Pieces
but doubters get paid if the project flops
Last verified:
What is Pieces?
Pieces for Developers is an AI-enabled productivity tool designed to help developers manage their workflow through intelligent code snippet management, contextualized copilot interactions, and proactive surfacing of useful materials. It serves as an AI code assistant with long-term memory that quietly captures up to 9 months of rich, local memory across your IDE, browser, terminals, docs, and conversations so you can access it anytime.
The tool features a native desktop application on macOS, Windows, and Linux that integrates across your browser, IDE, and collaboration software including VS Code, JetBrains, Chrome Extension, Obsidian, JupyterLab, and Microsoft Teams. Key capabilities include saving code snippets from anywhere (IDE, images, files, websites), automatic enrichment with titles/descriptions/links, OCR code extraction from screenshots, one-link sharing for collaboration, Pieces Copilot for contextualized code generation, and support for 50+ LLMs with the ability to switch mid-conversation using Pieces MCP.
Pieces is purpose-built for developers at all levels - from students and indie developers to startups, open source teams, and enterprise organizations. It acts as a cohesive
Pieces pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
The Individual plan is free forever with core features including Copilot conversations, snippet management, and on-device AI. Pieces is totally free for individual use. Paid plans are planned for the near future but pricing details are not yet disclosed. The company mentions a Free Trial is available for evaluating the product before committing to paid plans. Some sources indicate a potential $10/month price point for paid tiers, but this is not officially confirmed on the main pricing page.
Pieces pros
- Stores up to 9 months of workflow context and memory
- Works completely offline with on-device AI processing
- Supports 50+ LLMs with ability to switch mid-conversation
- Native desktop app on macOS, Windows, and Linux
- Integrates with VS Code, JetBrains, Chrome, Obsidian, JupyterLab, Teams
- Extracts code from screenshots using OCR and edge ML models
- Automatically enriches snippets with title, description, and metadata
- Supports nearly 40 programming languages
- One-link sharing for seamless collaboration
- GitHub Copilot integration to access long-term memory from IDE
- Pieces MCP connects language models to personal context
- Centralized repository for all code snippets and workflow materials
- Sensitive data like API keys and PII automatically filtered
- Can disable long-term memory for fixed periods or app-to-app basis
- No screenshots stored - only code and text context
- Free tier available for individual developers
- Snippet discovery learns from your project themes
- Copilot conversations completely free of charge
- Edit snippets with keyboard shortcut CTRL/CMD + E
- Organized carousel view by date created
Pieces cons
- Requires Pieces OS background service to function
- Older machines may struggle with local LLM models
- Local models require minimum 3-6GB RAM/VRAM depending on model
- Custom local LLMs not yet supported (in backlog)
- Semantic search not yet available - only exact/fuzzy match
- Only officially supports Ubuntu 22.04+ for Linux (other distros unguaranteed)
- No permanently free paid plan yet - free trial only for paid tiers
- Proxy setups may cause connection failures on Windows
Frequently asked questions about Pieces
What is Pieces OS and why do I need it?
Pieces OS is the background service that enables Pieces to work locally and handles communications with all integrations. Without Pieces OS, Pieces for Developers cannot save snippets, generate responses to questions, or interact with any installed plugins. Pieces OS also enables cloud-enabled features like link sharing and cloud sync so you can access your data from anywhere.
What's the difference between Pieces OS and Pieces for Developers?
Pieces OS is the background service that enables Pieces to work locally and handles communications with integrations. Pieces for Developers is the desktop app where you can see and manage your snippets. You need both - Pieces OS runs in the background while Pieces for Developers is the user interface.
Is Pieces really free to use?
Yes! Pieces is totally free for individual use. The Individual plan is free forever with access to core features including Copilot conversations, snippet management, on-device AI, and all integrations. The company plans to release paid plans in the near future for teams and enterprise features.
How does long-term memory work in Pieces?
Pieces quietly captures up to 9 months of rich, local memory across your IDE, browser, terminals, docs, and conversations. This context is stored locally on your device, locally processed, and filtered for sensitive data. You can access this memory anytime through Copilot to get context-aware help that understands your codebase and workflow patterns.
Can I control what my AI code assistant remembers?
Yes. All context stays on your device and is locally processed. You can disable long-term memory when needed, either for fixed periods or on an app-to-app basis. If you forget to turn off LTM while working on sensitive material, you can delete those memories. Only when using a cloud LLM and only if you choose to will minimal relevant snippets be shared.
What programming languages does Pieces support?
Pieces supports nearly 40 programming languages including Python, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, C, C++, C#, Go, Rust, Ruby, PHP, Kotlin, Swift, Scala, R, SQL, HTML, CSS, Dart, Erlang, Elixir, Haskell, Lua, MATLAB, Objective-C, Perl, PowerShell, Shell, TeX, TOML, XML, YAML, Markdown, Batchfile, Clojure, CoffeeScript, Emacs Lisp, and Groovy. More languages are continually being added.
How does search work in Pieces?
Currently search is an exact match on code and filename with some fuzzy matching that continues to improve. Semantic search by language and metadata (like whether code has loops) is coming soon. As a near-term workaround, you can rename snippets using CTRL+R or add tags to enable more useful search results.
Can I use Pieces offline or in secure environments?
Yes. Pieces works completely offline with on-device AI processing. All context stays on your device, is locally processed, and never includes screenshots. This makes it suitable for secure environments. You can use local LLMs (CPU or GPU versions) without any cloud connection, though cloud LLMs require internet only when you choose to use them.