Plume
Your journal.
Your eyes only.
81% of Americans believe data collection risks outweigh the benefits. Your most intimate thoughts deserve better than a company's server. Plume keeps your journal on your device, locked behind your face.
Source: Pew Research Center, Oct 2023 (survey of 5,101 U.S. adults)
The privacy problem is real
These aren't hypotheticals. Real companies, real breaches, real consequences.
say data collection risks outweigh benefits
Pew Research, Oct 2023
Evernote accounts breached in 2013
CNN, TechCrunch
of people store sensitive info in note apps
DuckDuckGo / Spread Privacy survey
When cloud storage fails
A timeline of real incidents involving personal data stored on company servers.
Dropbox
68 million accounts stolen. An employee reused a password from the LinkedIn breach. The full scale wasn't disclosed until 4 years later.
Source: Bitdefender, Dark Reading
Evernote
50 million usernames, emails, and passwords exposed. The note-taking giant that stores people's most personal thoughts.
Source: CNN, TechCrunch
Evernote Policy Change
Evernote announced employees could read users' notes to improve machine learning. Reversed after 48 hours of backlash. CEO: "Our customers let us know that we messed up."
Source: TechCrunch
Timehop
21 million users' personal memories exposed. The attacker had access for 7 months before being detected. Cause: no multi-factor auth on admin accounts.
Source: TechCrunch, MIT Sloan
Microsoft Cloud
2.4 terabytes of customer data from 65,000+ companies across 100+ countries leaked via misconfigured storage.
Source: SentinelOne, Arcserve
Two architectures. One choice.
Where your journal entries live determines who can read them.
Most journaling apps
Plume
The concept of local-first software was formalized by researchers at Ink & Switch in a 2019 ACM paper defining seven ideals: fast, multi-device, offline, collaborative, long-lived, private, and user-controlled.
Source: Kleppmann et al., ACM SIGPLAN Onward! 2019
Privacy comparison
Compare storage, account, and sync choices. Features and settings vary by app and platform.
| Feature | Plume | Day One | Journey | Penzu | Apple Journal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data stored on your device | ✓ | Optional | Optional | ✗ | ✓ |
| No account required | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Biometric lock (Face ID) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| No company servers | ✓ | ✗ | Depends | ✗ | ✓ |
| Works fully offline | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| No data collection | ✓ | Email + analytics | Account data | Name, email, age | On-device ML |
| One-time purchase | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | Free |
| Native Apple app | ✓ | ✓ | Cross-platform | Web-based | ✓ |
| Structured journaling | ✓ | ✗ | Templates | ✗ | Prompts |
Sources: Day One Privacy FAQ (dayoneapp.com), Journey Privacy Policy (journey.cloud), Penzu (penzu.com), Apple iCloud Security Overview (support.apple.com)
Locked behind
your face
Plume uses Apple's Secure Enclave, a dedicated, isolated security chip that stores your biometric data. It never leaves your device, never gets backed up to iCloud, never gets sent anywhere.
Face ID: 1 in 1,000,000
Apple reports a false-match probability below one in a million for a single enrolled appearance. This is not a measure of overall app security; lookalike siblings and twins have higher false-match risk.
Source: Apple Security Guide
Secure Enclave isolation
Your biometric data is processed by a dedicated chip separate from the main processor. It helps protect biometric data; it does not make the entire device immune to compromise.
Source: Apple Platform Security Guide
5 attempts, then lockout
After 5 failed Face ID attempts, the device requires your passcode. A strong device passcode remains important.
Source: Apple Security Guide
Built on local-first principles
Local-first principles inform how Plume stores, syncs, and exports your writing.
Fast
No network round-trip. Local entries are available without waiting for a server.
Multi-device
Sync across your Mac, iPhone, and iPad through Apple's iCloud when you choose to.
Offline
Write anywhere. On a plane, in the woods, off the grid. No internet needed for local writing.
Private
Plume stores entries on-device. Optional iCloud sync and cloud AI send data to the services you choose.
Long-lived
Your journal works even if we disappear tomorrow. Keep exports and backups; future device and operating-system compatibility is not guaranteed.
User-controlled
Export your data anytime. JSON, plain text. Your data, your format, your terms.
Know what leaves your device
Local writing stays on your device. Optional iCloud sync uploads encrypted sync data to Apple; cloud AI sends the selected content to your chosen provider. Review those settings before sharing sensitive entries.
Details: How Plume handles your data
Start journaling
without compromise
Free for 21 writing days, then $19.99/year or $59.99 once. No Plume account required. Optional iCloud sync.