screenpipe

Screenpipe turns a computer’s screen and audio activity into a searchable work history. It is best for people who want to revisit past work or give AI tools context from it. Its local storage and developer access are strong differentiators, but continuous recording has a real storage cost and the product is desktop-only.

Overview

Screenpipe records screen content, app text, browser context and audio, then makes that history searchable in natural language. Searches can be narrowed by date, application, window title or browser URL and return screenshots or audio clips with extracted text. A visual timeline offers a more deliberate way to inspect screenshots, text and audio from a particular period.

Captures, extracted text and transcriptions stay in a local SQLite database by default rather than being sent to external servers. Users can filter apps or URLs and redact passwords and personally identifiable information on-device; data can also be encrypted at rest through a zero-knowledge key hierarchy. That makes the privacy controls meaningful for individual workflows, while organizations should note the SOC 2 Type 2 report is available under NDA and ISO 27001 certification is still in progress.

Key features

Screenpipe captures connected monitors when activity changes, extracting accessibility text and falling back to OCR. It also records the active app, window title and browser URL when available. This context makes the resulting history more useful than screenshots alone, though search can only work with text and metadata the application can capture.

System audio and microphone input are transcribed locally with OpenAI Whisper, with speaker identification for conversations. The timeline lets users play audio alongside the corresponding screen history, which is useful when a meeting or conversation needs to be revisited in context.

For developers, a localhost REST API exposes screen content, audio transcriptions and frames, with JavaScript/TypeScript SDK and MCP server access. Official integrations include Cursor, Claude Code, Cline, Continue, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, ChatGPT via MCP, Claude Desktop via MCP, Obsidian, Notion, Ollama and OpenAI-compatible model servers. This breadth makes Screenpipe a strong fit for AI-assisted workflows, though its value is less obvious for readers who do not need to search or reuse computer history.

Continuous recording carries practical resource costs: Screenpipe recommends 8 GB of RAM, estimates 5–10 GB of disk space per month of continuous recording and reports typical CPU use of 5–15% on modern hardware. That is manageable for a dedicated desktop, but worth considering before keeping it running on a storage-constrained machine.

Pricing

The free plan costs nothing and supports one device, screen, audio and meeting capture, recent-work search and AI-tool context sharing. Community support is included. It is a sensible way to try the capture workflow, but the one-device cap and recent-work search make it a limited substitute for a full searchable archive.

Basic costs $21 per month, billed $250/yr billed annually, with $50 savings. It adds full searchable history, MCP context for Claude and Codex, and unlimited installed scheduled workflows; community support remains the support tier. Basic is the clearest fit for an individual who needs durable history and AI context, though it does not include the device sync and managed seats of Business.

Business costs $42 per month, billed $500/seat/yr billed annually, with $100 savings. It adds personal device sync, recurring workflows, centralized billing and managed seats, with priority support. It suits teams coordinating licenses and individual device histories, but shared teammate context is not currently included.

Enterprise has custom pricing and includes managed searchable history, dedicated support, custom models, SSO, MDM, retention and device controls. It is aimed at organizations that need administrative and security controls beyond Business; the plan has no published fixed price.

A free trial is available. The annual billing terms on the paid plans matter: Basic and Business show monthly equivalents, but charge annually.

Platforms

Screenpipe is a desktop application for macOS, Windows and Linux, with API access. There is no mobile app, so it is not the right choice for people who need to capture or search a phone’s activity.

Who it's for

Screenpipe is most compelling for developers and knowledge workers who want to search their computer history or pass captured context to AI tools. Its local-first defaults and on-device redaction also suit users who want more control over sensitive work records. Readers who need mobile capture, shared teammate context or a lighter storage footprint should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Local-first by default: Captures, text and transcriptions remain in local SQLite rather than going to external servers.
• Useful context for search: App, window and browser details accompany screen capture, while audio transcription and speaker identification add meeting context.
• Developer-friendly access: REST API, SDK and MCP server connect the history to a wide range of listed AI and productivity tools.
• Continuous recording uses resources: The recommended 8 GB RAM and estimated 5–10 GB monthly storage requirement may be a poor fit for lower-capacity devices.
• No mobile app: Capture and search are limited to desktop platforms.
• Business lacks shared teammate context: Managed seats and billing do not provide a shared team history.

Alternatives

For teams focused on process analysis rather than personal screen memory, mindzie Desktop Process Mining offers a free edition with up to 1,000 cases and full functionality, and a Professional edition with custom pricing. Automation Anywhere Document Automation is a better match for document automation: its free Community Edition includes up to 5 machines and 100 pages per month for eligible small businesses. EdgeVerve AssistEdge offers a free single-user Community Edition for learning and building automations.

Celonis Process Mining Platform is another process-mining option with a free plan. Operavix and ARIS are paid alternatives. MemoryLane is a freemium option for macOS and Windows, with an Individual plan at $100 a month. Nintex Automation CE is a paid alternative with a free trial. For broader category comparisons, see Task Mining Software and AI Screen Recorders.

Verdict

Choose Screenpipe if you want a searchable, locally stored record of desktop work that can feed developer and AI workflows. Its combination of screen and audio history, timeline, privacy controls and developer access is the main reason to choose it. Look elsewhere if you need mobile capture, shared team context or a low-resource always-on recorder.