AI · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to Cortex – OS-wide AI with instant context input
Hey HN! I’m Andrew, and I’ve been building Cortex (https://cortexdesktop.com/) for the last few weeks. Cortex is my attempt to reimagine how we interact with computers - starting with a simple interface, but aiming for something deeper: an AI layer over your OS that understands what you’re doing, remembers it, and helps you dynamically. Right now, Cortex is just a floating overlay you can summon anywhere on your Mac. It works like an inline ChatGPT, but it lets you instantly send that context into the chat by highlighting text - so you don’t have to explain what you’re doing.…
Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Prices are shown for the 1 we have checked on their own sites, 1 of them free or with a free tier.
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Second Brain▲281Hi HN, I'm Dom, a solo founder. I built Second Brain to solve a common issue I had with AI chats: the knowledge disappears. There’s no structure, no memory, and no way to reuse or build on them. So I built a tool that combines AI chat with a visual, interconnected knowledge system. Key features: - Save AI responses into editable docs (Notion-style Pages). - AI Visual board with multiple content & chat nodes (like Miro meets ChatGPT). - Add and chat with YouTubes, TikToks, Audio, PDFs, GitHub repos, Looms, websites, etc. - Organize using Projects and Smart Tags — then chat with full contexts.…
2025 · second-brain-lac-ten.vercel.app · its alternatives →
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Persistent memory for Claude, ChatGPT & Cursor. Free.
May 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
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Cortexfree▲306Turn API specs into docs, SDKs, and MCP servers
Sep 2026 · cortexdocs.dev · its alternatives →
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The memory layer that decides what's worth remembering
Aug 2026 · skynetlab-cortex.com · its alternatives →
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- 6IB
I released ContextChat, an AI chat designed to be context-centric, helping you stay focused and productive by giving you control over the information your AI sees. You can import websites, files, and public/private GitHub repos to give the AI full knowledge of your projects. Unlike other chatbots, ContextChat lets you easily switch between project contexts, so you get relevant answers and avoid the noise. It's pay-per-use, giving you flexibility and control over costs and free models are available so you can try it for free with no monthly subscriptions. Let me know your feedback!
2025 · contextch.at · its alternatives →
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Friendware▲190Hey HN, I built Friendware because I wanted autocomplete that works everywhere on my Mac, not just in code editors. In any text field it can draft replies, rewrite text, and write prompts for AI tools; it uses on-screen context to adjust based on what you’re doing. My goal was making it feel native and not require workflow changes, so it stays accessible across apps by living in the notch. Currently working on better voice learning and a memory system, would love feedback on what to prioritize!
Jan 2026 · friendware.ai · its alternatives →
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Cortex▲70Run multiple claude-code agents from YAML config
Jan 2026 · cortex-cli.vercel.app · its alternatives →
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AI Memory Context Solved
Jan 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
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I keep running in the same problem of each AI app “remembers” me in its own silo. ChatGPT knows my project details, Cursor forgets them, Claude starts from zero… so I end up re-explaining myself dozens of times a day across these apps. The deeper problem 1. Not portable – context is vendor-locked; nothing travels across tools. 2. Not relational – most memory systems store only the latest fact (“sticky notes”) with no history or provenance. 3. Not yours – your AI memory is sensitive first-party data, yet you have no control over where it lives or how it’s queried. Demo video:…
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
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Production infrastructure for machine learning at scale - cortexlabs/cortex
2019 · github.com · its alternatives →
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Production infrastructure for machine learning at scale - GitHub - cortexlabs/cortex at v0.15.1
2020 · github.com · its alternatives →
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Your intelligent AI companion for conversations
Mar 2026 · cortex-ai-v1.vercel.app · its alternatives →
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Cortex▲2Persistent memory layer for AI coding tools (Claude, Cursor)
Jun 2026 · cortex-vercel-omega.vercel.app · its alternatives →
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The AI workspace where your files, notes and data connect
Jul 2026 · clear-cortex.com · its alternatives →
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Hi HN — I’m Prateek Rao. My cofounders and I built Cortexa, which we describe as a Bloomberg terminal for agentic memory. A pattern I keep seeing: when agents misbehave, most teams iterate on prompts and then “fix” it by plugging in a memory layer (vector DB + RAG). That helps sometimes — but it doesn’t guarantee correctness. In practice it often introduces a new failure mode: the agent retrieves something dubious, writes it back to memory as if it’s truth, and that mistake becomes sticky. Over time you get memory pollution, circular hallucination loops, and debugging turns into log…
Mar 2026 · cortexa.ink · its alternatives →
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AI coding IDE. Ship faster. Reduce context switching.
Jul 2026 · cortex-ide.app · its alternatives →
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PAI▲9Hi HN! I've been spending the past month on PAI, a Linux-esque harness for a personal assistant AI for your Mac. Instead of giving a chatbot a bunch of tools, I wanted to just drop the LLM into a terminal and see how it'd fare. I've been using it to manage my calendar, 5+ email accounts, and engaging with / responding to people in a timely manner (casus belli for this entire project). After seeing how other always-on assistants were designed, I thought the Unix / Linux philosophy of system design could be applied to AI harnesses, and I wanted to experiment with how it'd hold up…
Jul 2026 · whitematterlabs.ai · its alternatives →
- 21AL
Hi HN friends, we're Nima (nimabanai) and Craig (cbschind) from Assemble Labs (https://assemblelabs.co) building the hardware context layer for AI to help you write better firmware faster. We’ve built an MCP server that plugs into any AI tool you’re using (Cursor, Claude Code, Gemini, etc.) and brings complete hardware context (schematics, datasheets, etc.) to your existing environment (new app fatigue is real...) with accuracy and in real time. Our goal is to make writing and debugging firmware on custom hardware faster and easier. Try out the free beta release:…
2025 · its alternatives →
- 22IF
Hello there! I hope you're doing well today! I wanted to share something with you. Recently I was on the hunt for the best way to journal daily. Well, I had this idea - what if I could feed all my daily entries to an AI (ChatGPT), and create a friendly, supportive character like Socrates or Simon Sinek? This way, I could ask any questions about my life and mental health, and get some amazing advice on how to improve myself! The results have been absolutely mind-blowing ! I even made a short GIF to show you how it works - check it out! - https://gifyu.com/image/SdHLH I've…
2023 · its alternatives →
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I'm a Machine Learning engineer. Struggled with consistency for months on my goals, life etc, so I built something to help myself (zropi.com) but that surprised me or shocked me literally. It’s an AI companion that feels alive: chats like a person. Pauses, emotions, personality. Sends voice notes when it's excited about something or whenever it wants (has its like own mind). Shares photos of itself. But the memory It remembers EVERYTHING. Not just facts context, preferences, random things I mentioned. Last week I asked "how's that thing I told you about going?" and it knew exactly what I…
Jan 2026 · zropi.com · its alternatives →
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Universal Long-Term Memory for AI Agents via MCP
Apr 2026 · cortexmpc.vercel.app · its alternatives →
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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →