Most productivity apps today have something in common:
They want you to create an account, store your data in the cloud, and pay a monthly subscription.
I wanted to build something different.
So I built Cyanote — a local-first productivity app for macOS built with Rust and Tauri.
👉 Cyanote: https://cyanote.app/
Why I built Cyanote
I was using multiple apps every day.
One for notes.
Another for tasks.
Another for habits.
Another for clipboard history.
And somehow, trying to be more productive meant having more apps, more tabs, more accounts, and more subscriptions.
I wanted one fast application where I could organize my work without sending my personal data to another server.
That became Cyanote.
Local-first by default
One of the most important decisions I made was to keep everything local.
Cyanote uses a local SQLite database stored on your machine.
That means:
No account required
No cloud required
No telemetry
Your data stays on your computer
The app works without an internet connection
I wanted the default experience to be simple:
Download → Open → Start using it.
Why Rust + Tauri?
I chose Tauri because I wanted to build a desktop application without the memory footprint that often comes with Electron apps.
The stack allows me to use:
Rust for the backend and application logic
Tauri for the desktop application
SQLite for local storage
A modern web frontend for the UI
Rust was definitely challenging, but I really like the combination of performance and safety.
For a productivity app that should stay open throughout the day, performance matters.
What Cyanote currently includes
The app has gradually grown into more than just a note-taking application.
Currently, Cyanote includes:
📝 Notes and a fast editor
✅ To-do management
📅 Weekly calendar
🔥 Habit tracking
📋 Clipboard history
📊 Boards and tables
🔗 Wiki-style links between notes
🔍 Full-text search
🔒 Password-protected notes
📌 Kanban boards
⏱️ Pomodoro timer
🔄 Routines
The challenge now is making all these features feel like one application, instead of a collection of separate tools.
One of the biggest challenges
Building features is easy compared to deciding what not to build.
Every productivity app can quickly become bloated.
So one of my main goals with Cyanote is to keep asking:
Does this feature reduce distractions, or does it create another one?
Sometimes the best feature is the one you decide not to add.
What's next?
I'm continuing to improve Cyanote and get feedback from people who actually use productivity tools every day.
I'm also experimenting with a Windows version.
Cyanote is currently a one-time purchase with no subscription.
If you're interested in local-first software, Rust, Tauri, or productivity tools, I'd love to hear what you think.
👉 Check out Cyanote: https://cyanote.app/
And if you've built a desktop app with Rust or Tauri, I'm especially interested in hearing about your experience.
What do you think is the biggest advantage of building desktop apps with Rust + Tauri today?
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