Selectable: OCR & Text Capture vs kuku
Side-by-side comparison of features, pros & cons, pricing, and community votes (2026).
🏆 kuku leads with 552 upvotes
Make anything selectable
Selectable: OCR & Text Capture is a versatile Mac application designed to make any content on your screen easily selectable and extractable. Whether it's text embedded in images, video frames, or static screenshots, this tool allows users to capture and copy text effortlessly. Its seamless integration with macOS 26+ enables instant translation, transforming language barriers into a thing of the past. Additionally, the app offers text-to-speech (TTS) capabilities, allowing users to listen to extracted content, and provides masking features to safeguard sensitive data during the capture process. Its intuitive menu bar interface makes it accessible for professionals, students, and anyone who frequently works with visual content and needs quick access to textual data. What sets Selectable apart is its combination of multiple functionalities—text extraction, translation, TTS, and privacy masking—within a streamlined, user-friendly platform, making it an invaluable productivity booster.
Pros
- Easy to use with a clean, accessible menu bar interface
- Supports text extraction from images, videos, and screen content
- Instant translation feature for seamless multilingual support
- Built-in TTS for listening to extracted text
- Privacy masking to protect sensitive information during capture
Cons
- Limited information on free vs. paid features; pricing details are unclear
- May require macOS 26+ for full functionality, limiting compatibility
- No mention of advanced OCR accuracy or supported languages beyond translation capabilities
Best for
- • Extracting text from images and videos for research or documentation
- • Translating foreign language content instantly during international work
- • Listening to lengthy or complex text via TTS for improved comprehension
- • Masking sensitive information before sharing screenshots or screen recordings
Pricing: Likely operates on a freemium model, offering basic features for free with premium options or advanced functionalities available through paid plans. Exact pricing details are not specified.
Obsidian — but a lot has changed
Kuku is a native, local-first markdown editor designed for macOS users who prioritize privacy, speed, and flexibility. Built with Tauri instead of Electron, it offers a lightweight, offline-capable experience where notes are stored as plain markdown files, supporting wikilinks, backlinks, and visual graph views. Its standout feature is an integrated AI agent that not only chats but actively searches, edits, and links files, presenting changes with Cursor-style diffs for transparent review. This combination of traditional note-taking with AI-driven enhancements makes Kuku ideal for writers, researchers, and productivity enthusiasts seeking a seamless, privacy-focused environment. Its offline-first design ensures data security and quick access, while its modern UI and robust features offer an Obsidian-like experience minus the bloat and cloud dependencies.
Pros
- Native macOS app built with Tauri for improved speed and stability
- Offline-first with no reliance on cloud storage, ensuring privacy
- Integrated AI agent that searches, edits, and links files intelligently
- Supports markdown with wikilinks, backlinks, and graph view features
- Transparent change tracking with Cursor-style diffs
Cons
- Limited to macOS, no Windows or Linux versions currently
- Still a relatively new tool, with a smaller community compared to established options
- May require some learning curve for users unfamiliar with markdown or AI integrations
Best for
- • Knowledge management and personal wiki building
- • Research note organization with advanced linking and graph views
- • Creative writing and drafting with AI-assisted editing
- • Offline note-taking for privacy-conscious users
Pricing: Likely operates on a freemium model with core features available for free, and premium features or AI capabilities offered via paid plans, though specific pricing details are not publicly confirmed.