kitio.aiGranola vs Shadow
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Shadow has the lower starting price: about $8 a month, against $14 for Granola.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- No meeting bot
- AI-enhanced notes
- Meeting templates
- Shared team folders
- Chat across notes
- Bot-free call recording
- Real-time speaker labels
- Meeting and Action Skills
- Markdown storage
- Webhooks
| Feature | Granola | Shadow |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Bot-free meeting notepad that turns your notes into full summaries | Bot-free Mac meeting assistant that saves notes as Markdown |
| Category | Productivity | Productivity |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $14/mo | $8/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Granola | Shadow |
| Based in | – | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Shadow has the lower starting price: about $8 a month, against $14 for Granola.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
3 plans
Basic
Free
- AI meeting notes
- 30 days of meeting history
- Shared folders
Business
$14/mo
- Per user
- Unlimited notes and history
- Advanced integrations and API
- MCP integration
Enterprise
$35/mo
- Per user
- SSO and admin controls
- Priority support
- Org-wide auto-deletion
2 plans
Free
Free
- Unlimited transcription
- Unlimited audio recording
- Unlimited smart screenshots
Plus
$8/mo
- Everything in Free
- Unlimited Action Skills
- Unlimited AI meeting notes
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Granola
- No bot in the call
- Works with any meeting app
- Notes read like your own
- Does not keep audio recordings
- Free plan limits note history
Shadow
- No bot joins your meetings
- Notes are Markdown files you own
- Unlimited transcription on the free plan
- Mac only
- AI features need the Plus plan
- Plans beyond Plus are not listed
Which one should you choose?
Choose Granola if you want:
- No bot in the call
- Works with any meeting app
- Notes read like your own
Watch out: does not keep audio recordings.
Choose Shadow if you want:
- No bot joins your meetings
- Notes are Markdown files you own
- Unlimited transcription on the free plan
Watch out: mac only.
Granola vs Shadow FAQ
What is the difference between Granola and Shadow?
Granola: Bot-free meeting notepad that turns your notes into full summaries. Shadow: Bot-free Mac meeting assistant that saves notes as Markdown. Both are productivity tools.
Is Granola or Shadow cheaper?
Shadow has the lower starting price: about $8 a month, against $14 for Granola.
Do Granola and Shadow have free plans?
Granola: Yes. Shadow: Yes.
Who makes Granola?
Granola is made by Granola.
Who makes Shadow?
Shadow is made by Shadow.
Which should I choose, Granola or Shadow?
Choose Granola if you value no bot in the call and works with any meeting app. Choose Shadow if you value no bot joins your meetings and notes are markdown files you own.