Littlebird vs Screenpipe: which one fits how you work?

Littlebird and Screenpipe start from the same idea: your computer already sees your work, so an AI that remembers it can answer questions your notes never could. From there they go in very different directions. Screenpipe is a local-first history layer: it captures your screen and audio on your device, gives you search and meeting notes, and exposes the same data through a local API, an MCP server, and source code you can inspect. Littlebird is a finished product for people who want the outcome: a work memory with Meeting Notes, Chat, and answers, without building anything.

Choose Littlebird if you want something that works the moment you install it. Choose Screenpipe if you want a local history you can inspect, query through an API, and build your own tools on top of.

Littlebird logo
Screenpipe logo

The difference is build versus use

Meeting icon
Zero setup

Littlebird works the moment you install it. There is nothing to configure, no plugins to add, and nothing to build before you get value.

Memory icon
Finished output

Meeting Notes and Routines deliver the artifact itself, a written summary or a scheduled update, not raw data for you to mine.

Managed experience

Littlebird is a maintained product with support behind it, not a stack you assemble and keep running yourself.

Screenpipe vs Littlebird at a glance

Littlebird logo
Screenpipe logo
Screenpipe

What it is

AI work memory app for Mac and Windows

Local-first computer history for AI agents, with a local API and source code you can inspect

Built for

People who want answers from their work history

People who want a searchable local history, and developers who want an API to build on

Setup

Install and it starts working

Install, grant capture permissions, then check the timeline before you rely on it

Meeting notes

Automatic notes and transcription built in

Meeting notes built in on every plan, including the free tier, with AI usage metered by monthly credits

Ask your memory

Chat across your full work context

AI search across captured history on every plan, metered by monthly credits; frontier models on Business and above

Platforms

Mac and Windows, with iOS and Android companion apps

Mac, Windows, Linux

Open source

No

Source-available (Screenpipe Commercial License); free for personal, non-commercial use

Data handling

Encrypted with AES-256 at rest and in transit, TLS 1.3, stored in the cloud on AWS. SOC 2 certified. Full details at trust.littlebird.ai

Local-first storage on your device by default, with optional cloud sync on Business and above

Pricing

Basic is free, Plus from $17 per month. Full tiers at littlebird.ai/pricing

Free tier; Basic $21 per month and Business $42 per seat per month billed annually (as of August 2026)

Support

Product support from the Littlebird team

Community support on Free and Basic; priority support on Business and above

Best for

Getting value on day one

Owning a local history you can inspect and build on

Where each one wins

Where Screenpipe is genuinely strong
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The code is public to inspect, so you can read exactly what it captures and where it goes. In security-sensitive environments that auditability can be non-negotiable.

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It runs on Linux, which Littlebird does not, and its local API, MCP server, and SQLite database make it a history layer for tools you design yourself.

Where Littlebird is different
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Meeting Notes that write themselves, without a bot joining your calls

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Chat that answers questions across everything you have worked on, not just one meeting

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Routines that surface what matters without you asking

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Hummingbird, a floating chat window over whatever you are looking at (macOS only)

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An MCP server on Power and Pro plans, so your memory works inside tools like Claude

On privacy: Littlebird runs on your computer and you control what it sees. The data it captures is encrypted with AES-256 at rest and in transit, every connection uses TLS 1.3, and it is stored securely in the cloud on AWS. Littlebird is SOC 2 certified, never trains AI models on your data, never sells it, and you can delete your data at any time, all of it or just the last hour or day. Full details at trust.littlebird.ai and littlebird.ai/privacy.

Pricing, as of August 2026: Littlebird Basic is free and Plus starts at $17 per month, with the full ladder at littlebird.ai/pricing. Screenpipe has a free tier at $0 that includes local capture, AI search, and meeting notes, with paid plans at Basic $21 per month and Business $42 per seat per month, both billed annually, and custom pricing for Enterprise. Its source code is separately free for personal, non-commercial use under its source-available license.

Organize your life and cut busywork

Download on MacOS

Common questions

Is Screenpipe free?

Screenpipe has a free tier at $0 with local capture, AI search, and meeting notes, plus a monthly allowance of AI credits. Paid plans are Basic at $21 per month and Business at $42 per seat per month, both billed annually, with custom pricing for Enterprise, as of August 2026. Separately, its source code is free for personal, non-commercial use under the Screenpipe Commercial License, which is a source-available license rather than an open source one.

Does Littlebird have an API like Screenpipe?

Littlebird includes an MCP server on Power and Pro plans, which lets you use your work memory inside MCP-compatible tools like Claude. Screenpipe exposes its captured data through an API for developers to build on.

Which is better for meeting notes, Littlebird or Screenpipe?

Both produce meeting notes out of the box. Littlebird generates them automatically, with transcription and summaries. Screenpipe includes meeting notes on every plan, including its free tier, with AI usage metered by a monthly credit allowance and frontier models reserved for Business and above.

Can I run either tool fully offline?

Screenpipe positions itself as local-first, capturing and storing on your device. Littlebird requires an internet connection.

Does Screenpipe work on Linux?

Yes. Screenpipe supports Mac, Windows, and Linux. Littlebird supports Mac and Windows, with companion apps on iOS and Android.

Last updated August 2026.

The honest recommendation

The question is not which tool is better, it is whether you want to build or use. If you want a local history layer you can inspect and extend, try Screenpipe. If you want a work memory that is useful today, with Meeting Notes and answers instead of an API, try Littlebird. You will know within a week whether having a memory changes how you work.

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