Paperless-ngx
Focus: documents and self-hosted. Shares ocr and open source with Screen Memories. A web app, not a Mac app. Adds Web and Linux. Rated 4.7 (Screen Memories: 4.4).
Web AppFreeWeb, Linux
4.7Visit
Mac App
Screen Memories
Local AI search for every photo and every frame of video in your Mac folders.
Rating
4.4 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Intermediate
Works on
macOS
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is Screen Memories?
Screen Memories (SCM) is a free, open-source macOS app that lets you search photos and videos by describing them in plain language. It jumps to the exact scene in a video, reads on-screen text and spoken dialogue, and runs every model on your Mac with no account, cloud or uploads.
Third-party open-source projects. We are not affiliated with their authors; repositories are provided as-is by their maintainers. Review each project's license, code and security before installing. See our Disclaimer.
Pros: what Screen Memories does well
- Finds moments inside videos
- Searches text and dialogue too
- Fully local and private
Cons: where it falls short
- macOS only
- First run downloads large model files
Who Screen Memories is for
Mac users with big photo, screenshot or video libraries who waste time hunting for files.
Who can skip it
People with small, well-organised media folders.
Screen Memories alternatives
Not sold on Screen Memories? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
Docling
Focus: document parsing and pdf to markdown. Shares ocr and open source with Screen Memories. An AI tool, not a Mac app. Adds Windows and Linux. Rated 4.6 (Screen Memories: 4.4).
AI ToolFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit
Dayflow
Focus: time tracking, work journal and daily standup. Shares local ai and macos with Screen Memories. Rated 4.5 (Screen Memories: 4.4).
Mac AppFreemacOS
4.5Visit
Mole
Focus: mac cleaner, disk space and uninstaller. Shares open source and github with Screen Memories. Adds Offline. Rated 4.6 (Screen Memories: 4.4).
Mac AppFreemacOS, Offline
4.6Visit
Immich
Focus: photo backup, photo library and self-hosted. Shares open source and github with Screen Memories. A web app, not a Mac app. Adds Web, iOS and Android. Rated 4.8 (Screen Memories: 4.4).
Web AppFreeWeb, iOS
4.8Visit
AeroSpace
Focus: tiling window manager, window management and keyboard shortcuts. Shares macos and open source with Screen Memories. Rated 4.7 (Screen Memories: 4.4).
Mac AppFreemacOS
4.7Visit
Free alternatives to Screen Memories
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
fd
Focus: file search, command line and developer tool. Shares open source and github with Screen Memories. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Windows, Linux and Offline. Rated 4.7 (Screen Memories: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
restic
Focus: backup, encryption and snapshots. Shares open source and github with Screen Memories. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Windows and Linux. Rated 4.7 (Screen Memories: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
Yazi
Focus: file manager, terminal ui and developer tool. Shares open source and github with Screen Memories. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Windows, Linux and Offline. Rated 4.7 (Screen Memories: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
BorgBackup
Focus: backup, encryption and deduplication. Shares open source and github with Screen Memories. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Windows and Linux. Rated 4.6 (Screen Memories: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
Czkawka
Focus: duplicate finder, disk cleanup and similar images. Shares open source and github with Screen Memories. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Windows, Linux and Offline. Rated 4.6 (Screen Memories: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
dua-cli
Focus: disk usage, storage cleanup and terminal. Shares open source and github with Screen Memories. A desktop app, not a Mac app. Adds Windows and Linux. Rated 4.6 (Screen Memories: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
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