Barside

Barside is a local-first desktop productivity suite positioned as a second brain that connects notes, tasks, meetings, AI, passwords, and team spaces in one application. It targets individuals, knowledge workers, students, creators, small teams, and paid communities who want to reduce subscription sprawl and keep personal data on their own computer. Core features include rich notes with headings, checklists, tables, code blocks, images, video and audio; Excalidraw-powered drawings; [[wiki-style note links and a note map; a unified tasks board; templates; calendar via Google/Outlook iCal; imports from Notion, Obsidian, Evernote and OneNote; reminders; screen recording; video clipping; screen text recognition; clipboard history; on-device transcription; saved webpages; a Reading inbox; AI assistant, agents with approval inbox, and AI search; a daily Library briefing; meeting follow-through; voice wake-up; Spaces for teams and paid communities; video meetings for up to six people; file sharing; and a built-in password manager. Barside does not bundle its own AI; users connect Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or OpenRouter. The experience is desktop-native, with docking to any monitor edge, a global search bar, keyboard shortcuts, modes to show only needed tools, 25 themes, and optional cloud sync. Content features emphasize practical workflows, comparisons, templates, free tools, creator monetization, privacy explanations, and terms. Technically, Barside is local-first: notes, media, and settings live on the user's computer, no account is required for note-taking, and cloud sync is optional. Available for Linux and Windows, with a Mac beta.