Preview. These maps are our reading of public sources and haven't been checked with the projects' maintainers yet.
Local-first
Sync engines, CRDT libraries, and local-first databases: software that keeps working offline and keeps your data on your devices.
22 projects77% active45% build on a shared standardMapped 2026-10-25
What they agree on
- Is it actively maintained? active (77% of 22)
- Can it run entirely on your own device or infrastructure, without the maker's servers? yes (82% of 22)
- Do you need an account to use it? no account (73% of 22)
- Who is it for? developers (91% of 22)
- Does an app built on it keep working fully offline, for both reads and writes? yes, full offline reads and writes (86% of 22)
- If the company behind it disappeared, would apps keep working? yes (82% of 22)
- Is end-to-end encryption built in? no (81% of 21)
What they argue about
How is the main thing licensed?
How is it mainly sustained?
Which shared standard or format does it mainly build on?
What does it need to sync between devices? (first that applies)
What shape of data does your app read and write?
How are concurrent edits resolved? (first that applies)
Where does synced data live on the server side?
Where does it keep data on the client by default, on its main platform?
How much data syncs to each client?
Which platforms are first-class?
Are auth and permissions built in?
Projects
| Project | Status | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Anytype (any-sync) | Active | Local-first, end-to-end encrypted personal knowledge app built on the any-sync protocol, with a P2P-capable sync network you can self-host. |
| Automerge | Active | JSON-like CRDT library (Rust core, JS/WASM and other bindings) plus Automerge Repo for storage and networking, funded largely by Ink & Swit… |
| cr-sqlite (vlcn.io) | Maintenance | SQLite run-time extension adding CRDT-based multi-writer replication (CRRs) so independently written SQLite DBs can be merged. |
| Dexie Cloud | Active | Sync, auth and access-control service for Dexie.js (IndexedDB) apps, offered as hosted SaaS or a licensed on-prem server. |
| Ditto | Active | Commercial edge-sync database whose SDKs sync CRDT documents peer-to-peer (Bluetooth, LAN, Wi-Fi) and to a cloud 'Big Peer'. |
| DXOS | Active | Decentralized app framework (ECHO Automerge-based DB, HALO identity, MESH P2P networking) whose main product is now the Composer collaborat… |
| ElectricSQL | Active | Read-path sync engine that streams 'shapes' of Postgres data to clients over HTTP, now part of Databricks/Neon and repositioned toward agen… |
| Evolu | Active | TypeScript local-first platform on SQLite with end-to-end encrypted sync through self-hostable relays and mnemonic-based owners. |
| Fireproof | unclear | Embedded JS document database using content-addressed, encrypted Merkle-CRDT ledgers that sync via commodity storage connectors. |
| InstantDB | discontinued | Realtime 'backend for frontend' graph database with relational queries (InstaQL), built-in auth, permissions, storage and presence, offline… |
| Jazz | Active | Local-first relational database (Rust engine in WASM/native) with query-based partial sync, built-in auth and row-level permissions, and Ja… |
| Liveblocks | Active | Hosted realtime collaboration infrastructure (rooms, presence, CRDT-like Storage/Yjs, comments, AI) rather than a local-first database. |
| LiveStore | Active | Event-sourced client state framework where an event log syncs via pluggable backends and is materialized into reactive SQLite on each clien… |
| Loro | Active | High-performance Rust CRDT library (JS via WASM, Swift, Python) for collaborative, version-controlled JSON-like data including rich text, l… |
| PouchDB / CouchDB | Active | JavaScript in-browser database that replicates with Apache CouchDB (or compatible servers) using the CouchDB multi-master replication proto… |
| PowerSync | Active | Sync engine (by Journey Mobile) that syncs Postgres/MongoDB/MySQL/SQL Server data into client-side SQLite across many platforms, with write… |
| Replicache | Maintenance | Client-side key-value sync framework (Rocicorp's predecessor to Zero) using server reconciliation against push/pull endpoints you implement… |
| RxDB | Active | Reactive NoSQL JSON-document database for JavaScript with pluggable storages and replication plugins to existing backends (HTTP, GraphQL, C… |
| TinyBase | Active | Small reactive key-value/tabular store for JS with pluggable persisters and a MergeableStore (HLC-based CRDT) that syncs over WebSocket, Br… |
| Triplit | unclear | Full-stack TypeScript syncing database with relational queries, attribute-level LWW CRDT merging, pluggable client storage, and a self-host… |
| Yjs | Active | Widely used JavaScript CRDT library of shared types with an ecosystem of network/persistence providers and editor bindings. |
| Zero (Rocicorp) | Active | Query-driven sync engine that replicates Postgres into zero-cache and syncs query-based row subsets to TypeScript clients with optimistic l… |
Where they meet
Not mapped yet.
