Earkeep
A Limitless and Rewind alternative that is only software
Last updated: · Reviewed quarterly
You were right about ambient, always-on memory. Earkeep keeps the idea and drops the pendant: a desktop app that hears what your computer hears and lets you define a meeting afterwards.
14-day full trial, no account required.
- No pendant to buy, charge or lose
- Transcribed on your device, not in a cloud
- €39 once, with no server to switch off
The verdict
If you want the pendant, the commute and the lunches back, nothing software-only can do that. If you want your meetings transcribed automatically and retroactively, in an archive that can't be shut off by a company being acquired, that is Earkeep.
What happened to Limitless and Rewind
Rewind began in 2020 as a Mac app recording your screen and audio locally. In 2024 it became Limitless, a $199 pendant transcribing in the cloud, and the Rewind app went into maintenance mode.
On December 5, 2025, Meta acquired Limitless. New sales and subscriptions stopped, and existing customers moved to the Unlimited plan free "for at least one year" under Meta's terms. On December 19, 2025, Rewind's recording was permanently disabled. Service ended in seven regions, and no refund program was announced for Rewind.
Why people look for a Limitless alternative
Transcribed on your device, not in someone's cloud
Rewind began with "your data stays on your device"; by the acquisition, audio and transcripts lived in a cloud backend. Earkeep processes audio only in memory on your device, with no server, API key or account.
An archive that can't be switched off
Earkeep writes plain files you own, readable with an editor or grep whatever happens to any company. The r/RewindAI migration wishlist (local processing, no subscription, data you keep, a meetings focus) is what Earkeep was built around from the start.
Your €39 includes all 1.x updates, and if a paid major version ever ships, yours keeps working. There is no server-side switch to flip.
Your own agent, over your own transcripts
Limitless's "Ask AI" ran on their servers over your history. In Earkeep, the agents you already use read files that never left your device, through in-app ACP agents or an MCP server. More hands-on than a cloud chat, and nobody else's roadmap can stop it.
Side by side
| Capability | Earkeep | Limitless / Rewind |
|---|---|---|
| Always-on capture | Mic and system audio while running | The pendant, all day |
| Bot-free | No participant joins | No participant joins |
| Captures away from the desk | Only what your device hears | The pendant went everywhere |
| Audio processed on your device | Whisper or Parakeet, fully on-device | Cloud-processed in the "Confidential Cloud" |
| Retroactive meeting spans | Or marked by your calendar | An auto-detected lifelog instead |
| AI notes and summaries | Via an agent you connect | Written as the meeting went |
| Labels who said what | Not yet | Shipped, but widely reported broken |
| Your own agents can read it | ACP agents plus MCP, over local data | A developer API and a cloud chat |
| Mobile app | Desktop only | iOS and Android, plus web |
| Still available today | Actively developed | Discontinued after the Meta acquisition |
| Pricing | €39 once, no subscription | $199 pendant plus $19-29/mo, historically $430-550 in year one |
Built inNo, but an agent you connect canPartlyNot available
Replacing it takes an afternoon
- Install it today and let it run. No waitlist, no hardware: it captures within minutes of the download.
- Mark yesterday, or connect a calendar. Drag a span across the timeline, or connect Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook or any ICS URL.
- Keep the old archive separately. There is no import; export what Limitless or Rewind still allows and keep it in its own folder.
Which one fits you
Choose Earkeep if
What you miss is the meetings, and the "I never have to remember to hit record" part.
- You want the ambient premise without a device to wear
- Transcription must happen on your device
- €39 once beats $19-29 a month plus $199 of hardware
- The archive should be plain files you keep
- Your own agents should read your meetings
Choose Limitless if
Limitless has been switched off, so read this as the honest list of what you lose by moving to Earkeep.
- Away-from-desk capture. The pendant recorded lunches and conferences; Earkeep has no wearable or mobile app.
- Screen recording. Rewind recorded and OCR'd your screen; Earkeep is audio-only.
- Mobile and sync. Limitless had iOS and Android apps; Earkeep runs on macOS and Windows only.
- Cloud chat over months of history. Earkeep's answer, your own agent on local files, is more hands-on.
- Speaker labels. Limitless shipped them, though widely reported broken; Earkeep has none yet.
Limitless was lifelogging, with meetings as the wedge. Earkeep is narrower on purpose: desk work, retroactive spans and your own agents. See Earkeep for product managers.
Other tools people weigh this against
Frequently asked questions
Is Earkeep a good Limitless alternative?
For the meetings half, yes. Earkeep keeps the ambient premise but runs it on your device as plain files, so no acquisition can switch it off. It does not replace the pendant: no wearable, no mobile app, no capture away from your desk.
Is Limitless still available to buy?
No. Sales and new subscriptions stopped on December 5, 2025; existing customers got the Unlimited plan free for at least a year under Meta's terms.
Is the Rewind Mac app still working?
Rewind's screen and audio recording was permanently disabled on December 19, 2025.
Can I import my Limitless or Rewind data into Earkeep?
No. Earkeep captures from the day you install it and has no migration path for another product's archive.
Does Earkeep need a pendant or any other hardware?
No. It runs on the computer you already use, with nothing extra to buy, charge or lose.
Why does Earkeep cost €39 once instead of a monthly subscription?
Limitless paid for every hour transcribed on its servers. Earkeep transcribes locally at zero marginal cost per meeting. See the pricing and update policy.
What happens to Earkeep if the company behind it is ever sold or shuts down?
Your transcripts are plain files on your disk, and your licence keeps the version you bought working, with no cloud backend to switch off.
Try it on your own meetings
14-day full trial, no account required.