Screenpipe Review 2026: Pricing, Features, Pros & Cons
Screenpipe is searchable computer history for people and AI assistants: it captures screen text and audio transcripts locally, indexes them on your machine, and lets you or an AI answer questions about your own working life. Capture starts local, though cloud AI, transcription, sync, and integrations can send context off-device when you turn them on. The code is public under a commercial license — not open source — with a free plan for personal use and paid plans for full history and business use. That trade buys you a local-first default and costs you setup time, disk space, and, for many users, a subscription. Here's an honest assessment of where that lands in 2026.
Quick Verdict
Best for: Developers, researchers, and privacy-conscious power users who want searchable computer history that starts on their own machine — especially anyone who wants AI assistants to query that history over MCP. Not the right choice if you want a double-click install, if you need capture away from your desk, if you can't spare the disk and battery that continuous capture costs, or if you need it for commercial work and don't want to pay for a plan.
What Is Screenpipe?
Screenpipe bills itself as "searchable computer history for people and AI assistants." It continuously captures screen text and audio transcripts, then builds a searchable memory of them. Instead of trying to remember which app a piece of information was in, you ask a question — what was that error, what did the client say, what did that dashboard show last month — and the tool retrieves it from your own history.
The defining architectural choice is that capture and indexing start locally, on your machine. Cloud AI, transcription, sync, and integrations are available, and when you configure them they can send relevant context off-device — so how private your setup is depends on what you enable. The source code is public on GitHub, which lets you inspect that behaviour, but it is licensed under the Screenpipe Commercial License rather than an open-source license: free for personal non-commercial, non-profit, educational, and research use (plus a 7-day evaluation), with business and commercial use requiring a paid plan.
On top of the capture stream sit search, MCP and a local API that let AI assistants query your history, and scheduled workflows for things like meeting notes and work summaries. The cost of all this is honesty about resources: continuous capture and indexing consume substantial storage and compute, several headline features sit on paid plans, and the setup is closer to a developer experience than a consumer one.
Built a Screenpipe alternative? People land on this review while they are still shopping.
Add it to the AI screen recall tools category — a free listing publishes after review, and it is the same page ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google read when someone asks for a recommendation. Want it live in minutes with a Verified badge instead? That option is on the form, one-time, no subscription.
Screenpipe Pros & Cons
✓ Pros
- •Local-first capture and indexing: Screenpipe captures screen text and audio transcripts on your machine and builds the searchable index there. Cloud AI, transcription, sync, and integrations can send relevant context off-device, but only when you configure them — so you decide which parts of your working life leave the laptop. In a category whose premise is "record my entire working life," starting local is the right default.
- •Public source you can inspect: The code is published on GitHub under the Screenpipe Commercial License. That is source-available, not open source, but it still means you can read the capture path and see what a given configuration sends where, rather than relying only on marketing copy. For anyone under NDA or handling client data, that inspectability helps a security review.
- •MCP and a local API for your AI assistants: Screenpipe exposes your history through MCP and a local API, so an assistant can query it directly — "what was that error I hit on Tuesday," "what did the client say about the invoice flow." The Free plan lets you share selected context with Claude or Codex; full MCP context is listed on the paid Basic plan. Either way, recall becomes something an agent can act on rather than a timeline you scroll.
- •A usable free plan for personal use: The Free plan ($0) covers one device, screen, audio, and meeting capture, and search over recent work. It is licensed for personal non-commercial, non-profit, educational, and research use, so individuals can get real value before deciding whether full history or business use is worth paying for.
- •Search across things no other tool indexes: Because capture happens at the OS level, Screenpipe sees content inside apps that don't expose it — a Figma comment, a Zoom chat that vanished, a native desktop client with no export. Anything that hit your screen is searchable, including material that has since been deleted at the source.
- •Scheduled workflows on top of your history: Screenpipe can run scheduled workflows over the capture stream — meeting notes, work summaries, and similar recurring jobs — and the local API lets you build your own. Unlimited scheduled workflows are part of the paid Basic plan. If you want to build personal AI workflows rather than consume a fixed feature set, this is one of the more extensible options in the category.
