4 min read

Project Planning · Researchers

Project Planning built for researchers.

Open a journal article in one tile, your notes in another, and AI chat to help you synthesize findings. Melo's spatial layout lets you visually map relationships between papers. All data stays local — your unpublished research never touches a cloud server.

The researchers problem

Researchers juggle papers, citations, and literature review — often across five or more apps. Every tool switch costs 15-25 minutes of regained focus. When your project planning is scattered across apps, you lose context, miss connections, and spend more time managing tools than doing real work.

Traditional project planning tools weren't designed for researchers. They either force you into rigid structures that don't match your workflow, or they're too simple to handle the complexity of papers, citations, and literature review.

How Melo helps researchers

Melo gives researchers a spatial canvas designed for project planning. Instead of bouncing between apps, you tile everything on one board — notes, web references, AI chat, tasks, and calendar. Your project planning becomes a visual workspace that matches how you actually think about papers, citations, and literature review.

The AI sees your entire workspace, so it can help with papers, citations, and literature reviewwith full context. Ask it to summarize your work, draft communications, brainstorm ideas, or organize your board — and it responds with answers grounded in what you're actually working on.

Pain points Melo solves

1

Dozens of browser tabs open with journal articles and no way to organize them

2

Literature review notes disconnected from the papers they reference

3

AI tools that summarize without understanding your research context

4

Collaborative tools that put sensitive unpublished research on someone else's server

Researchers workflow in Melo

Open Melo and create a board for your primary papers. Tile your key documents, a task list, relevant web pages, and an AI chat. As you work, the spatial layout keeps everything visible — no hidden tabs, no lost context.

When you need to switch contexts, switch boards. Each board preserves your tiling arrangement exactly as you left it. AI carries context across your workspace, so it can help you connect ideas between different areas of your work.

The result: less time managing tools, more time doing the work that matters. Your project planning setup becomes a spatial extension of how you think — fast, visual, and always available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Melo good for researchers?

Yes. Melo's spatial canvas is particularly well-suited for researchers who need to manage papers, citations, and literature review. The ability to tile multiple content types on one board means you can see everything relevant to your work without switching apps.

Can Melo replace my current project planning setup?

For most people, yes. Melo handles notes, tasks, web references, AI, calendar, and clipboard in one spatial workspace. Instead of bouncing between multiple apps for project planning, you get everything on one canvas.

What makes Melo better than other tools for researchers?

Most tools force you into their structure — linear documents, rigid databases, or text-only editors. Researchers need flexibility to arrange papers, citations, and literature review in a way that makes sense. Melo's spatial canvas adapts to you, and the AI understands your full context.

Is Melo free?

Melo is a one-time lifetime license ($29.99). There's no free tier and no subscription — you pay once and get full access to everything from day one, no feature gating, all future updates included.

What platforms does Melo support?

Melo is built exclusively for macOS. It's a native Electron app optimized for the Mac experience — trackpad gestures, keyboard shortcuts, and performance tuned for Apple hardware.