NovusKey Labs
Software that keeps your data on your device.
We build local-first software. Your work stays on your device. There are no accounts, no telemetry, and no cloud storage. We do not receive your data at all.
Capture
Your work enters the device from a tool you control.
Process locally
Indexing and recognition run on the device. Our servers are never involved.
Export by choice
You send files to a folder, server, or app you choose.
What we build
Capable software that keeps your data private.
NovusKey Labs is a small, independent lab. We build one private tool at a time, and Nibhaus, a private notebook for smartpen users, is the first.
Local-first by default
Your data lives in a database on your device. It leaves only when you export or sync it to a destination you choose.
Zero telemetry
No analytics, no tracking SDKs, no ads, and no account to create. We run no servers that receive your content.
Open-core
The core code is open source under the Apache-2.0 license, so it can be audited and forked. A planned one-time paid tier funds development. Your data is never part of it.
On-device processing
Features like handwriting recognition run on your device, not in a data center. Advanced features can point to a server you run yourself.
First app
Nibhaus
Turn your Neo or Ncode smartpen into a private, searchable notebook. Everything is captured on your device and exported when you choose.
Trust architecture
You can verify the claims yourself.
A privacy-first site should make the claim easy to check. The data model is simple: your work enters the device, stays there, and leaves only through an action you take.
Notes, settings, and sensitive state live in local storage on your device.
Recognition runs on the device. Advanced work can use a server you run yourself.
You send pages to a folder, server, or app you choose. We are never in the middle.
The rules we build by.
- Local-first
- Your device is the source of truth. Using the network is optional and always your choice.
- Private by design
- We design our software so your personal data never reaches us. There is nothing for us to collect.
- Open-core
- The core code is open for anyone to audit. The planned premium tier is a one-time purchase, and your data is never part of it.
- Security-first
- We fail closed and keep the attack surface small. Data stays app-private and backup-excluded, protected by the device's encryption, and the pen secret is additionally hardware-key encrypted.
Private because we never receive your data.
Read exactly how it works, review the open core, or tell us how you take notes today.