Choose this if…
Shadow AI
- 1You need File Upload
- 2You need Plugins
Choose this if…
Rewind
- 1You need Video Input
- 2You need Audio Output
- 3You need Self-Hostable
Overview
Shadow is an intelligent, privacy-first desktop AI assistant for macOS engineered to seamlessly observe your workflow, capture meeting context, and execute action items without intruding as an awkward meeting bot. Instead of inviting a bot to your Zoom or Google Meet calls, Shadow records audio and visual context locally from system hardware. By combining low-latency on-device speech transcription with multimodal screen intelligence, Shadow turns unstructured work conversations into clean summary memos, follow-up email drafts, Jira tickets, and calendar invites with a single click.
Shadow is built with privacy at its core: raw audio buffers and screen snapshots are processed locally using optimized Apple Silicon neural engine kernels. Only structured text context is routed to high-parameter LLMs for reasoning when explicitly requested by the user. Users can create and customize 'Skills'—reusable prompt automation blueprints that trigger automated actions like emailing meeting summaries to attendees, updating Notion databases, or logging customer feedback into product roadmaps.
A personalized AI that records your screen and audio to help you search for anything you've seen, said, or heard.
Encrypted and stored locally for privacy.
Features Comparison
22 totalPricing & Plans
Free plan includes unlimited on-device transcription, audio recording, and smart screenshot captures.
Plus plan is $8/month with unlimited AI meeting skills, automated action execution, and contextual chat.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Zero bot invites required—captures audio directly from system audio drivers
Privacy-first architecture with on-device local transcription on Apple Silicon
Customizable 'Skills' for automated ticket generation and follow-up emails
Extremely lightweight menu bar utility with minimal CPU and RAM footprint
Generous free plan with unlimited transcription and recording
Cons
Currently exclusive to macOS (Windows and Linux support in development)
Advanced AI action automation requires the $8/month Plus subscription
Pros
Perfect memory
Privacy-first
Great for finding old links/emails
Cons
High disk usage
Requires permissions to record everything
Use Cases
The Verdict
Shadow AI
9/22 features · ⭐4.8
Shadow is an intelligent, privacy-first desktop AI assistant for macOS engineered to seamlessly observe your workflow, capture meeting context, and execute acti…
Rewind
10/22 features · ⭐4.8
A personalized AI that records your screen and audio to help you search for anything you've seen, said, or heard.…
Both Shadow AI and Rewind are capable AI tools serving distinct use cases. Rewind leads on raw feature breadth (10 vs 9), making it a stronger choice if you need maximum capability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between Shadow AI and Rewind?
Shadow AI — "On-device AI workspace that sees, hears, and executes actions" — focuses on productivity-ai, agent-ai, automation-ai, while Rewind — "The search engine for your life" — targets productivity-ai. The key differences lie in their feature sets and pricing models.
Is Shadow AI free to use?
Yes, Shadow AI offers a free tier. Free plan includes unlimited on-device transcription, audio recording, and smart screenshot captures.
Is Rewind free to use?
Yes, Rewind offers a free tier. 50 rewinds/month
Which is better: Shadow AI or Rewind?
It depends on your use case. Shadow AI is rated ⭐4.8 and is best suited for founders, executives, engineers, product-managers. Rewind is rated ⭐4.8 and is ideal for individuals. Use this comparison to evaluate features that matter to your workflow.
Does Shadow AI have an API?
Shadow AI does not currently offer a public API.
More AI Matchups
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