theopensourcerewind aialternative
Rewind AI was a screen recording app that captured and indexed everything on your screen. It's now acquired by Limitless, but screenpipe is the better open source alternative—same powerful features, fully local, and completely free.
interactive timeline
navigate your digital past with an intuitive timeline interface similar to rewind ai
perfect recall search
find anything you have seen or heard with 100% accuracy using ui traversal technology
meeting playback
revisit conversations with transcripts and video playback of your important meetings
direct data access
query your local data directly using sql, apis, or custom scripts for unlimited flexibility
fully customizable
modify any aspect of the app with your own code - create plugins, new integrations, or custom UIs
local-first security
your data stays on your device with local inference powered by ollama, and optional cloud models
screenpipe vs rewind ai
rewind ai was acquired and rebranded to limitless, pivoting to cloud-based processing and proprietary hardware. screenpipe keeps everything local and open source.
| feature | screenpipe | rewind / limitless |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | ||
| 100% local processing | ||
| Screen capture + text extraction | ||
| Audio transcription | ||
| AI-powered search | ||
| Developer API | ||
| Custom plugins/pipes | ||
| Windows support | ||
| Linux support | ||
| Self-hostable | ||
| Paid app subscription | ||
| Cloud sync (optional) |
ai-powered insights
your personal ai memory assistant
our ai understands your digital context and can answer questions about anything you've seen or done on your computer.
- references exact moments in your history
- learns your preferences over time
- find what you're looking for with natural language
- recalls context from specific time periods
ask anything about your past
get accurate, contextual answers
private by design
your data is yours alone. we take privacy seriously with multiple layers of protection:
- all data stored locally on your device, not in the cloud
- easily pause recording for sensitive applications
- automatic exclusion of incognito/private browsing sessions
- one-click deletion of selected recordings
timeline ui
navigate your digital history with our intuitive timeline interface. select any time period and ask ai questions about what happened then:
- select any timeframe with a simple drag on the timeline
- ask natural language questions about that specific period
- replay meetings with automatic transcripts and captions
- instantly recall anything you've seen, said, or heard
perfect recall search
find anything with unprecedented accuracy using our ui traversal technology:
- 100% accurate text capture directly from application source
- search by app names, tabs, or specific windows
- lightning-fast keyword search
- browse complete history of your searches and chats
how it works
install & setup
download screenpipe and follow the simple setup wizard. grant permissions and you're ready.
set it and forget it
runs quietly in the background, recording, compressing, transcribing, and storing your data locally.
access your digital memory
search, browse the timeline, or ask ai about anything you've seen, said, or heard.
perfect for
developers
recall that stackoverflow solution you found last week without having to search again
executives
remember every important detail from back-to-back meetings without taking notes
researchers
build a comprehensive recording of your work with perfect recall of sources and connections
everyone
find that one thing you know you saw somewhere but can't remember where
what people are saying
"I use it to track important details across my projects. what used to take hours of searching through old notes now takes seconds."
alex
software engineer
"Feels like a superpower. i can recall every meeting detail without disrupting my workflow by taking notes."
taylor
product manager
frequently asked questions
what is the best alternative to rewind ai?
screenpipe is the best open source alternative to rewind ai. it continuously captures your screen and audio, stores everything locally, and lets you search with ai. unlike rewind (now limitless), screenpipe is fully open source and works on macos, windows, and linux.
what happened to rewind ai?
rewind ai was acquired and rebranded to limitless. it pivoted from a local-first mac app to a cloud-based platform with a proprietary wearable. many former rewind users switched to screenpipe because it remains local-first and open source.
how much disk space does it use?
with our advanced h.265 compression, expect around 20-30gb per month of recording. you can set custom retention policies to automatically delete older data.
how much cpu/memory does it consume?
we've optimized for minimal resource usage, typically under 20% cpu and 1gb ram when running in the background.
is my data private?
all recordings are stored locally on your device, encrypted, and never sent to the cloud without your explicit consent. you have full control over what apps are recorded.
what platforms are supported?
macos, windows, and linux. works on both intel and apple silicon macs — a major advantage over rewind ai which only supported macos.
is screenpipe free?
screenpipe is open source (MIT). a paid desktop app is available for mac, windows, and linux. optional pro features are available as a subscription.
pricing
choose screenpipe
for you, your team, and your whole company
Ybacked by Y Combinator01
basic
great for getting started
$21
/ month$250/yr billed annually · save $50
For individuals who want a searchable memory of their work.
- everything you saw, said, or heard, captured automatically
- ask AI anything about your past work
- meeting summaries and timeline replay
- private by design: PII blurred on-device, data stays local
Existing lifetime licenses keep working.
02
business
great for individuals or small teams
$42
/ seat / month$500/seat/yr billed annually · save $100
For power users and small teams who live across devices.
- everything in basic, synced everywhere
- cloud AI + 50+ integrations (Notion, Slack, Linear, ...)
- run it as a team: one bill, managed seats
- private-by-default workspace mode
03
enterprise
great for larger companies
Custom
For companies rolling screenpipe out org-wide.
- everything in business, centrally managed
- on-premise storage (Azure/GCP) + retention policy
- cloud pipes that run on your company's data
- SSO/SAML, MDM/Intune/Jamf, device + build control
- workflow reports + first SOP in 30 days, custom agents
- dedicated Slack channel + account manager
Volume discounts, annual terms, and pilots available for larger teams.