AI note taking apps are becoming a standard part of the software stack — but for finance and procurement teams, the real question isn’t which tool is getting the most attention. It’s which platforms companies are purchasing and sticking with.
Spendhound’s benchmarking data, drawn from real software purchases across 1,000+ mid-market companies, shows a widening gap between experimentation and long-term adoption in the AI note taking app category across key players like Granola, Fathom, Otter.ai, and Fireflies.ai.
Here's what the purchase data actually shows about adoption, spend, and churn — so you can make an informed decision the next time the AI note taking app category hits your desk.
AI meeting assistants are starting to move through formal software review and procurement processes instead of being expensed informally by individual teams. As adoption grows, finance leaders are increasingly evaluating these tools the same way they evaluate other SaaS categories: retention, consolidation potential, overlapping functionality, and long-term usage trends.
Here are some of the key players in the AI note taking app space:
Granola takes a "no-bot" approach — it works as an AI notepad without dropping a visible recording bot into your meetings. That distinction resonates with teams concerned about meeting etiquette and vendor fatigue.
Fathom was an early category favorite with strong prosumer appeal. It's still widely used, but seems to be losing some momentum.(See actual pricing for Fathom based on real contract data.)
Otter.ai started as a transcription tool and has since repositioned as a full AI assistant. Otter is a mature player trying to hold share in a market that's shifting fast. (See actual pricing for Otter.ai based on real contract data.)
Fireflies.ai focuses on meeting intelligence — recording, transcribing, and surfacing insights across teams. (See actual pricing for fireflies.ai based on real contract data.)
Avoma is a smaller AI note taking app player that targets revenue teams specifically, bundling note taking with call coaching and pipeline visibility.
So which of these tools are mid-market finance and procurement teams actually putting budget behind? Let's look at the data.
(For more real pricing data for note taking apps and other software and AI tools, check out the SpendHound marketplace.)
Across 1,000+ mid-market companies in Spendhound's benchmarking panel, Granola's customer growth is accelerating while its competitors are flattening.
In February 2026, Granola added net new customers at 4x the rate of its prior six-month average — a step-change in adoption.
Fireflies.ai, Otter, and Fathom still have larger installed bases today (Fireflies by roughly 40%, Otter and Fathom by about 20%), but their growth curves have gone flat. If you're benchmarking against what peers are buying now versus what they bought a year ago, the momentum has clearly shifted.
Exhibit 1: Granola's Customer Share Is Climbing While Customer Adoption Slows on Other AI Note Taking Apps
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Procurement teams evaluating AI software often run into the same problem: early adoption data can be misleading. Employees may test multiple tools simultaneously, pilot licenses may never expand, and free plans can inflate perceived traction.
Actual spend growth is often a better signal of whether a tool is becoming embedded in company workflows.
In Granola’s case, observed mid-market spend reached roughly $6,000 in February 2026 — a 3x increase over the prior six months. Meanwhile, spend at competing tools has either plateaued (Otter), declined (Fathom and Fireflies.ai), or bounced around inconsistently (Avoma).
If you're a procurement leader tracking category costs, this divergence matters: the AI note taking app gaining the most users is also the one where per-customer spend is expanding, meaning teams aren't just signing up — they're upgrading.
Exhibit 2: Granola's Spend Growth Is Outpacing Every Other Major AI Note Taking App
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For teams evaluating any sort of tool, retention data is arguably more important than adoption data. A tool with high churn means wasted onboarding costs, license true-ups, and another procurement cycle six months later.
Granola's retention profile is the most promising:
That combination — rapid new adoption with almost no cancellations — is uncommon and particularly relevant if you're evaluating contract risk. When teams adopt Granola, they're staying.
Exhibit 3: Granola's Customer Base Is Growing, With Almost No Cancellations
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One of the biggest challenges in AI software procurement right now is tool overlap. Teams often adopt multiple meeting assistants at once, creating duplicate spend across transcription, summarization, and meeting intelligence workflows.
But the switching data here suggests consolidation is happening — and Granola is winning.
After companies adopt Granola, they frequently reduce or eliminate spend on Fathom, Fireflies.ai, or Otter. The reverse pattern — companies dropping Granola after implementation — appears far less common in Spendhound’s benchmarking data.
For procurement teams trying to reduce redundant AI subscriptions, this type of switching behavior matters because it suggests which platforms are becoming systems of record versus temporary experimentation tools.
Exhibit 4: Companies That Adopt Granola Tend to Drop Competing AI Note Taking Apps — Not the Other Way Around
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The AI note taking app category is a crowded space that’s evolving quickly — and that includes all the features being built into platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Features are converging, vendors are overlapping, and many teams are still experimenting with multiple tools at once.
But the purchasing and retention data suggests that some platforms are beginning to separate from the pack when it comes to long-term adoption.
For finance and procurement leaders, that distinction matters. The tools that survive consolidation — and continue expanding inside organizations after rollout — are often very different from the tools that initially generate hype.
If the AI note taking app category is on your radar — whether you're evaluating a new tool, consolidating existing licenses, or benchmarking against peer spend — here's the takeaway: Granola is moving from pilot to permanent line item at a faster rate than any competitor in the space.
Want to see real costs on all the tools you’re evaluating? Explore Spendhound's Benchmarking Tools.
Based on Spendhound's spend benchmarking data, Granola has the strongest growth momentum in 2026. Customer adoption accelerated 4x in February, spend tripled over the prior six months, and churn is nearly nonexistent. Fathom, Otter, and Fireflies.ai have larger existing customer bases, but their growth has slowed or reversed.
Granola has the best retention profile in the category of AI note taking apps. Our benchmarking data shows that teams adopting Granola almost never cancel, while those using Fathom, Otter, or Fireflies.ai are more likely to switch away — often to Granola. This suggests Granola delivers enough ongoing value that teams consolidate around it.
The data suggests that if you’re a midmarket company looking for the best AI note taking app for your team, Granola might be it. Granola's near-zero churn and expanding per-customer spend indicate that once teams adopt it, they increase usage rather than abandoning it. For procurement leaders focused on reducing tool churn and wasted licenses, that stickiness matters.
Customer count alone can be misleading — it includes free trials and dormant accounts. Spend growth shows whether teams are actually committing budget and expanding usage. When both metrics accelerate together, as they are with Granola, it's a strong indicator that the tool is becoming embedded in workflows rather than sitting unused.
Spendhound's insights are powered by anonymized software transaction data from 1,000+ mid-market companies. This data reflects real purchases — not surveys or self-reported usage — giving finance and procurement leaders a reliable view of what peers are actually buying, keeping, and dropping.
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