Why LocalCloud
The problem with "the cloud" is that it's someone else's computer.
Every photo you upload to a cloud service lives in a datacenter you'll never see, under terms you didn't write, for a fee that never stops. LocalCloud takes the opposite bet: you already own several computers — your phone, your laptop, your PC. Together they ARE a cloud.
🔒 Private by architecture, not by promise
Most services promise not to look at your data. LocalCloud can't look: there is no server, no account, no database of users. Your devices talk directly to each other over end-to-end encrypted connections — the same TLS 1.3 cryptography your bank uses. A breach of "LocalCloud's servers" is impossible, because they don't exist.
💸 $0/month, forever, by design
Cloud subscriptions exist because datacenters cost money. LocalCloud uses storage you already paid for — the free space on your laptop and PC. A 512 GB laptop holds more than a $10/month cloud plan, and it's already yours.
🛟 Real backup: copies you can count
The status chip tells you exactly how many devices hold each photo — "Safe on 3 devices" means three physical copies in your home. Drop your phone in a lake: every photo that reached your laptop is still there. That's how backup worked before the cloud, and it never stopped being the best way.
⚡ LAN-speed, works offline
On the same Wi-Fi, transfers run at local-network speed — a whole camera roll in minutes, not an overnight upload. No internet? Sync keeps working. The internet is only used (through an encrypted relay) when your devices are apart.
How it works
Three steps. Zero servers.
Install on two devices
Phone + laptop, laptop + PC — any mix of iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows. Every device runs the same sync engine.
Pair with a QR code
One device shows a QR "ticket", the other scans it. The ticket carries a one-time secret, so only the device that scanned it becomes trusted. Paired once, trusted forever.
Everything stays in sync
New photos, imported files, deletions — every change flows to every paired device automatically, within seconds when devices are together.
Under the hood — for the curious
Features
Everything a cloud does — minus the cloud.
Automatic photo backup
Camera roll, screenshots, albums — every album becomes a folder, mirrored to your other devices the moment new photos appear. HEIC and video included.
Nothing to breach
No account to hack, no password to leak, no server to subpoena. Devices authenticate each other with keys that never leave the hardware.
"Safe on N devices"
A live chip counts real physical copies of every item. Green means genuinely backed up; amber tells you exactly how many files are still waiting.
Share folders, not your life
Share one album with family and they receive that folder only — the rest of your library never travels with it.
Files too, not just photos
PDFs, docs, zips, anything — Share → LocalCloud from any app and it lands on every device, with Drive-style type icons and filters.
A real folder on your computer
On Mac and Windows everything mirrors into a normal folder — browse with Finder or Explorer, drag files in to sync them out.
Home Base mode
Nominate an always-on PC as the house archive: it keeps a copy of everything, so your phones stay in sync even when they never meet each other.
Reinstalled? Reclaim.
Wiped your phone? Pair again and tap "This was this device" — your folders regroup under the new install, on every device at once.
No lock-in, ever
Your files sit in normal folders in normal formats. Stop using LocalCloud tomorrow and you lose nothing — everything is already on your disk.
60-second guides
See it work.
The three things you'll do first — exactly as they happen in the app.
Compare
Where LocalCloud fits
An honest comparison — each of these is good at something. LocalCloud is for people who want their library on their own hardware, without running a server.
| LocalCloud | iCloud / Google Photos | NAS / self-hosted | Cable + manual copy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $0 | $2–20/mo forever | $300+ hardware + upkeep | $0 |
| Data leaves your hardware | Never | Always | No (if configured right) | No |
| Setup skill needed | Scan a QR code | Sign in | Docker, ports, updates… | None |
| Automatic & continuous | Yes | Yes | Yes | No — you have to remember |
| Works with no internet | Yes — LAN sync | No | On LAN | Yes |
| Copies you can count | Shown per item | One, somewhere | Usually one | However many you made |
Download
Get LocalCloud
Store listings are on the way. Direct desktop downloads will appear here the moment they're signed.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Where is my data stored?
Only on your own devices. LocalCloud has no servers — your photos move directly from one device to another over an encrypted connection. Uninstall the app and that device's copies are gone; your other devices keep theirs.
Do I need an account?
No. There is nothing to sign up for. Devices trust each other through a one-time QR pairing that exchanges cryptographic keys directly.
Does it work away from home?
Yes. When your devices aren't on the same Wi-Fi they connect through an encrypted relay that forwards bytes it cannot read. On the same network, they talk directly at LAN speed.
What happens if I lose my phone?
Every photo that reached your other devices is still there — that's the point. The "Safe on N devices" chip turns green only once an item exists on more than one device. For irreplaceable data, pair at least three devices or enable Home Base on an always-on PC.
How is this different from AirDrop or a USB cable?
AirDrop and cables move files once, when you remember to. LocalCloud is continuous: every new photo syncs automatically, deletions propagate, and each device knows exactly what the others hold.
How big can my library be?
As big as your devices' storage. There's no plan to outgrow — a 1 TB desktop drive holds a lifetime of photos and costs less than a year of most cloud subscriptions.
Is it really free?
During early access, yes — every feature. We may add optional paid extras later, but syncing your own devices will stay free.
Contact
Talk to a human
Support & questions
Bug reports, feature ideas, store-review queries, privacy questions — one inbox, answered by the people who build the app.