Autorec vs Grain
Local-first vs a cloud notetaker
Grain is good at turning calls into shareable video clips and customer-insight highlights, with a team library and CRM hooks. It records with a bot and stores recordings in its cloud. Autorec is a single-user local recorder: no bot, no cloud, no clipping. If your team passes around call highlights and feeds them into product or sales work, Grain fits. If you want a private full recording on your own disk, that is Autorec's job.
Side by side
| Autorec | Grain | |
|---|---|---|
| How it records | Captures the meeting window from your desktop | A bot joins the call as a participant |
| Where recordings live | Your disk only, never uploaded | Vendor cloud |
| Transcription | On-device with whisper.cpp, writes .txt and .srt | In the vendor cloud |
| Visible in the call | No, nothing extra appears in the call | Yes, an extra attendee appears |
| Pricing | €20 once per major version, free tier available | $19/user/mo |
| Works offline | Yes, recording and transcription run locally | No, needs a connection |
| Platforms | Linux, Windows (macOS in development) | Web |
| Team features | No, single-user; no shared library or admin | Yes, shared library and admin |
Pricing and features for Grain last checked 2026-05-22. Vendor pricing changes; check their site for the current number.
Which one fits you
Choose Autorec if
You want meetings recorded without a bot and kept only on your disk, for a one-time price. You do not need highlight clips or a shared library, and you would rather not store call audio in a vendor cloud.
Choose Grain if
You share call highlights with a team, you want clips tied to customer insights, and a searchable cloud library is useful. Grain does that well. Autorec has no clipping, sharing or team library, so Grain is the better fit for that workflow.
What it costs over time
Grain's paid plans start around $19 per user per month. A three-person team over two years comes to roughly $1,370 and keeps recurring. Autorec is €20 once per major version, with up to 5 device activations per license, so the whole three-person team runs on a single €20 purchase. The saving is real, but Grain's price includes highlight and collaboration features Autorec does not have.
Moving off Grain
Grain stores recordings, transcripts and clips in its web app. Export the recordings and transcripts you want before cancelling; clips and highlights are tied to Grain and do not transfer. There is no import on Autorec's side: install it and it records the next detected call locally. If Grain fed a CRM, you will need another path for that.
Common questions
Can Autorec create highlight clips like Grain?
No. Grain's main feature is turning moments from a call into shareable clips. Autorec records the full meeting and transcribes it locally, with no clipping or sharing.
Does Autorec put a bot in the meeting like Grain?
No. Grain joins calls with a bot. Autorec records the meeting window from your desktop, so no extra participant appears.
Where are recordings stored with Autorec?
On your local disk. Grain keeps recordings and clips in its cloud. Autorec writes everything to your machine and uploads nothing.
Does Autorec have a shared team library like Grain?
No. Autorec is single-user with no shared library or admin. If a team needs to browse each other's calls, Grain is built for that and Autorec is not.
Compare Autorec to other tools
Decide for yourself
Record three meetings a day on the free tier, no account and no upload. Buy once for €20 when you are ready.
Download Autorec