✗ Cons
- •Technical setup, not a double-click install: Getting Screenpipe running well means dealing with permissions, model choices, and configuration, and troubleshooting often means reading GitHub issues. Non-technical users may bounce. Rewind's install experience is smoother, and that gap is a big reason many people won't adopt this.
- •Heavy on disk and compute: Continuous screen capture plus transcription and indexing burns real storage and real CPU or GPU when run locally. On a laptop you will notice fan noise and battery drain, and you need to manage a retention policy or watch storage accumulate. Budget for the disk before you commit to always-on recording.
- •Not open source, and business use costs money: Despite the public repository, the Screenpipe Commercial License only permits free use for personal non-commercial, non-profit, educational, and research purposes, plus a 7-day evaluation. Using it for business or commercial work requires a paid plan. Anyone who assumed "code on GitHub" meant "free for work" should read the license first.
- •Privacy depends on your configuration: Capture and indexing start local, but enabling cloud AI, cloud transcription, sync, or integrations can send relevant context off-device. That's a reasonable trade for the features, but it means "local" is a setting you maintain, not a guarantee — audit what you've switched on, especially on a work machine.
- •Recording other people raises consent and legal questions: Continuous microphone capture during meetings means recording colleagues and clients, and in two-party-consent jurisdictions that is not a grey area. Your own policy is what counts here, and "I forgot it was running" is not a defence.
- •Key features sit behind paid tiers: Full personal history, MCP context, and unlimited scheduled workflows are on Basic ($21/mo or $250/yr); cross-device sync, a team workspace, and managed seats are on Business ($42/seat/mo or $500/seat/yr). There is no meaningful phone capture, so Limitless, built around a wearable, covers away-from-desk capture that Screenpipe structurally cannot.
Screenpipe Pricing 2026
Free
- •One device
- •Capture screen, audio, and meetings
- •Search recent work
- •Share selected context with Claude or Codex
Personal non-commercial, non-profit, educational, or research use
Basic
- •Or $250/year
- •Full personal history
- •MCP context
- •Unlimited scheduled workflows
Individuals who want their whole history available to AI assistants
Business
- •Or $500/seat/year
- •Cross-device sync
- •Team workspace
- •Managed seats
Teams and anyone using Screenpipe for commercial work
Enterprise
- •Custom pricing and terms
- •Contact Screenpipe sales
Larger organizations with procurement or compliance requirements
Prices as listed on Screenpipe's pricing page in September 2026; students, researchers, and faculty get 50% off the first month. The Free plan is licensed for personal non-commercial, non-profit, educational, and research use (plus a 7-day evaluation) — business or commercial use requires a paid plan under the Screenpipe Commercial License. Whatever plan you pick, continuous capture also costs real disk space, compute, and battery. For current terms, see screenpipe.com/pricing.
Screenpipe vs Rewind vs Limitless
| Feature | Screenpipe | Rewind | Limitless |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local processing | ✅ Local-first capture and indexing; cloud AI and sync optional | ⚠️ Local capture, cloud AI features | ❌ Cloud-backed |
| License | ⚠️ Source-available (Screenpipe Commercial License), not open source | ❌ Proprietary | ❌ Proprietary |
| Price | ⚠️ Free for personal use; paid plans from $21/mo, business use requires a paid plan | ⚠️ Subscription | ⚠️ Subscription + device |
| Setup difficulty | ❌ Technical | ✅ Consumer-grade | ✅ Consumer-grade |
| MCP / agent integration | ✅ MCP + local API (full MCP context on Basic) | ⚠️ Limited | ⚠️ Limited |
| Away-from-desk capture | ❌ Desktop only | ⚠️ Desktop + some mobile | ✅ Wearable |
| Search quality | ⚠️ Depends on configured models | ✅ Strong | ✅ Strong |
| Extensibility / workflows | ✅ Scheduled workflows + local API | ❌ Closed | ❌ Closed |
| Disk footprint control | ⚠️ Manual retention policy | ✅ Managed | ✅ Managed |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Screenpipe safe to run on a work machine?
