4 min read

Feature

Local-First Notes

Your data stays on your machine. Period.

What is local-first notes?

Every popular note-taking app stores your data on their servers. Notion, Roam, Craft — they all require you to trust a third party with your thoughts, strategies, and sensitive documents.

Melo is local-first. Your notes, tasks, and workspace data live on your Mac. There are no server round-trips, no sync delays, no loading spinners. Open Melo, and your entire workspace is there instantly.

Local-first doesn't mean isolated. Melo's AI features work by sending only the context needed for your query, and your data never persists on external servers. You get the power of AI with the privacy of local storage.

Key benefits

1

Instant performance

No server round-trips means no loading spinners. Your workspace opens instantly, searches are instant, and everything responds in milliseconds.

2

True privacy

Your notes never leave your machine by default. Sensitive strategies, personal reflections, client work — all private, all local.

3

Works offline

No internet? No problem. Melo works perfectly offline because everything is local. Your workspace is always available.

4

You own your data

No vendor lock-in worries. Your data is on your Mac in a structured format. If you ever leave Melo, your data comes with you.

Who is this for?

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Local-First Notes work in Melo?

Local-First Notes is built natively into Melo's spatial canvas. It's not a plugin or add-on — it's a core part of the workspace that integrates with your notes, tasks, AI, and other tiles. See the feature details above for specifics.

Which apps have local-first notes?

Few productivity apps offer true local-first notes the way Melo does. While some tools have partial implementations, Melo's version is deeply integrated into a spatial canvas with full AI awareness and local-first architecture.

Can I use Melo offline?

Absolutely. Since Melo is local-first, your entire workspace works offline. Notes, tasks, canvas arrangement, clipboard history — everything is available without an internet connection. AI features require connectivity.

Is my data private with Melo?

Yes. Melo is local-first, meaning your data lives on your Mac by default. Nothing is uploaded to external servers unless you explicitly use AI features, which send only the necessary context and don't persist your data.