Built for documents you would never upload.
Here's exactly what “local-first” means, what never happens by default, and where PortableRAG's current limits are — in plain language.
Local-first by design
PortableRAG is designed so your documents and your questions stay on your computer. Processing happens locally using models that run on your machine, not on a server we operate.
What doesn't happen by default
- — Your documents are not uploaded anywhere.
- — No cloud account or API key is required to use the app.
- — No document content is sent to us or to a third party for the app to function.
Offline mode
Once your local models are downloaded and set up, PortableRAG can run fully offline. You control when and whether it connects to the internet.
You control your files
PortableRAG reads the files you add to a project; it does not move or replace your original documents.
What deleting a project does
Deleting a project removes the local data PortableRAG generated for that project — its search index and project-specific files. It does not delete your original documents. Your source files remain wherever you originally stored them.
This website's analytics and waitlist data
Everything above is about the PortableRAG desktop app. This section is about this website — a different, much smaller scope.
What the website collects, and why
- — Basic visit analytics: an anonymous, randomly-generated visitor id (stored in your browser, not tied to your name or email), which pages you viewed, which buttons you clicked, and where you came from (referrer / UTM campaign parameters, e.g. from a LinkedIn post link). We use this to understand what's working and where to focus — not to build a profile of you.
- — Coarse device info: browser, operating system, and device type (desktop/mobile), parsed from standard request headers. We do not use fingerprinting techniques to try to identify you across visits.
- — Country, when available from our hosting provider's edge network — we do not store your IP address to get this.
- — Waitlist details, only if you submit the early-access form: your name, email, operating system, profession, use case, whether you'd use PortableRAG for confidential documents, and any optional message — plus the same attribution info above, so we know which campaigns are actually driving sign-ups. This is stored so we can follow up about early access; it is never sold, and it is not shared beyond what's needed to run this early access program (e.g. an email provider to send you one confirmation email).
We do not use Google Analytics or invasive third-party trackers, and none of this analytics pipeline ever touches the contents of your documents — it has no access to them in the first place, since it lives on the website, not inside the desktop app.
Want your waitlist data deleted? Contact us via the Contact page and we'll remove your lead record.
Honest limitations
PortableRAG is under active, early development.
- — It has not been independently audited or certified against standards such as HIPAA, GDPR, or SOC 2. It is designed for privacy-first, local use — that is a design philosophy, not a compliance certification.
- — Optional features that use cloud AI models (if and when you choose to enable them) will always be clearly labeled and opt-in.
- — Always use your own professional judgment when handling regulated or confidential information, and follow your organization's policies.
- — PortableRAG is not a substitute for legal, medical, or financial advice. Always verify important answers against the source and consult a qualified professional.
Questions about privacy or security?