How Screen Gist compares
Updated November 3, 2026
Screen Gist is for understanding what you watch: any video, lecture, demo or call on your Mac, with what was on screen in the summary. Meeting note-takers are built for calls and mostly summarize speech. Screen-memory apps record and index everything you do. Free offline recorders summarize speech with small local models. Link summarizers need a public video with captions. Here's how these kinds of tools differ, as of November 2026.
At a glance
| Works on | Reads the screen into the summary | Behind logins | AI | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Gist | Any video, lecture, demo or call | Yes: slides, code, charts | Yes | Cloud | First hour free, then about $0.42 an hour |
| Meeting note-takers | Meetings and calls | Mostly no; some add screenshots to notes | Calls only | Cloud | Free plans; team subscriptions |
| Screen-memory apps | Everything you do, all day | Index screen text for search | Yes | Mostly local | Free plans; monthly subscriptions |
| Free offline recorders | Meetings, recordings | No, speech only | Yes | On your Mac (small models) | Free, often open source |
| Link and YouTube summarizers | Public videos with captions | No | No | Cloud | Varies |
When to choose Screen Gist
When the important part is on screen (lecture slides, a demo, code, a chart, a shared screen), when the video is behind a login or has no transcript, and when you want one tool for courses, talks and calls. You pay only for what you summarize, and no recordings are kept. See real recordings summarized with and without the screen.
When another tool fits better
If you only need notes from calls, a meeting note-taker is built for that. If you want free, fully offline notes and don't need the screen, a free on-device recorder. If you want a searchable record of everything you do, a screen-memory app.
Questions
Is there a meeting note-taker that also works on videos and courses?
Screen Gist. It summarizes calls without a bot joining, and also any video, lecture or course on your Mac, with what was on screen in the summary.
Is there a transcription app that reads the screen?
Yes. Screen Gist transcribes the speech and also reads slides, code and charts into the summary.
How is Screen Gist different from screen-memory apps?
Screen-memory apps record and index everything you do for search. Screen Gist summarizes the video, lecture or call you choose, reads what's on screen into that summary, and keeps no recordings.
Are there free alternatives?
Yes: free offline recorders run on your Mac, but they summarize speech only with small local models. Screen Gist's first hour is free.
Try it
Download Screen Gist for your Mac. Every new Mac gets its first hour of video free, with no card needed.
First hour free, no card needed. For a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) running macOS 26 or later.