Baton Board on Your Desktop: A Local-First Dashboard App

Baton Board runs beautifully in the browser, but some people want it as a real desktop app — an icon in the dock, a window that opens instantly, and data that lives in a file on their own disk. That's what the desktop version is: the same local-first dashboard, packaged as a native application for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

It's built so your board feels like it belongs on your machine, not in a tab.

What the desktop app gives you

• A native window. Launch Baton Board like any other app — no browser, no tab, no address bar. Just your board.
• Truly offline. Everything runs locally, so the app opens and works with no connection at all.
• Data in a local file. On the desktop, your board lives in a file on your disk — yours to back up, copy, and move, exactly like any other document.
• Live KPI updates. The desktop app can fetch read-only metrics (like a public stat or a read-only API endpoint) directly, without the browser's cross-origin limits — so KPI widgets can refresh their numbers on demand.
• A local receiver for the browser extension. The desktop app can host a local endpoint so the Baton Board Chrome extension's "send to board" lands straight in your board — all on your own machine, nothing through the cloud.
• The same board everywhere. It's the same data structure as the web app, so your data.json moves between desktop and browser without friction.

Why a desktop app fits a local-first tool

A cloud app doesn't really need to be on your desktop — it's just a window onto someone's server. Baton Board is the opposite: the data is already on your machine, so a native app is the natural home for it. No server round-trips, no account, no waiting on a connection. The app is a thin native shell over a board that's entirely yours.

It also unlocks things a browser can't do safely — like fetching a read-only metric directly for a KPI, or receiving a "send to board" from the extension over a local-only endpoint.

Built and verified across platforms

The desktop app is built with a lightweight native runtime and is compiled and packaged for Windows, Linux, and macOS (both Intel and Apple Silicon). It's a small, fast download — not a heavyweight bundle — because the dashboard itself is deliberately lean.

Privacy stays the same on desktop

Going native changes nothing about the privacy model. There's still no account, and your data still lives only on your device — now as a file you can see and own. Any live KPI fetch uses read-only access you configure, and the optional AI assistant uses your own key. The company never holds your board.

Frequently asked questions

Which platforms does the desktop app support?

Windows, macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), and Linux. It's the same local-first dashboard as the web app, packaged as a native application.

Where is my data stored in the desktop app?

In a local file on your own disk — yours to back up, copy, and move. There's no account and nothing is sent to the company's servers.

Does it work offline?

Completely. Everything runs locally, so the app opens and works with no connection.

What can the desktop app do that the browser can't?

It can fetch read-only KPI metrics directly (without the browser's cross-origin limits) and host a local endpoint so the Chrome extension can send items straight to your board.

Is the desktop app part of Pro?

Yes — the desktop app is included with Pro, along with unlimited boards, the analytics widgets, the AI assistant, and end-to-end sync.

Pricing

Free covers one customizable board with the six core widgets, export/import, automatic backups, board-wide search, and eight languages. Pro (¥980/month or ¥9,800/year) unlocks unlimited boards, the analytics widgets (KPI, goal, habit, agenda, activity), the AI assistant, end-to-end sync, deep customization, and the desktop app. A ¥14,800 lifetime license is available. Polar handles payments and worldwide taxes.

Try it

Start with Baton Board in your browser to see how it feels, then bring it to your desktop as a native app — same board, same data, now living on your machine.

Related reading: "A Local-First, Zero-Trust Dashboard" and "An Offline-First PWA Dashboard You Can Install."