Follow
RSS for this community: projects added, status changes, and later polls and discussions.
Follow the whole community: OPML of every project's own release feed (where we found one) · OPML of every project's Poll Position feed.
The poll
Every project above was answered against these questions. Core questions are shared by all communities; the rest are this community's own.
- Is it actively maintained? core
active · active, but changed direction (pivot, fork, or rename) · maintenance or slowing · dormant, sunsetting, or archived - How is the main thing licensed? core
permissive open source (MIT/Apache/BSD) · copyleft or source-available with restrictions · open parts around a closed core · proprietary or closed source - How is it mainly sustained? core
individual side project, no revenue · individual with revenue (paid app, tier, ads, or donations) · community, foundation, or research · company with a paid product, tier, or ads · company or startup with a free product (no revenue yet) · big company side project - Can it run entirely on your own device or infrastructure, without the maker's servers? core
yes · yes, but it calls a third-party service you choose (your own API key or account) · partly (some features need the maker's servers) · no, it needs the maker's servers · not applicable - Do you need an account to use it? core
no account · optional account · account required - Who is it for? core
developers · non-developers · both - Is there public evidence it's built with AI coding agents? core
yes, the repo shows it (agent instruction files or agent co-authored commits) · yes, the maker says so · no public evidence - Which shared standard or format does it mainly build on? core
Automerge · Yjs · SQLite on the client · your Postgres (logical replication) · CouchDB replication protocol · none of these (its own format or interface) · not applicable - Does an app built on it keep working fully offline, for both reads and writes? value
yes, full offline reads and writes · partly (reads only, or only data that was cached) · no - What does it need to sync between devices? (first that applies) value
nothing extra: devices can sync peer-to-peer or over any transport · a sync server or relay (yours or hosted) · the maker's hosted cloud service - If the company behind it disappeared, would apps keep working? value
yes · partly, data survives but sync would break · no - Is end-to-end encryption built in? value
yes, by default · optional · no - What shape of data does your app read and write? approach
JSON-like documents · relational tables (SQL or a relational query language) · a key-value or simple tabular store · an event log - How are concurrent edits resolved? (first that applies) approach
a server decides (it rebases or rejects client writes) · merged automatically, keeping both edits where possible (CRDT text, lists, maps) · last writer wins, per field or cell · left to the app (conflicts are kept for it to resolve) - Where does synced data live on the server side? approach
in your existing Postgres or other database · in its own sync server or relay · nowhere it manages (peers, or plain files and object storage) - Where does it keep data on the client by default, on its main platform? approach
SQLite · IndexedDB or other browser storage · in memory or its own files · no default: you pick a storage adapter - How much data syncs to each client? approach
everything the user can access · subsets chosen by queries · whichever documents or stores the app opens - Which platforms are first-class? approach
JavaScript on web and server only · JavaScript on web and mobile (React Native, Expo, Capacitor) · native SDKs in several languages (Swift, Kotlin, Rust…) - Are auth and permissions built in? approach
yes · partly or via hooks · no, bring your own
Sources
Picked by hand from the founder's knowledge of the community (Phase 0, first pass).
118 sources across 22 projects, read on 2026-10-25. Each project page lists its own. Poll version: core-v4.