |
The evidence
Platforms
Granola and Hedy support Mac, Windows, iOS and Android; Hedy also lists Web access. Ottex supports Mac and iOS, so choose either compared tool when Windows or Android is required.
See the evidence — 6 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Granola | Hedy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | Mac, Windows, iOS, AndroidSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026 | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, WebSource: hedy.ai/downloads — checked Oct 2026 |
| Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Native Swift app, ~50MB RAM. | NoSource: granola.ai/jobs — checked Oct 2026The desktop application uses Electron with OS integrations; mobile implementation frameworks remain unverified. | YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026The import documentation identifies the installed Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android clients as native apps. |
The evidence
Meetings & team memory
Granola has camera recording watermarks and chat recording notices; Ottex has an experimental, opt-in macOS camera recording watermark. Hedy is bot-free; its camera recording watermark and chat/calendar recording notice support is unverified.
See the evidence — 21 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Granola | Hedy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026With speaker separation. | PartialSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Live audio is captured for transcription, but playable audio and video recordings are not retained. | YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Saving session audio requires enabling audio recording, which is off by default. |
| Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026System-audio capture, no bot joins the call. | YesSource: granola.ai/security — checked Oct 2026The app captures device audio without adding a participant bot. | YesSource: hedy.ai/downloads — checked Oct 2026Meeting capture does not require a bot to join the call. |
| 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. | 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. | No public claim |
| Participant noticesRecording notices in chat or calendar | No public claim | 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. | No public claim |
| Speaker separation | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | PartialSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Configured desktop speaker tags identify participants in Meet, Zoom, and Teams; mobile transcripts use speaker labels. | PartialSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Nemotron separates speakers on supported devices, with names inferred from conversation context or entered manually. |
| Calendar detection | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Calendar-based meeting detection. | YesSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Calendar reminders and microphone-use detection prompt the user to start notes. | PartialSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Mac and Windows detect microphone use by Zoom, Teams, and Webex, with FaceTime detection available on Mac. |
| Cross-meeting search | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | YesSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Chat queries multiple meetings, with Basic limited to the accessible 30-day history. | PartialSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Topic chat searches related sessions; Free includes one topic, while Pro supports unlimited topics and chat across them. |
| Shared team memory | PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace. | YesSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Folder-level Chat queries shared meeting-note collections. | PartialSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Pro users can share Topics containing current and future sessions with recipients who receive read-only access. |
The evidence
From meeting to finished work
Granola has desktop note templates; Ottex has document templates; Hedy's template library is unverified. All three offer transcript chat prompts; Ottex drafts CRM updates and tickets, while Hedy routes tasks through external automation.
See the evidence — 16 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Granola | Hedy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | 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. | No public claim |
| 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. | 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. | YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Built-in Quick Prompts send preset questions to session chat, with different prompt sets for each session type. |
| Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Decisions with owners extracted. | YesSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Chat extracts action items from meeting notes and transcripts. | YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Session recaps extract action items and next steps into trackable to-do items. |
| Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Drafted from templates or your own. | 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. | PartialSource: hedy.ai/integrations — checked Oct 2026A viaSocket template creates an interview follow-up email draft in Gmail from a Hedy session. |
| CRM update / ticket draft | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Structured for the target app. | No public claim | PartialSource: hedy.ai/integrations — checked Oct 2026A viaSocket workflow sends sales-call notes to a HubSpot contact and requires external automation setup. |
| Your rough notes steer the result | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result. | YesSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Typed raw notes guide generated notes alongside the transcript and calendar context. | YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Up to 10,000 characters of user-written session notes inform summaries, detailed notes, and chat responses. |
The evidence
Dictation & transcription AI
Granola and Hedy transform meeting text, but cannot dictate across apps. Ottex transforms existing text and formats dictation, uses recognition dictionaries, expands voice snippets and automatically applies saved writing instructions.
See the evidence — 31 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Granola | Hedy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engines | Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Source: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local. | No public claim | No public claim |
| Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
| Model selection per task | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Choose the model per task and per provider. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
| Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
| 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. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
| Custom dictionary | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Add or delete names and specialist terms with preferred spellings; entries provide recognition context during transcription. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
| 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. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not 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. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
| 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. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. |
| 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. | PartialSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Desktop Chat rewrites, expands, corrects, or translates selected sections of Granola meeting notes. | PartialSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Completed session transcripts can be manually cleaned and translated using cloud AI on the original capturing device. |
| Per-app output rules | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026System-wide dictation is not supported. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported. |
Questions people actually ask.
Granola vs Hedy: which should I choose?
Choose Granola for shared meeting-note chat and summaries guided by your notes, or Hedy for live call coaching and optional saved audio. Choose Ottex for dictation that follows saved writing instructions or meeting-based CRM and ticket drafts.
Are Granola and Hedy free?
Granola Basic has no daily limit, but only the last 30 days remain accessible in the app; Hedy Free allows 5 hours/month. Ottex offers free app access with local models or BYOK; your API provider may charge for usage.
How much do Granola and Hedy cost?
Granola Business is $14/seat/month; no annual price is listed, while Hedy Pro is $12.99/month or $99.99/year, with Lifetime at $299 one-time. Ottex Pro is $14/month or $168/year, with free app access through local models or BYOK; provider charges may apply.
Is Granola safe?
Granola retains no playable recordings; Hedy saves audio only when enabled, but their meeting-audio processing destinations are unspecified. Ottex supports fully on-device dictation with local models if keeping dictation audio local is your priority.
Is it worth switching from Granola to Hedy?
Switch to Hedy for live call coaching or optional saved audio; stay with Granola for shared meeting-note chat and desktop note templates. Choose Ottex if you need system-wide dictation or structured CRM and ticket drafts.
Do Granola and Hedy work on Windows and Android?
Yes, Granola and Hedy both support Windows and Android; Hedy also lists Web access. Ottex supports Mac and iOS, so choose either compared tool if Windows or Android is required.
Are Granola and Hedy bot-free?
Yes, Granola, Hedy and Ottex capture meetings without a bot joining. Granola offers configured chat recording notices, Ottex offers an experimental, opt-in macOS camera recording watermark, and Hedy asks users to obtain consent manually; disclosure does not establish consent.