Local-first — what we mean when we say files stay on your Mac

“Local-first” is easy to print and hard to pin down. This is the narrower meaning we use on BetterMac pages.

Default behavior

• Archives (Better UnArchiver): contents are processed on the Mac by default. Passwords you choose to save go to the local Keychain path the product page describes; they are not an iCloud sync feature we invent.
• Recordings (Better Recorder Pro): video and audio land in the folder you choose. The app does not upload recorded media.
• Transfers (Better Share): LAN and QR paths stay on the network you are on; check the product page for what each mode encrypts and verifies.
• Diagnostics: off by default where the product says so; attachments need your consent before upload.

What still leaves the machine

Mac App Store purchases and restores go through Apple. Optional feedback you send carries the fields you fill in. Analytics on the public site load only after cookie consent, with the events the privacy and cookies pages list.

If a sentence on a product page claims a boundary, that sentence is the contract — not a slogan in a blog intro.

Start from the problem

Use cases map everyday Mac friction to a shipped tool, with limits stated in the same place as the steps.