The three tools
Claude, Granola, and Wispr Flow. Each one makes the other two more useful. Most other tools you can ignore for now.
We teach Claude. This page stays on that.
The core three
Claude
Best for: writing, analysis, files, and the work that needs to know your business.
It's one app. With no folder selected, Claude is plain chat. You paste something in, you copy something out. Select a folder and the same Claude is Cowork. It can read and write files, work in Excel and Word, and use connectors (email, calendar, Slack, and the rest).
If your app still shows Chat and Cowork as two modes, you haven't updated yet. What is Cowork? explains the older switch.
Connectors are not plugins. A connector joins Claude to another app. The practical-ai-plugin is our setup. It builds your folder and context files. Different thing. More on both in What is Cowork?.
Working in a folder is on paid plans, including Pro and Team. You don't need Max, and it isn't a second subscription. Check the current price at claude.com/pricing.
When to use it: anything that needs context about you or the business.
Granola
Best for: a full transcript of a meeting, then a note you can act on.
Granola runs on the desktop app (Mac and Windows) and on the phone. The phone matters for in-person meetings: a trade fair, a site visit, a coffee. It captures the transcript. You can also apply a template so the note has actions, decisions, and a follow-up.
The transcript is the point. A summary drops measurements, prices, and names. The transcript keeps them. Later you ask Claude questions across many meetings, not just the one you remember.
When to use it: any meeting you might need to act on, or quote from later.
Full guide: Granola.
Wispr Flow
Best for: a fuller prompt. Speaking is quicker, and you include the detail you'd skip if you were typing.
Hold a key, talk, and the words land in the Claude box. It also types into other apps. Add company names and people's names to the dictionary so you don't correct the same spelling every time.
The real reason we use it is the prompt. Speaking lets you put far more detail in than you'd type, and the output is better. Ollie mostly uses it in Claude. It also has a meeting transcriber, if you only want one subscription. The Granola app is a lot better for meetings. Keep Granola if meetings are the job.
Claude also has a microphone. Use that if Wispr Flow isn't installed yet. It only works inside Claude. It won't type into Outlook or Slack.
When to use it: any prompt where typing would make you leave the detail out.
Full guide: Wispr Flow.
Also in Claude
You don't need a separate slide tool or a separate research browser to start.
Claude in Chrome. For sites with no connector: a retailer portal, an industry login, a page you can see but Claude can't. IT may need to approve the extension.
Claude Design, Dashboards, and Motion. Design for decks and pages from your brand files. Dashboards when you have a question about the numbers. Motion for a short explainer. Plan the words in Claude first.
Scheduled tasks, skills, and projects are covered in Make it repeatable. They're part of Claude, not extra products.
At a glance
| Claude | Granola | Wispr Flow | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily writing and analysis | Core | ||
| Works in your files and apps | Yes, once a folder is selected | ||
| Meeting transcript | Built-in transcriber, limited | Core, including in person | Yes, as well as dictation |
| Dictation into any app | Mic inside Claude only | Core | |
| Connects to Claude | It is Claude | Connector | Connector |
| Phone app for meetings | Yes | Check the current apps | |
| Price | Check claude.com/pricing | Check granola.ai/pricing | Check wisprflow.ai/pricing |
All of these tools work the same way, so it's better to go deep on one than try to use them all.
How do they work? The same building blocks every time: prompt, context, connectors, skills, and scheduled tasks. The most important thing is knowing how to ask the right questions. That's Superpower techniques.
The alternatives
The three tools above are what we set up. A few others come up, and it's worth knowing when they're the right call. The longer map is Other tools worth knowing.
ChatGPT and ChatGPT Work. ChatGPT is the other general chat. ChatGPT Work is their agent for longer jobs and finished files. We still teach Claude. Use ChatGPT when a client already works there, or when you need something Claude doesn't do as well. Don't run both as your daily tool.
Microsoft Copilot. Often the only option a company will allow. The work sits in Microsoft 365, and the data-security rules say the AI has to stay inside that environment. If that's the rule, use Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. Don't fight the policy.
Claude Code. For when the job is code: a repo, a script, a build that fails. It's still Claude, not a fourth product to subscribe to on day one. The short version is Claude Code, for the curious.
Where to start
Set up the three tools. Use them on real work for a few weeks before you add anything else. When a job needs a picture, another company's apps, or an answer with links, the map is Other tools worth knowing. Claude stays the default.
Don't subscribe to everything on day one. Get Claude, Granola, and Wispr Flow working. Add a connector when you hit a wall, not before.