What it does
Notelocal is a private thread between your own devices on the same local network: text, links and files, kept and searchable on each device, with no account and no server. It is in development: the Windows and Mac apps are being built and cannot be installed yet.
One thread, kept on every device
Every item you send joins one thread, and each device keeps the whole history. When devices meet on the network they exchange exactly what the other lacks, so their histories end up identical whatever order things arrived in.
Search the thread
A search field finds past text across the whole thread on the device.
Pair a computer by typing a short code
Two computers pair once by typing an 8-character code shown on the other. Wrong codes are refused, and after five the pairing window closes.
Encrypted links to your own devices only
Devices talk directly over TLS 1.3, with both sides' certificates pinned to the devices you paired. An unpaired device, a device you removed, or any address outside the local network is refused.
Light enough to leave running
The Windows helper waits in the notification area and opens its window only when asked. Measured on 6 October 2026 with a peer linked and about 10,000 items stored, it used a few megabytes of memory with the window closed.
Alerts when something arrives
A dot on the tray icon and a notification tell you when something arrives from another device while the window is closed. Alerts and their text can be switched off.
Questions
Does Notelocal use the internet?
It is built to work only on your local network: there is no server and no account, and its own code refuses any address outside the local network. In October 2026 its outbound connections were watched on a Windows and a Mac test build, and the only one seen on either was the paired device on the home network. A store release and the phones have not been measured yet.
Can I install it today?
No. It is in development and is not on any store.
Which devices will it run on?
Windows and Mac are being built now, and neither can be installed yet. iPhone and Android are planned.
Is there an account or a subscription?
No account. No subscription: the computer apps are a one-time purchase through each store.
Does it show Urdu?
Displays Urdu text in Nastaliq on Windows and iPhone, while the interface itself is English.
Can I send to other people?
No. Notelocal is for one person's own devices. There are no contacts and no groups.
Is my history encrypted on disk?
No, not by Notelocal. It relies on your operating system's disk encryption and makes no claim of its own.
Does it use a browser engine?
No. The window is drawn with Flutter's own renderer, with no WebView.
Privacy
What it collects: The studio collects nothing: there is no backend, no account, no login, no telemetry and no online crash reporting. On your own computer, in the app's data folder, Notelocal keeps the thread (text, links, file items and their details), the files themselves, the device's own key and certificate, the list of devices you paired, their last local addresses, and the helper's settings. Paired devices hold copies of the same thread. What leaves your machine: Measured on both computers in October 2026, from test builds rather than a store release. On Windows, from an installed test package, the only outbound connection seen was to the paired device on the home network, and its local-network announcements went only to the standard local multicast addresses. On a Mac, from a test build, a three-minute watch saw one remote end, the paired device on the home network, and its announcements went only to the local multicast address. A store release and the phones have not been measured, so this page makes no claim about them. By design its code refuses any address outside the local network, and there is no server or account for it to reach.
Read the full Notelocal privacy pageRead the Notelocal licence agreement
What it costs
Windows: a 30-day trial run by Microsoft. Mac: free for 30 days, then a one-time purchase.
Pricing is set at release. It will be a one-time price, not a subscription.
Also from the studio
Questions or problems: support@hardboundstudio.com. A person reads every message.