Gather is a local-first catalog for books, movies, music, and gear. Scan barcodes, fetch rich metadata automatically, and browse beautiful shelf or grid views — all private, all on your device.
Every feature designed around local-first principles — fast, private, and completely yours.
Powered by SwiftData with zero external server dependencies. Your library, tags, notes, and reading history never leave your device. No accounts, no cloud sync unless you choose it, no tracking — ever.
Point your camera at any ISBN, UPC, or EAN code — Gather captures and looks up metadata instantly. Manual entry works just as fast with smart autocomplete for titles, authors, and artists.
Automatically fetch high-resolution covers, descriptions, release dates, genres, and more. Add unlimited custom fields — condition, location, purchase price, personal rating — and filter by any of them.
Thoughtful touches that turn a database into a delightful daily tool.
Enable encrypted iCloud sync to keep your library in sync across Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Still local-first — iCloud is just a transport layer you control.
Auto-updating smart folders based on any criteria — genre, year, rating, tags, or custom fields. Like saved searches that stay current.
Mark items as loaned, set due dates, and get reminders. Never wonder who has your copy of Dune again.
Track progress, log completion dates, and view beautiful yearly summaries — books read, hours watched, albums spun.
Lookup from Open Library, Google Books, TMDb, MusicBrainz, Discogs — or add items manually. You choose the source per item.
Bring your existing library from Delicious Library, Libib, CSV, or JSON. Export anytime to CSV, JSON, or a shareable web view — your data, your format.
The same library, tuned for each screen — a full macOS companion, a pocket-sized iPhone view, and a spacious iPad layout. Jump between them.
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Cataloging apps have been around for decades, but most compromise on privacy, lock you into a cloud account, or only cover one media type. Here's how Gather compares on the features that matter.
| Feature | Gather | Libib | CLZ Comics | Delicious Library | Tellico |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native Apple apps (macOS · iOS · iPad) | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ~ | — |
| Local-first storage (no account required) | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Works fully offline | ✓ | — | ~ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Barcode scanning | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automatic rich metadata & covers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Books, movies, music & games in one library | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom collections & shelves | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ✓ | ~ |
| Optional iCloud sync across devices | ✓ | — | ~ | — | — |
| Loan tracking | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Reading & watch stats, yearly summaries | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| Smart collections (auto-updating searches) | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| Import (Delicious Library · Libib · CSV · JSON) | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ✓ |
| Export to CSV / JSON | ✓ | ~ | — | — | ✓ |
| Zero telemetry / no tracking | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| One-time purchase (no subscription) | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cross-platform (Windows · Linux · Web) | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
Comparison is based on publicly available product information and feature sets as of 2026, and reflects what matters for a local-first, Apple-native collector. Gather runs only on Apple platforms by design — that trade-off is what buys a native, private, and subscription-free experience.
Your Data. Your Device. Your Rules.
Zero analytics, zero telemetry, zero crash reporting to third parties. What you catalog, how you organize it, and when you use the app — that's between you and your device.
Your library lives in a standard SwiftData store on your device. Export to CSV, JSON, or plain text anytime. Switch apps, switch platforms — your data goes with you.
Built exclusively for Apple platforms using SwiftUI and SwiftData. No Electron, no web wrappers, no compromise. 120fps scrolling, instant search, buttery animations.
No notifications you didn't ask for. No "engagement" dark patterns. No upsells. Gather does one thing — helps you organize your collections — and gets out of your way.
"Gather exists because the best cataloging tools of the past — Delicious Library, Tellico, GCstar — understood something modern apps forgot: your collection is personal. It deserves software that treats it that way."
