JesRecap vs Granola
Granola and JesRecap agree on one thing: no bot should join your call. Both listen to the audio your computer is already handling. They part company after that. Granola is a notes app: it uses cloud AI to turn what it heard, plus what you typed, into a tidy write-up. JesRecap is a recorder: it transcribes on the device after you press Stop and gives you the transcript and the audio. For a write-up, it copies a prompt with the transcript into the AI you choose.
| JesRecap | Granola | |
|---|---|---|
| Processing | On your device, with local speech models | Notes are written by cloud AI models |
| Where recordings and transcripts live | Your Mac or PC, as WAV files plus a local SQLite library | Your Granola account, synced to the cloud |
| Bot in the meeting? | No. Silent local capture | No. It listens to the meeting audio too |
| Account required | No. A license key, no sign-up | Yes |
| Works offline | Yes, between license checks (up to 30 days) | No. The AI write-up needs a connection |
| Pricing model | From €34.95 once, with tiers for 1, 2, 4, or 8 devices | Subscription, with a limited free tier |
| Platforms | macOS 14.2+ and Windows 10/11 desktop app | macOS, Windows and mobile |
| Built-in AI summaries | No. One click copies a prompt with the transcript for the AI you already use | Yes, cloud-based. That is the core of the product |
When Granola is the better choice
- You type notes during the call and want them merged with what was said into a single readable write-up.
- Notes are the deliverable. You want a place to write, share and revisit meeting write-ups, not an archive of recordings.
- You work on a Mac and want the polish of a product built around that one workflow.
When JesRecap is the better choice
- Nothing may go to a cloud AI model. Transcription happens on your device, and JesRecap sends no meeting content anywhere at all.
- You want the recording and transcript kept as plain local files on the machine that made them.
- The audio itself matters. JesRecap keeps your microphone and the system audio as separate WAV files plus a mixed playback track, so you can check what was actually said, or retranscribe later.
- You would rather buy the tool than rent it. From €34.95 once, no account to keep alive.
Questions
If JesRecap sends nothing to the cloud, do I lose the tidy write-up?
JesRecap does not write the note itself. The Summary, Action items and Custom prompt buttons copy a ready-made prompt with the transcript included, for whichever AI you prefer, and you can write your own notes in the app. The difference from Granola is that you decide, per meeting, whether anything gets sent at all, and it can be nothing.
Can I take notes during the meeting in JesRecap?
JesRecap's focus is the recording and the transcript, which is made after you press Stop, plus manual notes and a searchable library. There is no live transcript. If you want a rich in-meeting notepad, a notes-first app will suit you better.
Does it handle in-person meetings?
Yes. With no system audio to capture it simply records the microphone, so a room conversation or a phone call on speaker works the same way.
What exactly leaves my machine?
The speech model, once, from models.jesrecap.com, license activation, checkout and periodic license checks, and update checks. No meeting content, no accounts, no telemetry.
No bot, and no cloud either.
Local capture, local transcription, files on your own disk. macOS and Windows, from €34.95 once.