It can be, with care. Capture and indexing start local, and the source is public, so you can inspect what the tool does. But cloud AI, transcription, sync, and integrations can send relevant context off-device when configured, so review which of those you've enabled. The bigger risk is what accumulates on the disk: a searchable record of every credential, customer record, and private conversation that crossed your screen. Use full-disk encryption and a short retention window, check your employer's policy, and note that the Screenpipe Commercial License requires a paid plan for business or commercial use.
Is Screenpipe really free?
Partly. There is a Free plan at $0 that covers one device, screen, audio, and meeting capture, search over recent work, and sharing selected context with Claude or Codex — but under the Screenpipe Commercial License, free use is limited to personal non-commercial, non-profit, educational, and research purposes, plus a 7-day evaluation. Business or commercial use requires a paid plan. Paid tiers are Basic at $21/month or $250/year (full personal history, MCP context, unlimited scheduled workflows), Business at $42/seat/month or $500/seat/year (cross-device sync, team workspace, managed seats), and custom Enterprise pricing; students, researchers, and faculty get 50% off the first month. Screenpipe is also not open source: the code is public, but the license is commercial. On top of any plan, budget for the disk and compute continuous capture uses. Check screenpipe.com/pricing for current terms.
How does Screenpipe compare to Rewind?
Rewind is the polished consumer product: easy install, strong search, and vendor support on a subscription. Screenpipe is the local-first, source-available alternative that asks more of you — configuration, model choices, and disk management — with a free personal plan and paid tiers for full history, MCP context, and business use. Pick Rewind if you want it to just work and you're comfortable with its trust model. Pick Screenpipe if local-first capture is the point, if you want to query your own history from AI assistants over MCP or its local API, or if you want scheduled workflows like meeting notes and work summaries on top of the capture stream.
Can Screenpipe record meetings and calls?
Yes — screen, audio, and meeting capture are included even on the Free plan, so meetings land in the searchable history as transcripts alongside what was on screen, and scheduled workflows can turn them into meeting notes. That's exactly where you need to be careful. Recording a call captures other people, and in two-party-consent jurisdictions that requires their agreement. If you use it this way, tell participants, and pause capture for conversations you shouldn't be keeping. If cloud transcription is enabled, meeting audio context may also leave your device.
Does Screenpipe work with Claude or Cursor?
Yes. Screenpipe provides MCP and a local API, so MCP-capable assistants and editors can query your screen and audio history directly — questions like "what was the error I hit on this file last Tuesday" or "what did the client actually say about the invoice flow" get answered where you work rather than by scrolling a separate timeline. On pricing, the Free plan lets you share selected context with Claude or Codex, while full MCP context is listed on the Basic plan. Recall quality still depends on the transcription and indexing setup you've configured.
What is Screenpipe best used for?
Screenpipe describes itself as "searchable computer history for people and AI assistants," and that's its sweet spot: developers and researchers who want recall of their own work and are willing to configure a tool to get it. Strong use cases: reconstructing what you did last week for a standup or invoice, finding content in apps that don't export it (Figma comments, vanished Zoom chats, native desktop clients), generating meeting notes and work summaries with scheduled workflows, and giving AI assistants context over MCP. It's a poorer fit for non-technical users, for anyone needing away-from-desk capture, and for commercial use if you aren't prepared to pay for a plan.
Compare AI Memory Tools
See how Screenpipe stacks up against Rewind, Limitless, Mem, and the rest of the personal-AI recall category.
Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through them, AISO Tools may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This never affects our rankings or reviews.
📬 Get the best new AI tools delivered weekly
One concise email with fresh launches, trending picks, and featured standouts.
Join thousands of professionals who discover the best AI tools every week. No spam — unsubscribe anytime.