Is Granola or PDF Expert better?

Neither clearly leads. Granola starts at Free and PDF Expert at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Granola or PDF Expert?

Granola has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Granola and On request for PDF Expert.

Does Granola or PDF Expert run on more platforms?

Granola runs on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams. PDF Expert runs on Web.

Can I use Granola for free?

Yes. Granola has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PDF Expert starts at On request.

What is Granola best used for?

Granola is most often used for automatic meeting documentation without dedicated note-taker, action item extraction and task assignment, meeting context retrieval via ai agent queries, multi-language meeting transcription. Of those, automatic meeting documentation without dedicated note-taker and action item extraction and task assignment are not what PDF Expert is typically brought in for.

Productivity · head to head

Granola vs PDF Expert

Granola

Productivity

AI notepad that transcribes meetings and merges transcripts with user notes

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

PDF Expert

Productivity

PDF Expert puts Adobe Acrobat to shame

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Granola has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Granola free plan limits note access to 30 days; older notes become inaccessible unless upgraded; PDF Expert pricing displayed in AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham), not widely recognized currency
Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Granola and PDF Expert actually diverge.

Attributes where Granola and PDF Expert differ
Attribute	Granola	PDF Expert
Starting price	Free	On request
Pricing model	freemium	subscription
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams	Web

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Productivity).

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Granola

Automatic meeting documentation without dedicated note-takernot PDF Expert
Action item extraction and task assignmentnot PDF Expert
Meeting context retrieval via AI agent queriesnot PDF Expert
Multi-language meeting transcriptionnot PDF Expert
Compliance-friendly note generation for regulated industriesnot PDF Expert

PDF Expert

PDF editing and annotationnot Granola
Document conversion to PDFnot Granola
PDF text recognition (OCR)not Granola
Digital document signaturesnot Granola
Cross-device PDF managementnot Granola

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Granola

Free plan limits note access to 30 days; older notes become inaccessible unless upgraded
Premium pricing not published on main website; requires account signup or sales contact
Requires local computer audio; not suitable for purely phone-based calls via traditional phone lines
Note retention limits may affect long-term project documentation

PDF Expert

Pricing displayed in AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham), not widely recognized currency
Essential and Pro plans offer identical features despite different pricing
Lifetime plan limited to Mac only
New features beyond initial purchase may cost extra

Pricing, plan by plan

Granola

Free

BasicFree
- AI meeting notes with limited history
- AI chat and shared folders
- Customized templates
Business$14/month
- Unlimited meeting notes and history
- Advanced AI models
- Integrations with Notion, Slack, HubSpot
Enterprise$35/month
- Everything in Business plus
- Enterprise security features
- Single sign-on (SSO)

PDF Expert

On request

Essential$199.99/year
- iPhone, iPad, and Mac access
- AI assistant
- PDF conversion
Pro$309.99/year
- All Essential features
- iPhone, iPad, and Mac access
- AI assistant
Lifetime$499.99/one-time
- Mac only
- Perpetual license
- All core features

Which should you pick?

Choose Granola if

You want to start without paying.
You work on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams.

Granola review

Choose PDF Expert if

Nothing in the data separates PDF Expert from Granola on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

PDF Expert review

Questions people ask

Is Granola or PDF Expert better?: Neither clearly leads. Granola starts at Free and PDF Expert at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Granola or PDF Expert?: Granola has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Granola and On request for PDF Expert.
Does Granola or PDF Expert run on more platforms?: Granola runs on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams. PDF Expert runs on Web.
Can I use Granola for free?: Yes. Granola has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PDF Expert starts at On request.
What is Granola best used for?: Granola is most often used for automatic meeting documentation without dedicated note-taker, action item extraction and task assignment, meeting context retrieval via ai agent queries, multi-language meeting transcription. Of those, automatic meeting documentation without dedicated note-taker and action item extraction and task assignment are not what PDF Expert is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Granola: What is Granola's pricing model?

Granola offers a freemium model with a free Basic tier, Business tier at 14 USD per user per month, and Enterprise tier at 35 USD per user per month.

Source

PDF Expert: How much does PDF Expert cost annually?

PDF Expert's Essential plan costs AED199.99/year and the Pro plan costs AED309.99/year. Both plans include iPhone, iPad, and Mac access, AI assistant, PDF conversion, OCR, digital signatures, and priority support.

Source

Granola: What features are included in the free tier?

The free Basic tier includes AI meeting notes with limited history, AI chat, shared folders, customized templates, and multi-language support.

Source

PDF Expert: Does PDF Expert offer a lifetime purchase option?

Yes. PDF Expert offers a Lifetime plan for AED499.99 as a one-time payment, but this license is restricted to Mac only.

Source

Granola: What integrations does Granola support?

Granola Business tier and above support integrations with Notion, Slack, HubSpot, and includes API access with MCP integration capabilities.

Source

PDF Expert: Is there a money-back guarantee for PDF Expert?

Yes. All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied.

Source

Granola: What enterprise security features are included?

Enterprise tier includes single sign-on (SSO), priority support, admin controls, org-wide data deletion policies, and enterprise-grade security features.

Source

PDF Expert: Can students get a discount on PDF Expert?

Yes. Students and educators can receive up to 50% off annual subscriptions through educational email verification.

Source

Granola vs PDF Expert

Granola

PDF Expert

The short version

Where they differ

What people use each for

Granola

PDF Expert

Where each one falls short

Granola

PDF Expert

Pricing, plan by plan

Granola

PDF Expert

Which should you pick?

Choose Granola if

Choose PDF Expert if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Granola

More on PDF Expert

Keep looking

Other head to heads