Desktop, web, and mobile
Write a note on your laptop and pick it up on your phone: Lar runs the same workspace core in the desktop app, the browser app (a progressive web app, or PWA), and the iOS and Android apps. Objects, Types, bodies, queries, capture processing, and sync work the same way everywhere. What differs is what each platform can do, summarized below.
Today you can use the browser app at app.lar.io. The signed desktop app and native mobile apps are in preparation, so the Desktop and iOS / Android columns describe what those apps are built to do. See Install & availability.
| Capability | Desktop | Browser (PWA) | iOS / Android |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local workspace and offline editing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Full three-pane layout | Yes | Windows about 1200 px wide or more | No; dedicated mobile layout |
| Desktop layout with sidebar | Yes | Windows about 768 px wide or more | No |
| Workspace data, attachments, and search index encrypted at rest | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Where the workspace key is held | Operating system keychain | Browser storage, protected by device unlock or a passphrase | Native keychain or keystore |
| Installable as an app | Native installer | Yes, from the browser | Native app |
| More than one workspace, with a workspace switcher | Yes | No | No |
| Sync settings, account sign-in, and device list | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Share an Object, publish a page to the web | Yes | No | No |
| Your own AI provider key | Yes | No; uses the server’s AI service | No; uses the server’s AI service |
| Semantic search | Yes | No | No |
| Export a single Object | Yes | Windows wider than about 768 px | Share… (Markdown) |
| Export or import a whole workspace | Yes | Not yet | Export only |
| Automatic export, local database backups | Yes | No | No |
| Import wizard | Yes | Yes | Yes, except Obsidian folders |
| Connected Google, Microsoft, and CalDAV calendars | Yes | No | No |
| Updates | Automatic | A banner asks you to reload | Through the app store |
Anyone can open a published page in a normal browser. Only the desktop app can create one.
Encryption at rest
Section titled “Encryption at rest”On every platform, Lar encrypts workspace updates, attachments, and the search and display index it builds from your notes. Desktop uses SQLCipher for the index. The browser and mobile builds use an encrypted WebAssembly SQLite build with the same workspace key. The differences are in how the key is protected, shown in the table above. See Local-first & encryption.
Layouts by screen size
Section titled “Layouts by screen size”Lar picks one of three layouts from the window size:
- Expanded (about 1200 px and wider): the Library, main content, and details can all stay visible. The desktop app uses this layout at any width above about 768 px.
- Medium (browser only, about 768–1199 px): the Library stays available while inspectors move into sheets.
- Compact (under about 768 px, phones, and touch tablets held upright): a dedicated mobile layout uses the same Objects and services with a simpler set of screens. Its navigation bar has Library, Search, New, Captures, and More. More holds AI Chat, Tasks, Reminders, Calendar, Workflows, Trash, and your Object types. The command palette, the workspace Graph page, the Discussions view, and some Object actions such as Present and Save as template are only in the desktop layout.
Multiple tabs and installed apps
Section titled “Multiple tabs and installed apps”In the browser you can keep Lar open in more than one tab. The first tab acts as the leader and later tabs follow it, so all stay live. If the browser does not support shared workers, the second tab shows Lar is open in another tab until you close the first.
Safari’s Add to Dock and the iOS Home Screen app each keep separate storage from a normal tab. They do not share a workspace, so use sync to bring them together.
For collaboration across devices, use sync rather than opening the same browser profile in several places.