130+ curated books built in. Add your own by snapping a cover with your phone — it lands in the app instantly. Fetch AI-generated summaries, chapters and key quotes. €9.95 per year, cancel any time, your data stays with you.
Launching with Mac (.dmg) and Windows (.exe) installers. One launch email. No newsletter, no spam.
Atomic Habits
habitsDeep Work
focusThe Lean Startup
strategyThinking, Fast and Slow
psychologyMost people read a book, finish it, put it on the shelf, and two months later remember almost nothing. This app is built to fix that.
You finish a great book, feel inspired — and six weeks later you can't remember the core argument. A library with summaries, chapters and key quotes changes that.
Kindle, Readwise, Notion, a notes app, a dog-eared paperback. A single place that holds all your books — with their content — is worth more than any individual highlight tool.
Readwise, Shortform, Blinkist — all €120–180 per year. This app is €9.95 per year, full stop. No upsells, no tiers, no "team plan" pressure. Cancel any time and your library stays on your device.
You bring your own Claude or Gemini key. The AI call goes directly from the app on your computer to the API — no middleman, no copy of your library on someone else's infrastructure.
Download the installer, double-click, done. No account creation, no loading screen — the 130+ books are bundled inside.
Install & open
Download the Mac (.dmg) or Windows (.exe) installer, double-click, drag to Applications. No account, no email confirmation. The 130+ built-in books are already there.
Browse & organise
Filter by category, browse alphabetically, search by author or topic. Mark favourites, select books to compare side by side. Add your own books manually or by scanning the cover.
Go deeper with AI
Connect your Claude or Gemini key and fetch rich summaries, chapter-by-chapter breakdowns and key quotes — per book, or for your whole library at once. Then have a conversation with Claude about what you've read.
Everything is in one installable app, works offline, and never sends your reading data anywhere you haven't consciously chosen.
130+ curated books, ready to use.
Add the books the library doesn't have yet.
Rich content fetched directly from the source.
Snap a cover on your phone, it appears on your laptop in seconds.
See how books relate to each other.
Your library stays where you put it.
The app runs natively on your Mac or Windows and stores your library on your device. A few features (license check, AI calls, phone-camera scan relay) make brief outgoing connections — everything else is local.
Runs natively
A real Mac (.dmg) or Windows (.exe) app you double-click. No App Store, no Microsoft Store, no browser tab to keep open.
Data stays with you
Your books, edits and favourites are saved on your device. Outgoing connections only happen during license check, AI calls, or the phone-scan relay — everything else is local.
Online only for AI & Pro
Browsing, searching and organising work fully offline. You only need internet to fetch AI content, validate a Pro license, or scan a book cover.
Pro activates once
Enter your license key once in the app. It validates against the OCW server, then re-checks silently in the background about once a week. Pro works fully offline in between.
Bring your own AI key
AI features use your personal Claude (Anthropic) or Gemini (Google) API key. Costs ~€0.01–0.05 per book with Claude. Gemini has a generous free tier.
Up to 3 devices
One license activates the app on up to 3 of your own devices — say a desktop, a laptop and a partner's computer. Each install is independent; your custom books don't sync automatically between them (cloud-backup ships in a later update).
The Mac and Windows installers are in the final build. The free version gives you the full library; Pro unlocks AI, unlimited books and the phone-to-desktop scan. Both editions ship together.
My Personal Library
The full library, ready to use. No key, no signup, no expiry.
Free forever · any number of devices
No signup. No API key required. Install and start.
My Personal Library PRO
Unlimited books, AI summaries, phone-scan and conversation mode.
per year · excl. VAT · up to 3 devices
€9.95 per year, cancel any time. Up to 3 devices per license. Instant key after payment, at launch.
Answers to the things I get asked most.
How do I install the app?
Download the installer for your platform — Mac (.dmg) or Windows (.exe). Double-click, drag to Applications (Mac) or follow the wizard (Windows). No admin rights needed, no account, no email confirmation.
Where is my data stored? Does anything go to a server?
Everything is saved locally on your device — your custom books, edits, favourites and settings never leave your computer. The only outgoing connections are: (1) AI calls going directly from the app to Anthropic or Google, (2) a license check that happens once at activation and roughly once a week in the background, and (3) photo uploads when you actively use the phone-scan feature — those photos are auto-deleted as soon as your desktop has received them (within seconds), and within one hour at the latest.
How does the Pro license work?
After buying Pro you receive a license key by email. Open the app, click the gear icon, enter the key — the app validates it against the OCW License Server and stores the result locally. The app re-checks silently in the background about once a week. Between checks, Pro features work fully offline.
Can I use one license on multiple devices?
Yes, up to 3 devices per license — for example your desktop, your laptop and a partner's computer. Each install is independent: your custom books and settings don't automatically sync between devices yet (cloud-backup ships in a later update). The Pro features work on all 3 devices the moment you've entered the key.
Do I need API keys for the AI features?
Yes. AI features (book data fetching, scanning, conversation mode) require your own Claude key from console.anthropic.com or a Gemini key from aistudio.google.com. Claude costs roughly €0.01–0.05 per book. Gemini has a generous free tier.
How do I get updates?
With an active Pro license, the app checks for new versions in the background and notifies you when one is ready — one click to install, your data stays in place. Free users can re-download the latest installer from this page at any time.
Can I use the app offline?
Yes. The built-in library, browsing, search, favourites, comparison and editing all work without internet. You only need a connection to fetch AI content, validate a new license key, or scan a book cover.
How does the phone-to-desktop scan actually work?
Click "Scan Book" in the desktop app and choose "Pair phone". The app shows a QR code on your screen. Point your phone's camera at it — no app to install, your normal camera recognises the QR and offers to open a link. Tap the link, allow camera access, and start photographing book covers. Each photo lands in your desktop scan window within a few seconds. The pairing session lasts 15 minutes; close the scan modal to disconnect at any time.
What if I don't have a smartphone or the phone-scan doesn't work?
No problem — you can also upload a book cover image directly from your computer via the same Scan Book button (the upload option is always available). Or skip scanning entirely and add the book manually with title and author. All three methods then feed into the same AI identify + fetch flow.
What if I want a book that isn't in the built-in library?
Add it manually via the "Add Book" button in the sidebar. Fill in title, author, year and any notes. With Pro you can then fetch AI-generated summaries, chapters and quotes for it with one click — or scan the cover to pre-fill the form.
What happens to my books and data if my Pro license expires?
Your data is never deleted. All custom books you added remain fully visible and accessible. All AI-generated content (summaries, chapters, quotes) that was already fetched stays in the app — you can still read it. The only things that stop working are the Pro actions: fetching new AI content, scanning new books, bulk fetch and Claude conversation mode. You can renew your license at any time to restore those features without losing anything.
