Trailback vs Rewind AI: What's Different, and Which to Use in 2026
People find Trailback by searching for Rewind, so here's an honest comparison. We make Trailback, so read this knowing that, and check Rewind's own site for anything that's changed.
The short version
- Rewind recorded your Mac's screen and audio continuously and let you scroll back through it. It stopped recording in December 2025 after its maker, Limitless, was acquired.
- Trailback doesn't record your screen. It remembers the web pages you visit, the files you open, the screenshots you take and the text you copy, and reads the words inside them so you can find any of it by describing it. It runs fully offline, on Mac and Windows, for $19 one-time.
If you used Rewind to find something you saw a few days ago, Trailback does that. If you used Rewind to replay a meeting, it doesn't.
Side by side
| Trailback | Rewind AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Status in 2026 | Active, updated regularly | Stopped recording Dec 2025 |
| Platforms | Mac (macOS 13+), Windows 10 and 11 | Mac only |
| How it remembers | Pages, files, screenshots, copied text, with their text | Continuous screen recording with OCR, plus audio |
| Find things by | Describing them ("the invoice from last month") | Scrolling the timeline or searching OCR text |
| Go back to a moment | Yes: pick a time, see everything, Reopen all | Yes: scrub the recording |
| Meetings and audio | No | Yes |
| Where data is stored | Your computer, encrypted | Your Mac, with AI features using the cloud |
| Account needed | No | Yes |
| Passwords and card numbers | Skipped on purpose | Could appear in recordings |
| Disk space | About 20 MB per year of memories | Tens of GB per month, depending on settings |
| Battery and CPU | Light; no background capture | Noticeable on some Macs |
| Price | $19 one-time | Was a subscription |
What Rewind did better
- Replaying. If you wanted to see exactly what was on screen at 2:14 PM, including a chat that scrolled past, Rewind had it. Trailback has what you opened, visited, copied and screenshotted, not every pixel.
- Meetings. Rewind transcribed calls. Trailback doesn't touch audio.
- Ask-my-day questions. Rewind's AI could summarise your day. Trailback finds things; it doesn't write summaries.
What Trailback does better
- It works. Rewind no longer records anything new.
- Windows. Trailback runs on any Windows 10 or 11 PC as well as Mac.
- Privacy you can explain. No screen recording, no audio, no account, no cloud. Private browser windows are never recorded, and you can ignore any app or site.
- Searching by content. It reads the text inside PDFs, documents, spreadsheets, slides and screenshots, in English, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, French, German and more.
- Quick Search from any app. Press your shortcut in Gmail or Slack, find the file, and drag it straight in.
- Price and footprint. $19 once, and about 20 MB a year instead of gigabytes.
Who should pick which
- You want a working, private memory for your computer today, on Mac or Windows: Trailback.
- You need screen recording or meeting transcripts: look at screenpipe (open source, local) or Limitless. Our Rewind AI alternatives guide covers both.
Find anything on your computer by describing it.
Files, PDFs, the words in your screenshots and the pages you visited. 100% offline. Your data never leaves your computer.
Frequently asked questions
Is Trailback a replacement for Rewind?
For finding things you saw and reopening what you were working on, yes. For replaying your screen or recording meetings, no. Trailback doesn't record the screen or audio.
Does Trailback record my screen?
No. It remembers pages, files, screenshots you take yourself and copied text, and reads the text inside them. Nothing is captured in the background.
Is Trailback available on Windows?
Yes, from the Microsoft Store, for Windows 10 and 11. One license works on one Mac or PC at a time, and you can move it.
How much does Trailback cost compared with Rewind?
Trailback is $19 one-time with a 7-day money-back guarantee. Rewind was sold as a subscription and is no longer recording.
Pavan is the founder of Trailback, a private, offline app for Mac and Windows that helps you find anything on your computer by describing it. He builds it at Hara Infotech in Hyderabad.
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