Recall

Recall turns saved articles, videos, podcasts, PDFs and notes into an active personal knowledge base. It is aimed at researchers, students, writers, operators and lifelong learners who want to question and revisit their material, not merely archive it. The free tier is generous for storage but restrictive for frequent AI summarising.

Overview

Recall combines a library, AI conversation and study tools in one system. You can save varied media, search your notes with AI, and ask questions of your collection, the open web, or both. That makes it more useful for continuing research and learning than a conventional bookmarking or note-taking app.

Its privacy position is a meaningful advantage for a personal archive: Recall says it does not use data for advertising, profiling or training AI models. Augmented browsing is local-first, processing on your device without sending browsing data to Recall's servers. You can access, export and delete your data, including saved content and summaries.

Key features

Recall accepts articles, videos, podcasts, PDFs and notes, with a web clipper, audio transcription and AI note search. Chat can draw on saved knowledge, the open web, or both, and supports models including ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. This is valuable when an answer needs your own reading alongside outside context.

The automatic knowledge graph links related items and can bring those relationships back while you browse. For a large research library, that can expose connections that folders would hide; for simple document storage, it may be more machinery than you need. Quizzes and spaced repetition turn the archive into a review system, a useful distinction for students and deliberate learners.

Plus adds Listen Mode and the full graph and review features. Recall's MCP server connects with Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini CLI, but access is currently read-only. It can let those tools consult your knowledge base, while writing back into it is not yet supported.

Pricing

Recall uses a freemium model. The Free plan costs nothing and includes 10 AI summaries per month, unlimited saved content, unlimited notes, and API and MCP access. It is suitable for trying the workflow or summarising occasionally; the summary quota will constrain regular research.

Plus costs $10 a month, billed yearly. It includes unlimited AI summaries, smart tags, AI chat, Listen Mode, the knowledge graph, spaced repetition, and bulk import of up to 1,000 bookmarks or 10,000 Markdown notes. This is the practical choice for active individual users, though the annual billing term matters when comparing it with month-to-month services.

Max costs $38 a month, billed yearly. It includes everything in Plus, one-to-one onboarding, model selection and bulk AI actions for up to 100 pieces of content at once. The premium mainly serves heavy users who need control and high-volume processing rather than occasional capture.

Paid subscriptions can be canceled at any time, with access continuing through the current billing period. Recall advertises 24-hour support via [email protected].

Platforms

Recall is available on web, iOS, Android, Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari, with API access and offline access. The broad browser coverage suits people who collect material across devices, while the API and MCP options extend it into other AI workflows.

Who it's for

Researchers and founders can use chat and linked references to work across a growing evidence base. Students and lifelong learners gain quizzes and spaced repetition instead of relying on rereading. Writers and creators may value searchable source material and transcription. Choose something simpler if you only need lightweight notes or a basic bookmark list.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Broad source support: Articles, video, podcasts, PDFs and notes can share one searchable library.
• Active recall tools: Quizzes and spaced repetition make saved material easier to revisit deliberately.
• Privacy and portability: No advertising, profiling or AI-training use is claimed, with export and deletion controls.
• AI ecosystem access: MCP connections bring read access to several major assistants and coding tools.

Cons

• Free summary ceiling: Ten AI summaries per month is limiting for frequent capture and research.
• Read-only MCP: Connected assistants can consult the library but cannot yet write to it.
• Annual paid billing: Plus and Max prices are stated per month but billed yearly.
• Max is costly: The $38 monthly annual-billing tier is aimed at intensive users, not casual learners.

Alternatives

For a broader software directory, see AI Knowledge Base Software, AI Note-Taking Apps and Note-taking apps.

Choose Korra instead if you need Linux, macOS, Windows or self-hosted deployment; its free plan allows up to 100MB. Nuclino is a better fit for a lightweight collaborative workspace, with a free tier of up to 50 items, three canvases and 2GB storage. ProProfs Knowledge Base suits a small published knowledge base, offering 25 pages and one author free forever.

GitBook is the alternative for documentation sites, with one free user and unlimited page views. Scribe focuses on producing shareable process documentation from web apps. DocsBot AI is oriented toward chatbot knowledge bases, with a free plan limited to one bot, 50 source pages and 100 monthly AI credits. Sana AI targets team meetings and workplace chat, while Slab is a team wiki with a free tier for up to 10 users.

Verdict

Recall is a strong choice for people building a personal research or learning archive and wanting to interrogate, connect and review it with AI. Plus is the sensible tier for regular use because unlimited summaries unlock the product's central workflow. Look elsewhere if you need collaborative documentation, broad self-hosting options, or assistants that can write directly into your knowledge base.