Stubble vs Screenpipe: Screen Capture for AI, Two Different Approaches

Screenpipe and Stubble both solve the same core problem: capturing what you do on your computer so AI can help you work better.

But they’re built for different use cases. Here’s how to think about them.

What Screenpipe Does

Screenpipe is a local-first screen and audio capture tool that makes everything searchable. It’s the spiritual successor to what Rewind AI was supposed to be before it pivoted to hardware.

Key features:

• Always-on capture — Records screen and audio continuously
• Cross-platform — Mac, Windows, and Linux
• Fully offline — Can run without any cloud connection
• Audio transcription — Captures and transcribes meetings
• Developer API — Build your own tools on top
• Open source — Apache 2.0 license

Screenpipe is designed as a “total recall” system. It captures everything and makes it searchable, like a DVR for your digital life.

What Stubble Does

Stubble is an AI time tracker that organizes your work and connects it to AI tools.

Key features:

• Automatic time tracking — Groups activity into tasks and projects
• AI summarization — Turns raw activity into structured timelines
• MCP integration — Exposes context to Claude Code, Cursor, etc.
• Natural language queries — Ask questions about your work
• Document generation — Timesheets, meeting prep, handovers
• Mac-native — Optimized for Apple Silicon

Stubble is designed as a productivity layer. It doesn’t just capture — it organizes, summarizes, and connects.

The Core Difference

Screenpipe: Captures everything → Makes it searchable → You query the archive

Stubble: Captures activity → AI organizes into projects/tasks → Connects to your AI tools → You work with structured context

Screenpipe is a memory tool. You ask “what was that thing I saw last Tuesday?” and it finds it.

Stubble is a productivity tool. You ask “what did I work on last week?” and it gives you a structured breakdown by project, with time totals, that you can export or share with AI assistants.

When to Use Which

Choose Screenpipe if:

• You want to capture and search audio/video
• You need cross-platform support (Windows, Linux)
• You want to run fully offline with no cloud at all
• You’re building custom tools on top of the capture data
• You want “total recall” of everything you’ve seen
• You prefer self-hosting

Choose Stubble if:

• You want automatic time tracking and project organization
• You use AI coding assistants (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf)
• You need to generate timesheets or invoices
• You want AI to summarize your day, not just search it
• You prefer a polished product over building your own
• You’re Mac-only

The MCP Difference

One of Stubble’s key features is MCP integration — a protocol that lets AI tools query your work context directly.

When Claude Code connects to Stubble via MCP, it can ask:

• What files have you been editing?
• What projects are you working on?
• How long did you spend on authentication today?
• What was your last meeting about?

This context makes AI assistants dramatically more useful. Instead of explaining your situation every time, the AI already knows.

Screenpipe has a developer API, so you could build something similar — but Stubble has it out of the box, with one-click setup for major AI tools.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Stubble	Screenpipe
Screen capture	Yes	Yes
Audio capture	No	Yes
Cross-platform	Mac only	Mac/Windows/Linux
Offline mode	Capture only	Full
AI summarization	Yes	Search only
Project organization	Automatic	Manual
Time tracking	Built-in	Build your own
MCP integration	One-click	Build your own
Document generation	Yes	No
Pricing	$10/month	$400 lifetime

Different Tools for Different Jobs

Screenpipe and Stubble aren’t really competitors — they’re complementary tools for different parts of your workflow.

Screenpipe is for people who want to capture everything and search their entire digital history. It’s powerful, flexible, and fully offline.

Stubble is for people who want automatic time tracking, organized project data, and AI tool integration. It’s opinionated, polished, and focused on productivity workflows.

Some power users might run both: Screenpipe for total recall, Stubble for structured productivity.

The Bottom Line

If you want a DVR for your computer that captures everything: Screenpipe.

If you want an AI time tracker that organizes your work and talks to your AI tools: Stubble.

Both are open source. Both are local-first for capture. Both respect your privacy more than cloud-upload alternatives.

Try Stubble free for 5 days