Comparison · Glean
Glean vs Tessa: search for the whole company, or an assistant that also does the work
Glean is a search and AI assistant platform built to find information across an organisation's many apps. Tessa searches with cited sources too, but her centre of gravity is different: making sure what gets asked and decided gets done.
"I know we decided it, I just can't find where"
As a company grows, knowledge spreads across dozens of places: Drive, Slack, email, the engineering tracker, the wiki nobody maintains. Finding out why a decision was made, or what the real process is, turns into asking whoever has been there longest. A good enterprise search tool attacks exactly that.
But at a company of 20 or 150 people there's usually a second problem attached to the first: besides not finding things, what gets decided doesn't get done. Before picking a tool, it helps to know which of the two hurts more, or whether they're the same problem.
How it works with Tessa
- 1
Connect Google and Slack
Each person connects their account in one click. No rollout project or dedicated IT team needed to get started.
- 2
Ask in your own words
"What did we decide about annual plan pricing?" Tessa searches email, Slack, notes, documents, tasks and contacts and answers with sources.
- 3
Let the wiki write itself
Decisions, processes and "how we do things here" come out of meetings and channels with their source, respecting who can see what.
- 4
Turn findings into work
If the answer surfaces something still open, Tessa turns it into a task with an owner and follows it up.
What you get
- Answers with sourcesEvery answer links to the email, thread, notes or document it came from, so you can check it.
- A wiki that doesn't depend on someone writing itDecisions from meetings and channels are saved automatically, with a date and a source.
- Search and execution in one placeTasks from email and Slack, meeting notes, follow-ups and drafted replies, on top of search.
- Quick to roll outBuilt for companies of 5 to 250 people: connect Google and Slack and get answers and tasks the same day.
- Privacy per personWhat Tessa reads in each person's email is visible only to them. Content from a private channel stays with its members.
What Glean is
Glean describes itself as a work AI platform that grew out of enterprise search. It connects to many of the apps an organisation uses (documents, wikis, chat, tickets, email and more) so people can search them all at once and ask questions to an assistant, while respecting each person's permissions in each tool. According to its website, it also lets you build agents that automate tasks.
Its strength is breadth: the more tools and documentation a company has, the more value there is in a search layer that covers everything and understands permissions. It is generally aimed at mid-size and large organisations, with IT teams managing the rollout.
Information about Glean is based on its public website as of October 2026; it may change.
How Tessa is different
Glean starts from search: finding information wherever it lives. Tessa starts from each person's daily work: she reads what comes in through email, Slack and meetings, decides what matters, creates owned tasks and follows up. Search and the wiki are one more piece, fed by that same work.
That makes her narrower in connectors but deeper in what she does with them. Tessa is proven with Google Workspace and Slack; Microsoft 365, Notion, Jira, Linear, Asana, ClickUp, GitHub and other integrations are in beta.
- Search across email, Slack, notes, documents, tasks and contacts, with sources cited.
- A wiki that writes itself from meetings and channels, respecting permissions.
- Meeting notes with tasks per owner (Meet; Zoom and Teams in beta).
- Onboarding for new hires with who's who, processes and recent decisions.
- Data encrypted in the EU and no individual metrics for managers.
When to choose Glean
If your organisation has many tools and a lot of knowledge spread across them, and what you need most is for anyone to find anything while respecting permissions, Glean is a very solid option. It fits especially well in large companies with an IT team that can connect and govern all those sources.
It's also the better choice if you need to cover tools Tessa doesn't connect to, or if search is the main use case rather than following up on work.
When to choose Tessa
Tessa is the better fit for startups and companies of 5 to 250 people on Google Workspace and Slack that want two things at once: to find what was decided, and to make sure it happens. If your problem is both "I can't find it" and "nobody followed up", that's her territory.
Also if you want something the team can start using the same day, with data in the EU and human approval for anything leaving the company.
| Glean | Tessa | |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Search and AI assistant for the whole company | An assistant running work and company memory |
| Breadth of connectors | ✓ Its strength | Google Workspace and Slack; others in beta |
| Search with cited sources | ✓ | ✓ Email, Slack, notes, documents, tasks and contacts |
| Tasks from email and Slack | Check its website | ✓ |
| Meeting notes with tasks | Not its focus | ✓ Meet; Zoom and Teams in beta |
| Self-writing wiki | Check its website | ✓ With sources and permissions |
| Built for | Mid-size and large organisations | Startups and companies of 5 to 250 people |
| Data stored in the EU (Tessa) | Check its data policy | ✓ Encrypted on EU servers |
What Tessa reads for each person stays private, your data is stored in the EU and nothing goes out without your approval.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Glean alternative for mid-size companies?
It depends on the job. If you need search across many tools at once, compare enterprise search products. If you run on Google Workspace and Slack and also want tasks, meeting notes and follow-ups, Tessa covers search and work in one tool.
Does Tessa search all my apps?
She searches email, Slack, meeting notes, Drive documents, tasks and contacts. Other sources such as Notion, Jira or Microsoft 365 are in beta. If you need to cover many more tools, a dedicated enterprise search product will suit you better.
Does search respect permissions?
Yes. What Tessa reads in each person's email is visible only to them, private channel content stays with its members, and DMs between colleagues never go into company memory.
How long does Tessa take to set up?
Each person connects Google and Slack in one click and Tessa starts working within minutes. For larger companies we recommend a guided pilot with one team before rolling out.
Can I use Glean and Tessa together?
Yes. They are not mutually exclusive: a company can use enterprise search for all its knowledge and Tessa for each team's tasks, meetings and follow-ups.
Keep reading
- FeaturesOne search box for everything at your companySearch your email, Slack, meeting minutes, docs, tasks and contacts at once, and get answers from Tessa with every source cited. Try it free.
- FeaturesYour company wiki, written while you workDecisions, processes and “how we do things here” pulled from meetings and channels, with sources and the right permissions. Try it free today.
- FeaturesEvery new hire starts with a plan, not a “just ask if you need anything”Every new hire gets a message from Tessa with who's who, key clients, processes and their welcome checklist, plus someone to ask. Try it free.
- CompareSlack AI vs Tessa: AI inside Slack, or an assistant working across Slack, email and meetingsSlack AI summarises channels and searches Slack. Tessa connects Slack with email and meetings, creates tasks and follows up. Compare and try it free.
- CompareNotion AI vs Tessa: a workspace you maintain, or a memory that writes itselfNotion AI boosts your docs in Notion. Tessa writes your company wiki from meetings and Slack, and runs email and tasks too. Compare and try Tessa free.
- GuidesHow to document internal processes without anyone writing a manualHow to document your company’s processes without anyone writing manuals: a one-page template and a wiki fed by your meetings and Slack channels.
What does your team look like?
Same AI for both. Where you start is what changes.
- Best fit for this page
Companies
30 to 250 people
What gets decided gets done
Minutes and tasks from every meeting, commitments that get followed up and a pulse per team, without watching anyone.
Startups
5 to 30 people
Grow without losing the thread
Tasks from email and Slack, follow-ups, sales and investors, without everything landing on the founders.
Connect Google and Slack and ask Tessa about the last decision you couldn't find.
Start freeFree plan for teams of up to 3 people. Anything that leaves the company waits for your approval.