Cue vs Granola
Granola and Cue both capture meetings without sending a bot into the call. Granola is a polished AI notepad for people and teams who live in meetings.
Cue is a voice assistant for getting work done on your Mac. Meeting notes are one part of that: it also dictates, edits your writing, and brings remembered context from saved work into Chat, with local and cloud model choices for supported tasks.
The short answer
Choose Granola if you want a dedicated meeting notepad, shared folders, calendar preparation, and a mature team workflow across devices.
Choose Cue if you want a voice assistant that handles meeting notes, dictation, editing, and memory from saved work on your Mac.
Both products offer bot-free meetings, Chat, and MCP. Cue brings those into a broader voice assistant, with local files, editing, and memory alongside dictation.
The category difference
A voice assistant for work beyond the meeting.
Granola does more than produce a transcript. You can jot rough notes during a call, let its AI enhance them, ask questions across meetings, and share the result with a team. Its calendar-aware workflow is especially useful when your day is a run of customer calls or internal discussions.
Cue is for the work that also happens between those calls. A thought dictated into another Mac app, a meeting transcript, and a note you write later can live in one local Markdown workspace. Chat and MCP can use that context without making the meeting app your only home for it.
That distinction does not make Granola “just a recorder.” Its Chat, integrations, and MCP are real strengths. Cue is the better fit when you want a voice assistant for capture, editing, memory, and work with your local files.
With Cue
One voice assistant. More ways to get work done.
Capture
Dictate across your Mac or capture a meeting without inviting a bot.
Keep
Keep notes and meeting output as ordinary local Markdown files.
Use
Edit your writing, return to remembered context in Chat, or connect an agent through permissioned MCP.
Available now
Dictation, Notes, Edit Mode, and MCP; Meetings and sourced Chat in beta
Coming
Full Agent Mode
Invite only
Q, Chief, and Routines
Feature comparison
Cue vs Granola at a glance
Swipe sideways to compare both products →
| Decision point | Cue | Granola |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Voice assistant for dictation, editing, meetings, and memory | AI meeting notepad for individuals and teams |
| Bot-free meetings | Yes, captured on your Mac | Yes, captured through the device |
| Dictation in other apps | Yes | Not its primary workflow |
| Meeting notes | Transcript, notes, summary, and follow-ups in the Cue workspace | AI-enhanced notes informed by transcript and your rough notes |
| AI chat | Chat over chosen Cue notes and meetings | Chat within and across meetings |
| MCP | Permissioned connection to local Cue context | Granola meeting-note connector; access depends on plan |
| Where notes live | Ordinary local Markdown files | Granola cloud workspace; notes can be shared and integrated |
| Meeting audio retention | Local-first; processing depends on selected model | Granola says it does not store meeting audio |
| Team collaboration | Personal Mac workspace today | Shared folders, integrations, and admin plans |
| Platforms | macOS | macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android |
| Free starting point | Free on-device dictation; other plan details on Cue pricing | AI meeting notes with limited history on Basic |
Claims checked against the linked official sources on September 21, 2026. Features and plans can change.
Privacy and ownership
No bot is not the whole privacy story.
Granola says it does not store meeting audio. It processes audio with transcription providers and keeps transcripts and notes in its US-hosted cloud workspace. It also offers model-training controls and enterprise administration. Those are meaningful protections; cloud storage is a different architectural choice from keeping the source files on your Mac.
Cue captures from your Mac without a meeting bot and saves transcripts and notes as local files. You can choose an on-device model for local transcription or explicitly choose a cloud model. If you need to inspect, move, or use the files outside Cue, ordinary Markdown is the starting point.
Neither product removes your responsibility to tell participants when you are taking AI-assisted notes. The useful privacy question is where processing happens, what persists, and who can access the resulting record.
Where Granola wins
A stronger shared meeting workflow.
Granola has dedicated team features: shared folders, customized note templates, calendar preparation, business integrations, and administration. It also runs on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. If your main need is a coordinated meeting practice across a team, those capabilities matter more than a local file format.
Cue is Mac-focused and its full Agent Mode is still coming. Its present advantage is the continuity from speaking and meeting capture into Notes, Chat, Edit Mode, and a permissioned local MCP connection. Choose based on the work you actually need to carry forward.
Choose Granola if…
- Your day revolves around meetings and you want a focused AI notepad.
- Your team needs shared meeting folders, integrations, and administration.
- You need meeting notes across Mac, Windows, and mobile.
Choose Cue if…
- You also dictate ideas and edit text throughout your Mac workday.
- You want meeting output and other notes together as local Markdown.
- You want to choose which context Chat and compatible agents can use.
Frequently asked questions
Do Cue and Granola both record meetings without a bot?
Yes. Both capture audio from the device rather than adding an attendee to the call. You should still inform participants and follow applicable recording rules.
Does Granola have Chat and MCP?
Yes. Granola Chat can query meeting notes and transcripts. Granola also offers an MCP connector for meeting data, with access and limits that depend on the plan. Cue Chat and MCP work with the Cue context you choose from your local Markdown workspace.
Does Granola store meeting audio?
Granola says it does not store meeting audio. It keeps the transcript and notes in its cloud workspace. Cue saves your meeting output as local files; the transcription boundary depends on whether you choose an on-device or cloud model.
Can Cue replace Granola?
For a Mac user who wants bot-free meeting capture plus local notes, dictation, Chat, and MCP in one workspace, Cue may replace that part of a Granola workflow. Granola remains stronger for shared meeting folders, calendar-centered preparation, cross-platform use, and team administration.
Which is better for a team?
Granola currently has the clearer dedicated team meeting product. Cue is better described as a personal, local-first Mac workspace today.
Sources and verification
We used official product and help pages for factual claims. Check the linked source if a feature or plan has changed.
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