5 Best Rewind AI Alternatives in 2026 (Rewind Is Gone — Here's What Works)
Rewind was the original “search everything you’ve ever seen” app: it recorded your Mac’s screen and audio continuously, compressed it absurdly well, and let you scroll back through your digital life or ask AI about it. It raised $33M+ from a16z, First Round, and NEA, with backing from Sam Altman — then pivoted into the Limitless pendant, and when Meta acquired Limitless on December 5, 2025, Rewind was wound down with it. Screen and audio capture was disabled on December 19, 2025. The app is gone; the searches for it aren’t. Here’s what actually replaces it in 2026.
1. Carly
Carly is an AI executive assistant that solves the problem most people hired Rewind for — “what did I say I’d do, and where did I see that?” — without recording your screen at all. It connects to the sources where that information actually lives (email, calendar, Slack, Notion, CRM, your meeting notetaker) across 200+ integrations, and acts on what it finds.
What makes it different from Rewind: Rewind captured everything and made you search it. Carly connects the systems of record and skips the haystack: ask it what you agreed to with a client and it checks the email thread and the Fathom transcript, then drafts the follow-up. Nothing sensitive sits in a giant local recording, and there’s no capture app to be shut down by an acquirer.
Best for: People whose real Rewind use case was recall-then-action on work commitments.
Pricing: Starts at $35/month; non-AI workflow steps aren’t metered
2. Screenpipe
Open-source, local-first screen and audio capture with AI search — the most direct Rewind successor, on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
What makes it different from Rewind: Screenpipe is what Rewind was, minus the shutdown risk: source-available code, recordings stored locally, works offline, and runs on all three desktop platforms where Rewind was Mac-only. There’s a free self-hosted route for tinkerers and a paid desktop app (around $400 lifetime) for everyone else.
Best for: Anyone who wants Rewind’s exact capture-everything model with no company that can turn it off.
Pricing: Free self-hosted; paid desktop app ~$400 lifetime
3. Microsoft Recall
Windows 11’s built-in screen memory on Copilot+ PCs: periodic snapshots, OCR, and a searchable visual timeline.
What makes it different from Rewind: It ships with the OS, so there’s no separate app or subscription — but it requires Copilot+ hardware, captures no audio, and is Windows-only. After a rocky privacy launch it now defaults to opt-in with snapshots encrypted on device.
Best for: Windows users on Copilot+ hardware who want basic visual recall for free.
Pricing: Included with Windows 11 on Copilot+ PCs
4. Pieces
A developer-focused memory layer: it captures context from your browser, IDE, and collaboration tools, then resurfaces snippets and sources when you need them.
What makes it different from Rewind: Pieces is selective memory rather than total capture — it saves the useful artifacts (code, links, context) with on-device processing, instead of a continuous recording. For developers, that’s most of Rewind’s value at a fraction of the storage and privacy exposure.
Best for: Developers who wanted Rewind mainly for “where did I see that snippet?”
Pricing: Free tier; Pro from $10/month
5. MyMind
A private visual memory for things you choose to save — screenshots, articles, images, notes — with AI tagging and search, no folders.
What makes it different from Rewind: MyMind flips the model: instead of recording everything and searching later, you save the things that matter in one keystroke and its AI organizes them. Deliberate memory beats total recall for a lot of real use, and nothing you didn’t choose to keep ever exists.
Best for: Researchers, designers, and writers who want a curated memory rather than surveillance of themselves.
Pricing: From $6.99/month
Rewind AI Alternatives Compared
| Tool | Model | Platforms | Audio | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carly | Connects sources + acts | Email/text, any device | Via meeting notetakers | Starts at $35/mo |
| Screenpipe | Continuous local capture | Mac, Windows, Linux | Yes | Free self-hosted |
| Microsoft Recall | Snapshot timeline | Windows (Copilot+) | No | Included |
| Pieces | Selective dev memory | Mac, Windows, Linux | No | Free tier |
| MyMind | Save-what-matters | Web, iOS, extensions | No | $6.99/mo |
| Rewind | Continuous Mac capture | Discontinued Dec 19, 2025 | Yes | Gone |
FAQ
Is Rewind AI really shut down? Yes. After Meta acquired Limitless (Rewind’s parent company) on December 5, 2025, Rewind’s screen and audio capture features were disabled on December 19, 2025. The full timeline is here.
Can I still access my old Rewind recordings? Limitless provided in-app tools to export or delete stored data during the wind-down. If you haven’t exported yet, do it now — support for the remaining Limitless products is only promised into late 2026.
What’s the closest one-to-one Rewind replacement? Screenpipe — continuous screen and audio capture with AI search, except open source and local-first, so it can’t be acquired out from under you.
Do I actually need total capture? Audit what you searched Rewind for. If it was mostly commitments, decisions, and “where’s that thread,” a connected assistant like Carly answers those from the source systems directly — no 100GB of screen recordings required.
More: Meta’s Limitless acquisition, explained · Limitless AI alternatives · Granola alternatives · Best AI personal assistants
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"Before Carly, I relied on a Calendly link, but the whole process felt impersonal and not very professional. Carly changed that by handling all the back-and-forth, so I'm no longer stuck in endless email threads trying to line up schedules.
Now Carly reaches out to candidates, shares my real-time availability, lets them pick a slot, then sends a Zoom link and drops it straight into my calendar. She sends reminders to both of us before each call, which has significantly reduced no-shows and last-minute confusion.
On top of scheduling, Carly acts like a full executive assistant, sending me my schedule the night before so I can prepare for each call. It reminds me of the old x.ai assistant, but Carly is noticeably smarter, faster, and better suited to my healthcare recruitment business."
