BB RecordervsGranola
Granola's notes. Without the cloud.
BB Recorder matches Granola feature-for-feature on meeting notes — enhanced summaries, templates, AI chat — and runs 100% locally when you want it to. Plus dictation and screen recording in the same app.
100% local option · BYO keys + models · meeting recorder, dictation, and screen recording in one app.
Free forever
The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings.
Free tier limited · $14/mo Business · $35/mo Enterprise
Where we differ
Full-audio + full-transcript, locally
Granola stores a transcript on their cloud. BB Recorder saves both the audio file and the transcript on your Mac — delete or export any time.
Same enhanced notes workflow
Jot rough notes during the call. When the meeting ends, BB Recorder enhances them into a clean summary — the Granola pattern you love, running on the model of your choice.
Custom templates, same idea
Discovery calls, 1:1s, standups, user interviews — all the template-based summary formats Granola ships, plus the ability to author your own.
Bring your own AI
Granola picks the model for you. BB Recorder lets you run Apple Intelligence, Whisper, Ollama, or bring your own keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq — even drop a GGUF file.
Three products, one app
Granola is meeting notes only. BB Recorder also ships dictation and screen recording, sharing the same library and hotkeys.
Free forever, unlimited
No meeting cap, no history limit, no paywall on advanced models. Granola's free tier limits history; Business is $14/mo/user.
Feature-by-feature
Privacy & Data
Meeting workflow
AI engine
Scope
Pricing
Upload to BuildBetter on demand
Every local recording — meeting, dictation snippet, or screen capture — can be uploaded to BuildBetter's SOC 2 / HIPAA-ready cloud for a shared team library, search across all recordings, and org-wide access controls. Opt-in per recording. Never automatic.
Compare to other tools
BB Recorder vs Hyprnote / Char
Char (formerly Hyprnote) got the local-first posture right. BB Recorder matches the privacy story and adds dictation, screen recording, a more polished experience, and an optional SOC 2 / HIPAA-compliant cloud when your team needs it.
Read comparisonBB Recorder vs Loom
Loom made screen recording a team primitive — but every video lives on their cloud. BB Recorder records locally, saves to your Mac, and lets you optionally share through BuildBetter's team infrastructure.
Read comparisonBB Recorder vs Wispr Flow
Wispr Flow is a fantastic cloud dictation product. BB Recorder is its local-first counterpart — same speed, custom cleanup prompts, pick any model, and you get meeting recording and screen recording in the same app.
Read comparison