Local-first email, with clear limits.

Local-first software keeps a working copy of your data on your device. For an email workspace, the useful question is what you can do with that copy, and which actions still depend on the email provider or another service.

The term comes from a broader set of principles about ownership, offline work, and collaboration, described in Ink & Switch’s local-first research. An app storing data locally does not, on its own, establish every one of those properties.

What local-first means in Sameplace

Sameplace stores working data on your device. Locally available records can be read and edited without fetching every action from a server. Mail, todos, and calendar context share the workspace, so a task can keep its connection to the message that prompted it.

Locally available work

Read and edit records already present on the device.

Provider operations

Sending mail and syncing connected accounts require online services.

AI checks

The current evaluator uses an external service when requested. The public demo simulates the results locally.

“Stored locally” does not mean “everything is downloaded”

Offline access depends on which records and content are already available on that device. A local copy cannot supply a new message that has not arrived yet. Before relying on any email app while travelling, check the particular messages and material you need while you still have a connection.

Loading the website itself is also a separate concern from reading locally stored records. Do not treat local storage as a promise that every browser session can start from scratch without a network connection.

Local storage and on-device AI are different

Where the workspace stores data and where an AI model runs are separate choices. Sameplace’s AI features are part of a paid plan. When you ask for one, the email content it needs is sent to an external AI service; the model does not run on your device.

In the public demo, suggestions are simulated. No email content is sent to an AI service, and no real email account is connected. This lets you explore the review-and-save interaction without implying that the demo demonstrates a live model.

A local copy is not a backup policy

Browser storage can be cleared. Losing a device or its local data is a different problem from losing a network connection. Do not assume that the phrase “local-first” guarantees backup, device-to-device synchronization, encryption, or recovery for every kind of record.

In Sameplace’s demo, edits survive reloads in the same tab. Resetting the demo removes the active demo workspace; clearing site storage removes remaining local demo data. Use fictional data when exploring it. See the privacy notice for the current handling details.

Evaluate it with a real workflow

Try turning an email into a todo, then reopen its source. Or explore meeting preparation with linked correspondence. Access for your own Gmail account opens to the waitlist first.