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 Spokenly: the honest comparison.
Three tools. Different strengths. Find your fit.
Ottex
Granola
SpokenlyAll 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.
Spokenly
Mac, Windows, iOS, Linux
Choose if
You want unlimited offline dictation without a subscription.
Look elsewhere if
You need a shared workspace for team meeting notes.
The evidence
Pricing
Granola Business costs $14/month; Spokenly Pro costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year. Ottex Pro costs $14/month or $168/year, with free app access through local models or your own API key (BYOK); API providers may charge.
See the evidence — 15 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Granola | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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: spokenly.app/pricing — checked Oct 2026No usage limits |
| 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. | $6.99/moSource: spokenly.app/team — checked Oct 2026Each seat includes full Pro with a permanent 30% discount and centralized billing. |
| One-time payment | Not applicableSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Application is free | Not applicableSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Application is free | Not applicableSource: spokenly.app/pricing — 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. | NoSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026Granola does not support bringing your own AI models. | YesSource: spokenly.app/privacy — checked Oct 2026BYOK audio and text travel directly from the device to the selected provider. |
| 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. | YesSource: spokenly.app/students — checked Oct 2026Verified students receive 50% off Pro at $4.99/month or $49.99/year after signing in with an academic email and emailing a student ID to support. |
The evidence
Platforms
Granola supports Android and Windows; Spokenly supports Windows and Linux but not Android. Ottex supports Mac and iOS; Spokenly meeting recording requires macOS 14.4+.
See the evidence — 6 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Granola | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | Mac, Windows, iOS, AndroidSource: docs.granola.ai/help-center — checked Oct 2026 | Mac, Windows, iOS, LinuxSource: spokenly.app/download — checked Oct 2026Some platforms in beta/waitlist |
| 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: spokenly.app/android — checked Oct 2026The macOS and iOS applications are built with Swift. |
The evidence
Meetings & team memory
Granola, Spokenly and Ottex capture without bots. Granola offers setup-dependent camera recording watermarks and chat recording notices; Ottex offers an experimental, opt-in macOS camera recording watermark.
See the evidence — 19 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Granola | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/dictation-for-mac — checked Oct 2026Meeting recording ships on Mac and requires macOS 14.4 or later. |
| 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: spokenly.app/blog — checked Oct 2026Mac meeting recording captures audio without a bot joining 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: spokenly.app/blog — checked Oct 2026Saved meeting recordings can be transcribed with voice-based speaker labels that may require manual correction. |
| 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: spokenly.app/releases — checked Oct 2026Mac meeting detection is documented in release notes, including Safari support. |
| 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. | No public claim |
| 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. | No public claim |
The evidence
From meeting to finished work
Granola has shared meeting chat; Spokenly needs AI Instructions for summaries. Ottex drafts CRM updates and tickets; both Ottex and Granola offer structured meeting templates and reusable prompts for transcript chat.
See the evidence — 12 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Granola | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | No public claim |
| 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. | No public claim |
| 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. | No public claim |
| CRM update / ticket draft | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Structured for the target app. | No public claim | No public claim |
| 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. | NoSource: spokenly.app/comparison — checked Oct 2026Not supported. |
The evidence
Dictation & transcription AI
Granola cannot dictate across apps. Spokenly and Ottex apply saved instructions to dictation; Ottex also formats spoken lists and expands voice-triggered snippets, while Spokenly supports punctuation and Mac paragraph breaks.
See the evidence — 30 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Granola | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Whisper, NVIDIA Parakeet, Apple Speech Analyzer, OpenAI GPT-4o Transcribe, Deepgram Nova, SonioxSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Local and cloud transcription engines are selectable per mode. |
| 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. | YesSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Downloaded local models transcribe offline, and Local Only Mode blocks outbound network access. |
| 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. | YesSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Users choose transcription models and AI providers per mode. |
| 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. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/blog — checked Oct 2026100+ languages · Gemini 3.5 Transcribe supports switching languages mid-sentence. |
| 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. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Models add punctuation, and optional Smart Paragraphs on Mac adds paragraph breaks; automatic list formatting remains unverified. |
| 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. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Supported models accept custom keyterms; ElevenLabs live transcription applies only the first 50 terms. |
| 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: spokenly.app/comparison — 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. | YesSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Saved mode AI Instructions process each dictation before its configured auto-insert action using the selected AI provider. |
| 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. | No public claim |
| 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. | No public claim |
| 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. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Mac modes automatically activate for configured applications or websites. |
Questions people actually ask.
Granola vs Spokenly: which is better?
Choose Granola for shared meeting notes guided by what you type, or Spokenly for unlimited free offline dictation. Choose Ottex on Mac/iOS when you need dictation with saved writing rules plus meeting-derived CRM updates and tickets.
Is Granola or Spokenly free?
Granola Basic is free with no daily limit, but only the last 30 days remain accessible in the app. Spokenly offers unlimited free local models and BYOK app access; Ottex also offers free local-model and BYOK app access, with provider usage charges possible for both BYOK paths.
How much do Granola and Spokenly cost?
Granola Business is $14/seat/month; no annual price is listed. Spokenly Pro is $9.99/month or $99.99/year, and Ottex Pro is $14/month or $168/year; Spokenly and Ottex also offer free local-model and BYOK app access, with provider charges possible.
Is Granola safe?
Choose Spokenly if blocking outbound traffic is your privacy priority: its Local Only Mode enforces this while using offline models. Ottex also runs local transcription models on-device; Granola has no local option and does not retain playable audio or video recordings.
Is it worth switching from Granola to Spokenly?
Switch to Spokenly if you need dictation across apps or unlimited local transcription; stay with Granola if shared meeting notes matter. Ottex is an alternative on Mac/iOS for dictation with saved instructions and meeting-derived CRM updates or tickets.
Does Granola or Spokenly work on Windows or Android?
Granola supports Windows and Android, but does not offer system-wide dictation. Spokenly supports Windows dictation but not Android; Ottex supports Mac and iOS only.
Does Granola or Spokenly use a recording bot?
All three capture without a bot: Granola captures device audio without retaining playable recordings, Spokenly records meetings on macOS 14.4+, and Ottex captures system audio. Bot-free capture does not establish participant consent.