Remembering what happened on your computer and maintaining an approved record of a project are related tasks. They are not the same buying decision. Start with the evidence you want an assistant to use and the record you want a colleague to inspect.
NeuroAIgent makes Central Brain and publishes this comparison. Pieces capabilities below are based on official documentation reviewed October 17, 2026. We have not performed a common performance benchmark, audited either deployment for your organization, or compared subscription prices.
The key difference is the input you choose
Central Brain begins with files and folders you select. It prepares supported PDF, DOCX, TXT, Markdown, CSV and XLSX content for a local index, then lets supported clients search and read that evidence. Its project notes are deliberate checkpoints: decisions, facts, questions, todos and summaries plus a brief.
Pieces describes an activity-capture model served by PiecesOS, a background service coordinating capture, storage, models and MCP. Its documentation includes application-source controls and an enabled memory engine. Central Brain begins with the project evidence you deliberately select.
| Your workflow | Central Brain benefit | Pieces architecture |
|---|---|---|
| Starting evidence | Selected supported project documents and spreadsheets | Captured work context through PiecesOS and enabled sources |
| Project continuity | Typed notes plus a readable project brief | Recall from long-term workflow context |
| MCP dependency | Central Brain desktop app and supported client configuration | PiecesOS running with long-term memory enabled |
| Local processing | Bundled embeddings, local index and memory | Documented on-device capture, indexing and storage |
Why selected evidence matters for project work
Consider a consultant analyzing several versions of a proposal alongside the approved budget. A useful answer needs to be grounded in the right document, not just something seen during a previous conversation. Central Brain returns source path, prepared-file path, page and chunk where available, so you can inspect the evidence before accepting the conclusion.
After the review, save the decision and why it was made. Leave unresolved issues as questions and upcoming work as todos. The resulting project record is readable without depending on a chat transcript. A later connection can receive a RESUME block, while file search remains available to check what changed.
This is our reason to recommend Central Brain for document-centered work: you choose the evidence boundary and maintain a concise record of what the project now believes. Source references support your review, while typed notes and the brief keep the approved decisions ready for the next session.
Make the approved project record the starting point
Pieces MCP materials describe time- and application-related recall from captured context. Central Brain centers the workflow on your approved project sources and saved checkpoints. The question becomes clear: what does this project need the next session to know?
A Central Brain project brief retains the decisions that should guide the next session. When several applications, browser tabs and discussions contain different versions, your maintained record gives the assistant an explicit starting point. Decisions, facts, questions, todos and summaries each have their place.
Local storage still requires a context-sharing decision
Pieces documents local capture, indexing and storage, with scoped context sent to cloud models for certain AI features. MCP output is also available to the connected client. These are deployment facts, separate from Central Brain's selected-project workflow.
Central Brain also has a clear boundary: files, prepared output, vectors and memory remain on storage you choose in the default workflow; connected AI clients receive what they retrieve. Optional cloud connections send selected data when enabled. Licensing uses Keygen and normally checks online every 14 days. Team and Enterprise can obtain a no-online-check build.
With Central Brain, select the project sources your assistant may access, connect the supported client you intend to use and keep the project record current. Readable notes and chosen storage make backup and review concrete parts of the workflow.
Choose Central Brain when the approved project record comes first
Central Brain is the fit when your next assistant should answer from a selected file set and resume a readable record of project decisions. It combines document preparation, semantic and exact search, source traces where available, and persistent notes in a desktop workflow for supported clients.
Start with a few approved files, ask a question whose source you know, save a correction and inspect the resulting brief in a fresh session. Confirm the available installer and client connection for your setup. If that matches the way you work, choose a Central Brain plan below.
Common questions
Does Central Brain record my screen or every application?
The documented Central Brain workflow prepares and indexes selected project files and saves project memory. It is not described as a passive recorder of all computer activity.
Is Pieces memory local?
Pieces documents on-device capture, indexing and storage through PiecesOS. It also explains that certain AI features send scoped context to cloud models. Check the enabled sources and client configuration.
Can I use Central Brain for both documents and project decisions?
Yes. Supported file preparation and retrieval sit alongside five types of saved project notes and a readable project brief. File tools are read-only; memory tools update the project record.