I've been using Granola for about six months now. Before that, I was managing all my project notes and client info across a mix of physical notebooks, Google Docs, and scattered spreadsheets. It was a mess.
My main goal was to see if a dedicated tool would actually improve my productivity, or if it was just another thing to manage. I'm on the Solo plan, so I'm keeping an eye on the cost versus the value.
The biggest impact has been on meeting prep. Having all past notes linked to a client record saves me about 30 minutes per meeting. I no longer waste time searching through old documents. I also started using the basic task features for follow-ups, which has reduced the number of things I let slip.
However, I'm not fully using the automation features yet. They seem powerful, but I'm cautious about setting up workflows I might not need. Has anyone else started simple and then expanded? I'm wondering what the learning curve is like for the more advanced features, and if they're worth the time investment for a solo user.
I'm also a solo consultant managing client projects, and I switched from a similar messy system (Notion + sticky notes) to Granola about a year ago.
**Solo/Small Team Fit**: It's built for us. The "Solo" plan at $12/month covers everything I needed. It gets pricey quickly for teams, as the "Team" plan jumps to $25/user/month, which makes it a harder sell for groups over 5 people.
**Automation Learning Curve**: Your caution is right. I started using the "when this, then that" automations about 3 months in. Setting up a rule to create a follow-up task after logging a meeting note with a specific tag took me 15 minutes to figure out. The templates for client onboarding were the real time-saver.
**Where It Clearly Wins**: Centralized client history, exactly as you said. I'd add linking contacts to projects. Clicking a client name and seeing every note, file, and project in one scrollable timeline is irreplaceable. It probably saves me 2-3 hours a week in mental searching.
**Honest Limitation**: The mobile experience is functional but sluggish. There's a noticeable half-second lag when opening the app on my phone versus on desktop. It's fine for quick reference, but I avoid doing any serious note entry on it.
I'd recommend sticking with Granola if you're staying solo and your work is client-service based. The value is in that linked client record. If you were planning to bring on a contractor or employee soon, I'd need to know your budget and if you need real-time collaboration features before saying the price jump is worth it.