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Pieces for Developers vs Semperis

Pieces for Developers logo

Pieces for Developers

Developer Tools

AI-powered memory layer that captures and organizes developer work

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Semperis logo

Semperis

Cybersecurity

Identity threat detection and Active Directory forest recovery for AD, Entra ID and Okta, from a privately held US vendor.

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Pieces for Developers has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Pieces for Developers requires installing and running a background desktop app rather than being purely cloud-based.; Semperis scope is limited to Active Directory, Entra ID and Okta, so an organisation whose critical identity lives elsewhere gets little from it, and the recovery value declines in direct proportion to how much has already moved off on-premises AD.
  • They diverge on capability: Pieces for Developers covers Activity Timeline, Semperis covers Active Directory Forest Recovery.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pieces for Developers and Semperis actually diverge.

Attributes where Pieces for Developers and Semperis differ
AttributePieces for DevelopersSemperis
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
Platformswindows, mac, linuxWeb
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity
Founded2018Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Pieces for Developers

  • Activity Timeline
  • Conversational Search
  • Artifact Generation
  • Cross-tool Integration
  • MCP Server
  • On-device Storage

Only in Semperis

  • Active Directory Forest Recovery
  • Malware-free restore
  • Replication-stream monitoring
  • Automated rollback
  • Attack indicator scoring
  • Entra ID and Okta coverage
  • Purple Knight
  • Forest Druid

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Pieces for Developers

  • Recalling code snippets and context from earlier work sessionsnot Semperis
  • Generating standup updates automatically from captured activitynot Semperis
  • Feeding long-term memory into AI coding assistants via MCPnot Semperis
  • Searching past research and meeting notes conversationallynot Semperis

Semperis

  • An organisation that cannot answer an auditor or insurer asking how long it would take to rebuild Active Directory after a destructive attacknot Pieces for Developers
  • Post-incident recovery where domain controllers are compromised and restoring from system-state backup would reintroduce the attacker's footholdnot Pieces for Developers
  • Continuous detection of privileged group changes and directory-level tampering that domain controller security logs missnot Pieces for Developers
  • Hybrid estates where AD, Entra ID and Okta all matter and no single tool currently shows changes across the threenot Pieces for Developers

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Pieces for Developers

  • Requires installing and running a background desktop app rather than being purely cloud-based.
  • Free tier trial of Pro features requires a credit card and reverts after 7 days.
  • Local-first storage means memory is not automatically synced across multiple machines without Enterprise controls.
  • Effectiveness depends on the breadth of integrations enabled, which adds setup overhead.

Semperis

  • Scope is limited to Active Directory, Entra ID and Okta, so an organisation whose critical identity lives elsewhere gets little from it, and the recovery value declines in direct proportion to how much has already moved off on-premises AD.
  • The licence buys tooling, not a proven runbook: forest recovery is only worth what your last rehearsal demonstrated, and a plan that has never been executed end to end in a lab is an untested assumption regardless of what was purchased.
  • It overlaps with backup and directory management products from Quest, Veeam, Commvault and others, so the buyer must argue internally why a dedicated product is needed alongside a backup contract that already claims to protect Active Directory.
  • Running Directory Services Protector well requires someone who understands AD internals, replication metadata and Tier 0 attack paths, and without that person the alerts on privileged changes are either ignored or auto-reverted in ways that break legitimate administration.
  • Licensing is driven by identity object counts, so directories carrying years of stale user accounts and service principals pay for objects that should have been deleted, and the cleanup project that would reduce the bill is the one nobody has time for.

Pricing, plan by plan

Pieces for Developers

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic capture and search
    • 7-day trial of Pro features
  • Pro$18.99/month
    • Long-term on-device memory
    • Cross-app capture
    • Single-click summaries and recaps
  • Enterprise$22.99/month
    • All Pro features
    • Organization-wide capture and feature controls
    • Approved AI providers and custom API keys

Semperis

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Semperis review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Pieces for Developers if

  • You need activity timeline.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on windows, mac, linux.
  • You also want conversational search.
Pieces for Developers review

Choose Semperis if

  • You need active directory forest recovery.
  • You also want malware-free restore.
Semperis review

Questions people ask

Is Pieces for Developers or Semperis better?
Neither clearly leads. Pieces for Developers starts at Free and Semperis at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pieces for Developers or Semperis?
Pieces for Developers has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Pieces for Developers and On request for Semperis.
Does Pieces for Developers or Semperis run on more platforms?
Pieces for Developers runs on windows, mac, linux. Semperis runs on Web.
Can I use Pieces for Developers for free?
Yes. Pieces for Developers has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Semperis starts at On request.
What is Pieces for Developers best used for?
Pieces for Developers is most often used for recalling code snippets and context from earlier work sessions, generating standup updates automatically from captured activity, feeding long-term memory into ai coding assistants via mcp, searching past research and meeting notes conversationally. Of those, recalling code snippets and context from earlier work sessions and generating standup updates automatically from captured activity are not what Semperis is typically brought in for.
What can Pieces for Developers do that Semperis cannot?
Pieces for Developers covers Activity Timeline, Conversational Search, Artifact Generation, Cross-tool Integration. Semperis covers Active Directory Forest Recovery, Malware-free restore, Replication-stream monitoring, Automated rollback.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Pieces for Developers: Does Pieces store my data in the cloud?

Pieces stores captured data on-device by default, giving users granular controls to pause, disable or delete captures rather than relying solely on cloud storage.

Source
Semperis: Does this replace my backups?

No. It replaces the Active Directory recovery procedure specifically. You still need backups for everything else, and the point of Semperis is that a generic system-state backup of a domain controller is a poor way to recover a forest because it restores the operating system along with whatever compromised it.

Pieces for Developers: Is there a free plan for Pieces?

Pieces does not offer a permanently free plan; new users instead get a 7-day free trial on any plan, which requires a credit card to start.

Source
Semperis: Is it useful if we are cloud-only on Entra ID?

Partly. Directory Services Protector covers Entra ID and Okta for change tracking and posture, but the forest recovery product, which is the strongest reason to buy, applies to on-premises Active Directory. A genuinely cloud-only organisation should weigh it against Microsoft's own tooling.

Pieces for Developers: What does the Pro plan cost?

Pro is $18.99 per month billed monthly, with roughly a 25% discount available when billed yearly.

Source
Semperis: Are Purple Knight and Forest Druid really free?

Yes, both are free downloads with no licence requirement, and they are widely used by organisations that are not Semperis customers. They are also, transparently, the top of the sales funnel.

Pieces for Developers: What does the Enterprise plan add?

Enterprise costs $22.99 per month (or $69.99 per quarter) and adds organization-wide admin controls, approved AI providers, and governance over captured data.

Source
Semperis: How long does forest recovery actually take?

The honest answer is whatever your rehearsal took. The vendor's case is hours instead of days, and automation genuinely removes most manual steps, but the number that matters for your board is the one from a test in your own environment.

Pieces for Developers: Can I cancel my Pieces subscription?

Yes, users can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime from account settings, and all plans include a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Source
Semperis: Does it require agents on domain controllers?

It collects directory changes from the AD replication stream, which is what lets it see changes that bypass the security log. Deployment details vary by product and version, so confirm the exact architecture against your domain controller change-control rules.

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