Jarvis vs Screenpipe: Which Fits Your Workflow?
Reviewed September 2026.
Jarvis (getjarvis.eu) is a screen-aware desktop AI assistant you summon on demand; Screenpipe records continuously. Of the ten desktop assistants we scored, only Jarvis can point at a control on screen — the other nine score 1 or 2 of 10. Jarvis works through 30+ app connectors and can act in the current app, while Show Me points at controls on screen. Screenpipe's local archive gives retroactive recall; Jarvis captures the screen only when you ask it to.
The page compares always-on surveillance recording with on-demand action assistance, and where each one genuinely wins.
It covers the practical search questions buyers ask: screen context, memory, app connectors, operating-system support, daily workflow fit, and when the two products are better used together.
A retroactive memory archive and a proactive action assistant are not the same product.
Screenpipe is excellent at what it does — total local recall of everything that has ever appeared on your screen. Jarvis is the layer that shows up when you need something done right now.
With Screenpipe
- Records 100% of screen + audio, every second, to local SQLite + MP4
- Answers questions about the past — what did that email say, what was on that slide
- Fully local: nothing leaves the device by default
- Developer API for building custom recall pipelines
- Free open-source self-hosted, or $25/month for the signed app
With Jarvis
- Summoned with Cmd+/ — captures only the active window when asked
- Acts in the moment: drafts the reply, opens the ticket, updates the doc
- 30+ live connectors: Gmail, Slack, Notion, Linear, GitHub, Figma, and more
- Persistent cross-session memory without 24/7 recording or disk churn
- GDPR-aligned (EU data storage), AES-256-GCM, explicit no-training policy
- Free plan + Pro $16/mo — no hardware, no self-hosting required
| Feature | Jarvis | Screenpipe |
|---|---|---|
| Summoned on demand — no always-on recording | Yes — Cmd+/ from any app, captures only when asked | No — Records continuously 24/7 by design |
| Acts across your apps (draft Gmail, open Linear, update Notion) | Yes — 30+ live connectors | No — Memory and recall layer only — no connector actions |
| Cross-session persistent memory | Yes — Structured memory without disk-heavy recording | Yes — Via full local SQLite archive — heavier but complete |
| Retroactive recall of any past screen content | No — Jarvis sees the screen on summon, not retroactively | Yes — Core product — OCR + audio transcription of everything ever shown |
| Disk space: zero always-on video/audio capture | Yes — No MP4/audio archive growing on your drive | No — 24/7 recording requires significant local disk space |
| Zero setup — managed cloud, no self-hosting | Yes — EU data storage, no infra to manage | Partial — Self-hosted is free; signed app is $25/mo but still local |
| EU data residency + AES-256-GCM encryption | Yes — GDPR-aligned infrastructure, encrypted end-to-end, no training | Yes — 100% local by default — strongest privacy posture in the category |
| Hands-free voice mode across every app | Yes — Same memory, same connectors, spoken | No — No voice assistant mode — audio is recorded, not conversational |
| Mac + Windows + Linux | Yes | Yes — Open source, all three platforms |
| Local OS app control (Notes, Reminders, Calendar, Spotify) | Yes — Native macOS + Windows app control | No — Passive recall layer — does not control apps |
| Non-technical user experience | Yes — Download, sign in, done | Partial — Getting friendlier, but developer-oriented at core |
| Price | info — Free 40 requests/week · Pro $16/mo · Unlimited $32/mo | info — Open source free · Signed app $25/mo |
Comparison
