A Microsoft Recall alternative for any PC
Microsoft Recall gives Windows a searchable memory of what you've seen — but only on a Copilot+ PC, and only by taking snapshots of your screen. Trace by Fervon delivers the same everyday win — find anything you saw, read or did — on any modern Windows, Mac or Linux machine, fully on-device, for a one-time $39.
Recall's catch: Copilot+ PC only
When most people search for a Microsoft Recall alternative, the first wall they hit is hardware. Recall isn't a feature you can simply switch on in Windows — it ships with Copilot+ PCs, a class of machines that Microsoft defines by a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) rated at 40+ TOPS, plus minimum RAM and storage. If your current laptop or desktop predates that spec, Recall is off the table, no matter how capable the rest of the machine is.
That's a steep ask for a memory tool. The thing you actually want — to type "that pricing page I read on Tuesday" and get it back — doesn't fundamentally need a brand-new NPU. It needs a lightweight capture pipeline and good local search. Recall couples the feature to specific silicon because it leans on constant on-device snapshotting and image analysis; Trace deliberately doesn't, which is why it runs on hardware you already own.
There's also a platform limit: Recall is a Windows-only feature for Windows machines. If you live across a Mac at home and a Windows laptop at work, or you're on Linux, Recall can't follow you. A cross-platform memory app can.
The privacy concerns, explained
The other reason people look for a private alternative is Recall's track record. When Recall was first previewed in 2024, the design — periodically capturing screenshots of nearly everything on screen and storing them in a local database — drew serious, widely reported criticism from security researchers. Early hands-on analyses noted that the snapshot database could be read by other processes on the same machine and that sensitive content shown on screen, including passwords and financial details, could end up captured.
To Microsoft's credit, it responded. Before general availability the company changed Recall so it is opt-in rather than on by default, required Windows Hello sign-in to open the timeline, added encryption around the snapshot store, and built in filtering for things like password fields and private browsing. Those were real, meaningful improvements, and it's fair to say Recall today is more locked-down than the version that was first criticised.
Even so, the core model — taking regular pictures of your screen — is inherently broad. It captures whatever happens to be visible at snapshot time, which is a lot of surface area to trust, and security researchers have continued to scrutinise it. None of this is an accusation that Recall is malicious; it's simply that "screenshot everything, then filter and protect it" is a heavier privacy posture than many people are comfortable with for a memory tool. If that's your concern, the cleanest fix is an approach that captures far less in the first place.
How Trace is different
Trace starts from the opposite end: capture the least it can while still being genuinely useful. Instead of photographing your screen, it notes lightweight signals — your browser history, the active app or window, and clipboard text — and indexes them so you can search and scroll a timeline of your day. There's far less raw, sensitive data sitting on disk because the screen itself was never recorded.
No special hardware
No Copilot+ PC, no NPU requirement. Trace runs on any reasonably modern Windows, Mac or Linux machine — the one you already have.
Light capture, not snapshots
Browser history, active window and clipboard text — not constant screen captures. Screenshots with OCR are planned as an opt-in extra, not the default.
Exclusions before capture
Block apps, domains and private/incognito windows. The exclusion filter runs before anything is written to disk, so excluded activity is never stored.
Fully on-device
No servers, no accounts, no sync. Trace is built to run with your firewall closed, and its open-core engine lets you verify there's no network activity.
Want the full breakdown of the capture model and the privacy design? See how Trace works and the privacy section on the home page.
Trace vs Microsoft Recall
A side-by-side look at the two approaches. Recall details reflect Microsoft's publicly documented requirements and changes; product names belong to their respective owners.
| Trace by Fervon | Microsoft Recall | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware required | Any modern Windows, Mac or Linux PC | Copilot+ PC with a 40+ TOPS NPU |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS & Linux | Windows only |
| What it captures | Lightweight signals (history, active window, clipboard) | Periodic full-screen snapshots |
| Continuous screenshots | No (OCR screenshots are an opt-in extra, coming later) | Yes, by design |
| Exclusions | Filtered before anything is written | Filtered after capture |
| Runs fully offline | Yes — works firewall-closed, open-core engine | Yes — processing is on-device |
| Privacy track record | Minimal capture from day one | Hardened after widely reported criticism |
| Pricing | One-time $39 (early-bird, reg. $59) | Bundled with a Copilot+ PC purchase |
Comparison provided in good faith based on publicly available information as of 2026. Microsoft has changed Recall's defaults and protections over time; check current Microsoft documentation for the latest details.
Pricing & platforms
Recall comes "free" in the sense that it's bundled with a Copilot+ PC — but that means buying into a specific, newer class of Windows hardware to get it. Trace is the opposite: a small one-time payment on hardware you already own. Joining the waitlist locks in the $39 early-bird price (regular $59), with no subscription and no cloud account.
Trace targets Windows, macOS and Linux, so a single tool covers every machine you use. An optional, fully local AI tier is planned for later — useful for semantic questions over your own memory — but it is never required, and it still keeps everything on-device.
One honest note: Trace is currently in a waitlist and beta phase and isn't available to download yet. The button below adds you to the list so you get the beta first and keep the early-bird price. You can compare full details any time on the pricing section of the home page.
Get started
If you wanted Recall but couldn't use it, or you weren't comfortable with constant screen snapshots, Trace is built for you. Join the waitlist to get the beta, lock in the $39 lifetime price, and help shape what gets built — on the PC you already have.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Copilot+ PC for Trace?
No. Unlike Microsoft Recall, Trace doesn't require a Copilot+ PC or any dedicated AI hardware (NPU). It runs on any reasonably modern Windows, macOS or Linux computer because it captures lightweight signals instead of constant full-screen snapshots.
Is Microsoft Recall private?
Microsoft says Recall keeps its snapshots local and encrypted, and after widely reported criticism it made the feature opt-in and added Windows Hello protection. Even so, the approach of periodically capturing your screen has continued to draw privacy concerns from security researchers. Trace takes a different route: it records far less, filters exclusions before anything is written, and works fully on-device.
What's a good Microsoft Recall alternative?
If you want Recall's core benefit — finding anything you saw or did — without the Copilot+ PC requirement, Trace is a strong alternative. It's local-first, cross-platform, captures lightweight signals rather than continuous screenshots, and is a one-time purchase instead of being tied to a specific class of new PC.
Does Trace take constant screenshots like Recall?
No. By default Trace notes lightweight signals — browser history, the active window, and clipboard text. Screenshots with OCR are planned as an opt-in extra and are not part of the current build. Continuous screen capture isn't how Trace works.
How much does Trace cost, and is it available yet?
Trace is a one-time purchase — joining the waitlist locks in the $39 early-bird price (regular $59), with no subscription. It targets Windows, macOS and Linux. It's currently in a waitlist and beta phase and isn't available to download yet; the waitlist is how you get the beta first.
More comparisons
Weighing up other memory tools? See how Trace stacks up — and read the full story on the Trace home page.
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