In short
- Local-first means the copy on your own device is the primary one; servers only hold secondary copies.
- Applied to screen recordings: the library lives on your Mac, and the cloud holds a shared copy only for as long as the link is needed.
- You get ownership of plain video files, less data online and no dependency on a vendor's library.
- You also take on the backups, and you lose a library that follows you to every device.
Local-first screen recording means the original video lives on your Mac, as a file you own, and the cloud is used only to deliver it. You press stop, a copy goes up so your client can watch it from a link, and when that link has done its job the online copy can go away. Your library stays on your disk, not in a vendor’s account.
It’s a deliberate trade, and the one we made for JustRec: more control and less data online, in exchange for taking care of your own files.
Where the idea comes from
“Local-first software” is a term from a 2019 essay by Martin Kleppmann, Adam Wiggins, Peter van Hardenberg and Mark McGranaghan at the research lab Ink & Switch. Its core idea is simple: “we treat the copy of the data on your local device — your laptop, tablet, or phone — as the primary copy.” Servers still exist, but they “hold secondary copies of your data in order to assist with access from multiple devices.”
The essay contrasts this with cloud apps, where “the data on the server is treated as the primary, authoritative copy of the data.” It sets out seven ideals for local-first software. Here are five of them, and how a recorder that keeps its library on your Mac measures up:
| Ideal | In a local-first screen recorder |
|---|---|
| “No spinners: your work at your fingertips” | ~ Recording and previewing are local; sharing waits for the upload |
| “Your work is not trapped on one device” | ✗ The library lives on one Mac |
| “The network is optional” | ~ Only sharing needs a connection |
| “Security and privacy by default” | ✓ Fewer copies online, for less time |
| “You retain ultimate ownership and control” | ✓ Plain video files on your disk |
Ideals quoted from the Ink & Switch essay (2019).
The core idea, that the copy that matters is yours, fits recordings very well. The one ideal we don’t meet is covered under the costs below.
Cloud-first vs local-first recording
Most popular screen recorders are cloud-first. The recording uploads to the vendor’s servers, and the video in your account is the real one. Your share link points to it, and it stays there until someone deletes it.
A local-first recorder flips that around:
| Cloud-first recorder | Local-first recorder | |
|---|---|---|
| The original video | On the vendor’s servers | On your Mac, as a file |
| Your library | A web app you sign in to | A folder on your disk |
| A shared link | Points to the library copy | Points to a delivery copy |
| When you stop paying | Depends on the vendor’s plan limits | Your files are still on your disk |
| Online copies after a year | Everything you’ve ever recorded, unless deleted | Only what you shared recently |
| Browsing your library offline | ~ Needs a connection, unless you download videos | ✓ |
| Same library on every device | ✓ | ✗ Unless you move the files yourself |
| Backups | ✓ The vendor’s job | ✗ Your job |
Neither model is wrong. They suit different jobs, and the difference matters most for the videos agencies and freelancers send every day.
What you get from keeping videos on your Mac
Ownership
Your recordings are ordinary video files. You can open them in any player, move them to a client folder, drop them into a video editor or hand them over at the end of a project. Nothing depends on an account staying active. The essay calls this “you retain ultimate ownership and control”, and for client work it’s the point that matters most: the handover video for a site you built shouldn’t disappear because a subscription lapsed.
Less data online
A cloud library keeps every video you’ve shared online, often with a client’s dashboard or a colleague’s name in the frame. Local-first lets the online copy be temporary. Once the client has watched it, it can be deleted, while you keep the original. We go deeper into this in why expiring video links are safer.
Privacy by default
Fewer copies on other people’s servers means fewer places where things can go wrong: a forwarded link, a compromised account, a change in a vendor’s terms. It also makes the GDPR side simpler, because shared copies have a clear end date. More on that in GDPR and client videos.
The network is optional
Recording, previewing and organizing don’t need a connection in a local-first app. You only need the network when you share.
What it costs you
Local-first isn’t free. Here are the downsides, plainly.
No library that follows you everywhere
The essay’s second ideal is that your work isn’t trapped on one device. A local-first recorder that keeps its library on one Mac doesn’t fully meet it. If you record on your laptop, the video is on your laptop: your desktop Mac and your phone won’t see it unless you move the file yourself.
Sharing again needs the original
When a link has expired and a client asks for the video, you share it again from your library. That works only if you still have the file. Delete it, or lose the disk, and the video is gone for good.
Backups are your job
The essay is direct about this: “With data ownership comes responsibility: maintaining backups or other preventative measures against data loss”. A cloud library backs itself up. A folder on your Mac doesn’t, unless you set it up.
Disk space
Video files take space, especially at Retina resolution. Our guide on making a screen recording smaller on Mac helps, and so does deleting old recordings you’ll never send again.
How to back up your recordings
The built-in way is Time Machine, with an external drive.
- Connect an external drive with enough free space.
- Open .
- Click Add Backup Disk (or the add button), choose the drive and click Set Up Disk.
- Leave it connected, or plug it in regularly. Time Machine keeps hourly backups for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month and weekly backups for older months, and deletes the oldest when the disk is full.
For recordings you can’t afford to lose, like handover and training videos, keep a second copy somewhere else too: a drive at another location, or the client’s own shared folder at the end of the project.
When cloud-first is the better choice
If several people on your team need to browse the same video library, comment on videos and find old ones from any device, a cloud library does that and a local folder doesn’t. The same goes for public tutorials and demos that should stay online for years: put those on a video platform or your own site.
Local-first is the better fit for the videos that make up most async client communication: feedback, reviews, bug reports, quotes, handovers. They need to reach one person quickly and then stop being online. If you’re comparing tools, our page on the Loom alternative for Mac explains how this changes day-to-day work.
Keep the original, share a copy, let the copy go. That’s the whole idea. Before you share, run through our screen recording privacy checklist so the copy that goes out shows only what it should.
Sources
- Ink & Switch: Local-first software, by Martin Kleppmann, Adam Wiggins, Peter van Hardenberg and Mark McGranaghan, April 2019, checked November 2026.
- Apple Support: Back up your Mac with Time Machine, checked November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What does local-first mean?
It's an approach to software where the copy of your data on your own device is the primary copy. Servers still exist, but they hold secondary copies, for example to share or sync. The term comes from a 2019 essay by the research lab Ink & Switch.
What is a local-first screen recorder?
A recorder that saves the original video as a file on your computer and keeps its library there. When you share, it uploads a copy for delivery, but the video doesn't depend on the cloud to exist.
What happens if I lose my Mac?
Recordings that only lived on that Mac are gone unless you had a backup. That's the main responsibility that comes with local-first: back up your recordings, for example with Time Machine.
Can I share a video again after the link has expired?
Yes, as long as you still have the original file. A local-first recorder lets you share it again from the library on your Mac, which creates a new link.
Is local-first better for privacy?
Usually. Fewer copies online, for less time, means less exposure if a link is forwarded or an account is compromised. It doesn't protect against what you show on screen, so a privacy check before recording still matters.
