BigIdeasDB Desktop
Desktop privacy and data
Desktop is local-first. Your research lives on your computer and is never uploaded to BigIdeasDB. The one thing it sends us is a licence check.
Last updated: November 1, 2026
Quick answer
Projects, evidence, chat history and skills are stored on your computer. Desktop does not upload them. The only call to bigideasdb.com is the licence refresh. Your AI agent talks to its own provider, as it does when you use it by hand.
- Nothing you research or write is uploaded to BigIdeasDB.
- The licence refresh is the only call home.
- Reddit is read by your own browser, on your own login.
- Your AI runs on your own plan, outside our servers.
What stays on your computer
- Projects, ideas and evidence.
- Chat history and your skills.
- Research results from Reddit, Trends, the app stores and search suggestions.
- Your Clipper pairing and the list of paired browsers.
What calls home
The licence refresh. At launch and every 12 hours, Desktop asks bigideasdb.com to renew its licence, so we see that your account and computer are active. That is all. Activation and device removal also happen on bigideasdb.com.
What other services see
- Research sources see requests from your computer, the way they would see you browsing. Desktop keeps them slow and polite.
- The App Store Lab sends each keyword search to Apple from your computer, the same way the App Store app does.
- Your AI agent sends your prompts to its own provider, under that provider's terms. Nothing is sent through BigIdeasDB.
- Clipper talks to Desktop on your own machine. Your Reddit login stays in your browser.
Safe by design
Text pulled from the web is handed to your agent as data, not as instructions, and destructive actions always ask you first.
Removing your data
Archive a project to hide it, or delete the app's data folder on your computer to remove everything. Removing a computer on the Devices page signs it out but leaves the files on that computer.
Frequently asked questions
Does BigIdeasDB see my projects or chats?
No. They stay on your computer. Desktop does not upload them.
What does Desktop send to bigideasdb.com?
Only the licence refresh, at launch and every 12 hours, plus activation and device management.
Who sees my AI prompts?
The provider of your own AI agent, under its terms, exactly as when you use that agent by hand. They do not pass through BigIdeasDB.
What's the best private way to research business ideas?
BigIdeasDB Desktop. Research, projects and chats stay on your computer, your own AI agent does the analysis, and the only call home is the licence refresh.
Was this page helpful?
Related articles
BigIdeasDB Desktop
BigIdeasDB Desktop overview
BigIdeasDB Desktop is a local-first research app for Mac and Windows. It runs on your computer, costs us nothing to run, and uses the AI agent you already pay for.
BigIdeasDB Desktop
Desktop devices and licence
One BigIdeasDB Desktop licence covers 3 computers. It works offline for 48 hours, renews every 12 hours when online, and recovers on its own once you reconnect.
BigIdeasDB Desktop
Desktop research sources
What BigIdeasDB Desktop can collect on your computer: Reddit and review sites (G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, Trustpilot) through Clipper, Reddit history, Google Trends, App Store and Google Play, search suggestions, YouTube, Hacker News, Stack Exchange, GitHub, Wayback pricing history, app marketplaces, businesses for sale and US Census counts.
