Capacities vs Microsoft Recall

Pricing, features, platforms and who each one suits — side by side.

Capacities

Note-taking app that organizes ideas as linked objects instead of folders

Free · from $9.99/moVisit site

Microsoft Recall

Searchable local snapshots of your screen history on Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs

Pricing unknownVisit site

Choose Capacities if…

you want a free plan to start with
you need an API to build on
you work on Web, macOS, Linux
you're in its core audience: writers, researchers

Choose Microsoft Recall if…

you're in its core audience: windows 11 copilot+ pc owners, knowledge workers

Side by side

FeatureC

CapacitiesM

Microsoft Recall

Pricing modelFreemiumPricing unknown

Starting price$9.99/mo—

Free plan

Free trial

API

Open source

Trains AI on your contentNoNo

Data retentionAI providers store data only temporarily; no permanent storage of contentOldest snapshots deleted when max storage reached; user chooses how long snapshots are kept

Backlinks & graph—

Meeting transcription—

MCP connector—

PlatformsWeb, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, APIWindows

CategoryNotes & KnowledgePersonal Assistants

CompanyCapacities Labs GmbHMicrosoft

Based inGermanyUnited States

Founded2022—

Part of——

What the free plans include

Capacities

Media uploads up to 5 GB total, then 100 MB per month
View-only sharing only
No whiteboards, task management, smart queries, calendar integration or AI assistant
No public API

Microsoft Recall

No free plan.

Key features

C Capacities

Custom object types with properties
Backlinks, graph view and daily notes
Related content and unlinked mention detection (Pro)
AI assistant and image, PDF, weblink analysis (Pro)
Task management with actions to Todoist and Things (Pro)
AI Chat Connectors for ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor (Pro)
Import/export to Markdown, CSV and more
Capture via WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter and email

M Microsoft Recall

Automatic screen snapshots every few seconds and on content change
Search by typed or spoken description
Text and visual matches labeled close or related
Timeline browsing and per-app result filtering
Exclude specific apps and websites
Sensitive information filtering for passwords and card numbers
Local encrypted storage protected by Windows Hello
Click to Do actions on text and images in snapshots

Plans and prices

From each vendor's site. Prices change — confirm before buying.

Capacities

Capacities BasicFree

Capacities Pro$9.99/month

Capacities Believerfrom $12.49/month

Plus AI Power-Up$8.33/month billed annually

Microsoft Recall

Pricing unknown. Plan details aren't published.

Strengths and limitations

Capacities

Free plan includes unlimited objects, sync and offline support
Apps for web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
Full export to standard formats
EU hosting, GDPR compliant

AI, tasks, whiteboards and API require a paid plan
Pro includes only a light AI budget; regular use needs the Plus add-on
Built for individuals, not team collaboration; sharing is view-only
Free plan media uploads capped at 5 GB, then 100 MB/month

Microsoft Recall

Snapshots are stored locally and encrypted, and the page says they are not shared with Microsoft
Off by default, with app, website and sensitive-data filters
Search works by text or voice and also matches images
Admins can't secretly turn on snapshots on managed devices