Epilude vs Screencap: Features, Pricing & Which Is Better (2026)

A side-by-side comparison of Epilude and Screencap — features, pricing, and ideal use cases — to help you decide which AI tool fits your workflow.

Epilude

Paid

Voice productivity suite for Mac: press a key, speak naturally, and formatted text appears in any app; includes dictation and text-to-speech.

Push-to-Speak Dictation: Press-and-hold a configurable hotkey to speak naturally; on release Epilude converts speech to formatted text and inserts it into the active application, minimizing context switching.
System-wide Text Insertion: Works across macOS apps by pasting converted text directly at the cursor, enabling immediate use in mail clients, editors, browsers, and other programs.
Formatted Output & Punctuation: Recognizes spoken punctuation and applies basic formatting rules so transcriptions are structured and ready for editing or sending.
Text-to-Speech Playback: Reads selected or generated text aloud using system voices for proofreading, review, or auditory consumption of content.
Customizable Hotkeys & Shortcuts: Allows users to configure keys for dictation and playback controls to match individual workflows and accessibility needs.
Lightweight Native Integration: Designed for low-friction macOS use with a focus on quick capture, minimal setup, and seamless interaction with existing apps.
Push-to-talk dictation: press a key to record speech and release to insert transcribed text
Text-to-speech (TTS) capabilities for reading text aloud
Formatted text insertion directly into the active application (works across apps)
Natural speech input (speak naturally — system handles formatting/transcription)
Hotkey-triggered capture (configurable key to start/stop dictation)
Designed for macOS desktop integration and workflows
No public API or SDK mentioned in source material

Meeting Note Capture: Hold the hotkey during calls to transcribe key points and paste formatted notes directly into a note-taking app without switching windows.
Email and Message Composition: Dictate full emails or replies hands-free and have the app insert cleaned, punctuated text into the mail client for quick sending.
Accessibility Text Entry: Provide an alternative input method for users with motor impairments to generate well-formatted text across any macOS application.
Proofreading with Speech Playback: Use TTS to listen to dictated drafts and catch phrasing or punctuation issues before finalizing content.
Rapid Idea Capture for Writers: Quickly capture paragraphs, outlines, or scene notes via voice so writers can preserve flow and transfer content into editors instantly.
Multitasking Workflows: Dictate content while performing other tasks and insert text into spreadsheets, design tools, or browsers without interrupting the primary workflow.
Hands-free composition of emails, documents, and messages by dictation directly into any macOS app
Taking quick notes or meeting minutes via push-to-talk transcription
Accessibility support for users who prefer or require voice input and TTS
Reading selected or pasted text aloud using built-in text-to-speech
Faster content entry into apps that lack built-in dictation features

Proteus Computer Use

Freemium

Local-first macOS screen recorder that captures, labels, and indexes team workflows so knowledge stays searchable and private.

Local-First Capture: Recordings live in ~/.screencap on your Mac and never leave unless you explicitly share them.
On-Device Task Segmentation: An on-device model breaks long recordings into labeled tasks like payroll runs, expense approvals, or CRM data entry.
Full-Text Search of Workflows: Every spoken word and on-screen moment is indexed so any past workflow can be surfaced months later by search.
Privacy-Enforced Recording: Password managers and banking apps are cut before a frame is written; email and chat are masked in real time.
MCP Context Snapshots: While recording, Screencap queries connected MCP servers to capture the exact Gusto/Attio/Linear/Notion record on screen inside the video.
Deliberate Sharing With PII Scrubbing: Every shared copy is scrubbed of names, secrets, and PII, and only the recordings you pick ever leave the machine.
Source-Available Codebase: The full capture engine, encryption, agent, and anonymizer are public on GitHub under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0.

Team Onboarding: Assemble ordered collections of real workflow recordings so new teammates learn exactly how work is actually done.
Institutional Knowledge Capture: Preserve the tacit steps behind payroll runs, reconciliations, and quarterly reports as searchable video.
Ops Documentation: Replace stale wikis by pointing teammates at labeled task recordings that stay current with the real system.
Compliance-Sensitive Recording: Capture back-office work in banking, finance, and HR without leaking passwords, account balances, or PII.
Computer-Use Dataset Contribution: Optionally donate reviewed, scrubbed recordings to a public dataset for training open computer-use models.