Last updated: 2026-08-19
Brain2 is a macOS app that keeps captured screen text, clipboard, browser, and AI-chat history in a local SQLite database with a 90-day default retention window, then compresses each day into a one-click standup report. Nothing captured is ever uploaded to a server.
About Brain2
Brain2 is a macOS app, currently in pre-launch development with a targeted 2026 release, built as a private second brain that automatically remembers a user's digital day. Rather than requiring manual journaling, it silently captures screen text, clipboard contents, browser history, and full conversations from Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor, then stores everything locally so nothing leaves the Mac it runs on. The app runs in the background and writes every captured event into a local SQLite database, with an auto-cleaning retention window and a one-click option to erase everything on demand. An app exclusion list lets users block sensitive tools such as banking apps or password managers from ever being recorded. On top of that raw log, an AI layer analyzes patterns in past decisions and activity to surface reusable Skills, and, most visibly, compresses a full day of scattered activity into a single daily standup report generated with one click. The clearest use case is status reporting: solo founders, freelancers, and engineering managers who need to summarize what they did today without stopping to write it down get that summary automatically. The unified search across Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor conversations also helps developers and knowledge workers dig up a prompt or answer they used weeks earlier instead of re-writing it from scratch. It is built for a single user on a single Mac rather than a shared team knowledge base. Brain2 enters a category that Rewind AI once defined before Meta acquired the company and shut off its screen and audio recording in December 2025, leaving open-source Screenpipe and Windows-only Microsoft Recall as the more established alternatives. Brain2's pitch against both is a narrower focus on daily standup reporting plus a strictly local, no-cloud storage model.
Pricing
Free for the first three months of early access for anyone who signs up before the 2026 launch. After that, $6.99 per month or $59.99 per year, about 29% cheaper than paying monthly. No team or enterprise tier has been announced.
Key Features
- Silent Activity Capture: Continuously records screen text, clipboard contents, and browser history in the background with zero manual input required.
- Unified AI Conversation Log: Merges every Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor conversation into one searchable timeline so past prompts can be found and reused instantly.
- One-Click Daily Standup Reports: Turns a full day of captured activity into a structured standup summary generated with a single click, with no manual journaling needed.
- Local-Only SQLite Storage: Stores all captured data in an on-device SQLite database with nothing ever sent to an external server, unlike cloud-based rivals such as the discontinued Rewind AI.
- App Exclusion List and 90-Day Retention: Lets users block sensitive apps like banking or password managers from capture and set a data retention window, 90 days by default, with one-click full deletion.
Pros
- Runs entirely local with an on-device SQLite database, so screen, clipboard, and AI chat history never touch a third-party server, unlike the now-defunct cloud recording feature of Rewind AI.
- Automatically compiles a full day of scattered screen activity into a single one-click standup report instead of requiring manual note-taking.
- Includes a three-month free early-access trial before the paid plans start, so new users can test daily standups at no upfront cost.
Cons
- macOS 13 (Ventura) and later only; Windows and Linux support remains under consideration with no committed timeline.
- Still in pre-launch development as of mid-2026 with no public reviews, funding disclosure, or proven user base.
- No public API or third-party integrations beyond passively logging Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor conversations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do you pay for Brain2?
After a free early-access period, Brain2 costs $6.99 per month or $59.99 billed annually, about 29% cheaper than paying month-to-month. There is no tiered feature split: every paying user gets the same capture, search, and reporting tools. No team or enterprise plan has been announced.
What do you get on Brain2's free tier?
Signing up ahead of the 2026 launch gets three months of full access at no cost once the app ships, the entirety of what Brain2's free tier offers since there's no permanent free version. After that early-access window ends, Brain2 moves to its $6.99/month paid-only model with no limited free tier left standing. Anyone who misses the early sign-up window starts on the paid plan directly.
What should you use instead of Brain2?
Screenpipe is the closest open-source rival, with cross-platform support on Windows and Linux plus a developer API, areas where Brain2 is currently macOS-only. Rewind AI originally defined this category but had its screen and audio capture disabled after Meta's acquisition in December 2025. Mem and Notion serve an adjacent need: AI-organized note-taking for people willing to write things down manually instead of relying on passive capture.
Is Brain2 better than Screenpipe?
Screenpipe is open-source and runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, while Brain2 is limited to macOS only. Screenpipe ships a public developer API for building on top of captured data; Brain2 currently has no public API beyond its passive logging of Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor conversations. Both store captured activity locally by default, but Brain2's single-purpose focus is the one-click daily standup report, a use case Screenpipe does not target directly. Choose Screenpipe for cross-platform flexibility and API access; choose Brain2 for a lighter, standup-focused workflow on Mac.
How do you set up Brain2?
Sign up for early access on the Brain2 website before the 2026 launch to lock in the free trial period. Once installed, the app runs quietly in the background, capturing screen, clipboard, and AI-conversation activity with no setup beyond adding any sensitive apps to the exclusion list. The first daily standup report generates automatically after a full day of captured activity, with no manual data entry required.
Top Alternatives
- Rewind AI: Rewind AI's screen and audio capture stopped working after its Meta acquisition, leaving a gap for an active, local-first activity logger. Brain2 fills that gap on macOS, still silently capturing screen, clipboard, and AI chats.
- Mem: Mem is for manually writing notes that AI then organizes. Brain2 skips typing entirely, capturing the day passively in the background instead.
- Notion: Notion is a collaborative workspace built around shared docs and wikis. Brain2 stays private and single-user, a passive log of one person's own screen activity.
- ClickUp: ClickUp manages company-wide tasks with AI woven across a whole team. Brain2 has no team features at all; it's a fully local activity log for one person.
HokAI guides covering Brain2
- Best AI Note-Taking Tools in 2026: Brain2, Glasp, Mem, and Gemini Notebook Compared: Brain2, Glasp, Mem, and Gemini Notebook solve four different note-taking jobs, not one. Real 2026 pricing, free-tier caps, and which one to skip entirely.