The short version
Privacy
Last updated July 11, 2026
Aside is designed to work locally. The text you write in Aside is stored on your Mac and is not sent to us.
No account
Aside does not require you to create an account. The app does not include advertising or analytics.
Website analytics
When enabled, this website—not the Aside app—uses Altertable to count page views and clicks on external, trial-download, or checkout links. These basic measurements help us understand whether people can find the site, download Aside, and complete a purchase. Aside does not send Altertable the text you write in the app, and the app does not contain analytics. You can block website analytics with your browser’s privacy controls.
Local storage
Your current and previous pages are stored as individual Markdown files in a folder on your Mac. Aside uses its Application Support directory by default, or you can choose another folder in Settings—including one managed by a third-party sync service. Aside itself does not upload your page text. Deleting the page files removes that content from your Mac and any service that synchronizes the folder.
Purchases
Purchases and license keys are processed by Polar, our merchant of record. Checkout starts through the Hardflip API and continues on Polar’s secure website. Aside and Hardflip Studio never receive or store your complete payment-card details.
License activation and updates
When you activate Aside, the app sends your license key, a random installation identifier, and your Mac’s user-assigned device name to the Hardflip API. The API uses an opaque cryptographic identifier to coordinate retries and asks Polar to manage the three devices allowed by your license. Aside stores the returned activation identifier with the license key in your macOS Keychain and sends it again when you manually check for updates or deactivate this Mac. Your page text is never sent.
Free trial
Aside stores the date your trial begins and basic trial status locally in your macOS Keychain. Your 14 days start when Aside saves the first text you type. This information is not sent to us. When the trial ends, editing pauses, but your pages remain readable, copyable, and exportable on your Mac.