Local-first, offline-ready notes
Brim keeps your notes on your own device — no network required, no account needed, ready the moment you open it. iCloud sync is an optional paid upgrade, never a prerequisite.
What local-first means
Brim stores your notes, tags, and image attachments on your own device first — in the app container, UserDefaults, or the App Group container. Capturing and reading never depend on a network: on the subway, on a plane, in a meeting room with no Wi-Fi, you open the app and write.
It also means there's no account system: no registration, no sign-in, no email verification. The moment installation finishes, the app is fully usable.
What works offline
Local-first doesn't mean "degraded when offline" — it means "complete when offline." Without any connection, all of this works:
- Pulling out a new note and editing everything in it;
- Markdown lists, Tab indentation, and shortcut styles;
- Tags, image attachments, starring, and manager-panel search;
- Switching notes between desktop and stowed states, and batch tidy-up.
The only capability that needs a network is iCloud sync — and even then, data moves only between your own devices, never through a developer-run server.
Ownership and privacy boundaries
Your content never leaves your devices and your own iCloud account: the app bundles no third-party advertising, analytics, or crash-reporting SDKs, and never sends note content to a developer-operated server. Full details in Where your data lives and the Privacy Policy.
Sync is an upgrade, not a prerequisite
The free plan is fully usable on a single device, indefinitely. When you want Mac and iPhone to stay in step, upgrade to Pro and turn on iCloud sync. If iCloud is unavailable, the app automatically falls back to local-only storage — nothing about local use changes.
