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Apps & Platforms ​

Scrapalot runs in your browser, on Windows, macOS and Linux as a native desktop app, and on Android.

Overview ​

There are three ways to use Scrapalot:

  • Web app (primary): The main way to use Scrapalot. Works in any modern browser - nothing to install.
  • Desktop app (available now): A native Windows, macOS and Linux application. Installers on the downloads page.
  • Android app (available now): A native Android build you can download and sideload. Not yet on the Google Play Store.

All three share the same account — your workspaces, collections, and documents follow you across them.

Web App ​

The web app is the primary, fully featured way to use Scrapalot.

  • No installation: Open it in any modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari).
  • Always up to date: You always run the latest version automatically.
  • Cross-platform: Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile browsers.

Get started: Sign up at scrapalot.app and start uploading documents immediately - no download required.

Android App ​

A native Android app is available now. It is distributed as an APK (sideload) and is not yet on the Google Play Store.

Download ​

Download the latest APK directly:

Install (Sideload) ​

Because the app is not on the Play Store yet, you install it manually:

  1. Download scrapalot-mobile.apk from the link above (on your Android device, or transfer it over).
  2. Allow install from this source: When you open the APK, Android will prompt you to allow installs from your browser/file manager. Enable it for that app.
  3. Tap Install and wait for it to finish.
  4. Open Scrapalot from your app drawer.

Updates

The Android app supports over-the-air web-bundle updates, so the in-app experience stays current. You only need to reinstall the APK when a new native shell is released.

Signing In ​

The Android app connects to the same Scrapalot cloud account as the web app. Sign in with your existing email and password - your workspaces, collections, and documents are shared across web and Android.

Desktop App ​

A native desktop app is available for Windows, macOS and Linux. It gives you Scrapalot in its own window, signed in and ready, without a browser tab.

Download ​

Always-current links (they point at the latest release):

PlatformDownload
Windows (x64)scrapalot-desktop-setup.exe
macOS (Apple Silicon)scrapalot-desktop.dmg · ZIP, no install
Linuxscrapalot-desktop.AppImage · .deb

The downloads page lists the current version number, file sizes, and what changed in each release.

Signing In ​

On first launch the app shows a Sign in to Scrapalot screen with two choices:

  • Sign in with your browser — Scrapalot opens your system browser, you sign in there, and the app picks the session up automatically. Use this for your real account and your plan.
  • Continue as guest — start straight away with a guest account tied to this computer. Your work stays on this machine. You can sign in later from Settings → Account (Sign in with your account), or switch accounts from the same place.

Guest accounts bring your own key

A guest account has no access to the bundled Scrapalot AI models. Add your own provider key (Settings → AI Providers), run a model locally (see below), or sign in to a full account.

Updates ​

  • Windows and Linux update themselves — the app checks on launch and every six hours, and installs the update when you quit.
  • macOS updates its web content automatically on the next launch; new native versions need a fresh .dmg or .zip download.
  • Anytime: Help → Check for Updates…

Installing on macOS ​

The macOS build is not notarized by Apple, so Gatekeeper asks for confirmation the first time:

  • macOS 15 (Sequoia) and newer: open the app once, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
  • macOS 14 and older: right-click the app and choose Open.

No admin password

The .dmg drags into the system-wide /Applications, which asks for an administrator password on non-admin accounts. Two ways around it: drag the app to ~/Applications in your home folder instead, or use the ZIP download and unzip it wherever you like.

Do not run the app straight from the mounted .dmg — macOS isolates it there and browser sign-in will not come back to the app. Move it out first.

What the desktop app adds ​

Beyond the web app, the desktop app can use your own computer:

  • Local AI — Settings → Local AI shows your machine's GPU, CPU and memory and lets you download models from Hugging Face (GGUF, sized to fit your hardware) and run them on this computer with llama.cpp. On Apple Silicon, MLX models are offered too. Locally deployed models appear in the chat model picker like any other.
  • Local speech-to-text — the desktop app ships a local Whisper (whisper.cpp) engine. When a local speech model is installed, voice mode transcribes what you say on your own machine; otherwise, or if local transcription is too slow, it falls back to the server.
  • Mounted folders — under Settings → Workspaces, Mount a folder points Scrapalot at books you already have. Subfolders become collections, your files stay where they are, and new books can be imported automatically.
  • Where your books are kept — under Settings → Account you can keep the original files on This computer (no storage limit, readable offline, not available in the browser or on other devices) or in the Scrapalot cloud (counts against your plan's storage). Either way the searchable text, chunks and knowledge graph live on the Scrapalot server.

Uploading Documents ​

Whichever platform you use, uploading works the same way:

  1. Open Knowledge Stacks from the sidebar and select (or create) a collection.
  2. Drag and drop files onto the Upload tab, or click Browse Files, then click Compose.
  3. Watch real-time progress as documents are processed.
  4. Start asking questions once processing completes.

Supported formats: PDF, EPUB, Word (.docx), RTF, text, Markdown, spreadsheets (.xlsx, .xls, .csv, .tsv), and audio/video (transcribed automatically). See Uploading Documents.

Choosing AI Models ​

Scrapalot supports multiple AI providers across all platforms. Add them under Settings → AI Providers:

Cloud AI (requires internet):

  • OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Groq, OpenRouter, Z.ai (GLM)
  • Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint

Local / self-hosted AI:

  • Ollama, LM Studio and vLLM (run models on your own machine and point Scrapalot at them)
  • On the desktop app: models downloaded and run by the app itself (Settings → Local AI)

Pick the model for a conversation from the model selector in the chat toolbar.

Privacy & Security ​

  • Your data, your control: Use the managed cloud (standard), or run an on-premise deployment (Enterprise, on-demand) to keep everything on your own infrastructure. Your research data is always yours - export and migrate anytime.
  • Local AI: When you chat with a model running on your own machine, the prompt and the retrieved passages are processed there rather than by a cloud AI provider.
  • When data leaves your device: Documents you upload are processed on the Scrapalot server; chats go to whichever AI provider you picked; web search and Deep Research query the web.

Getting Help ​

Resources ​

Reporting Issues ​

If you encounter bugs:

  1. Note steps: Write down what you were doing when the issue occurred.
  2. Report: File an issue or email support.
  3. Include: Screenshots, any error messages, and your platform and app version (Help → About).

What's Next? ​

Whichever platform you are on, you're ready to:

  1. Upload Your First Documents: Learn how to add documents.
  2. Ask Questions: Start chatting with your AI assistant.
  3. Organize Collections: Create knowledge stacks for different topics.
  4. Configure AI Models: Choose the best AI model for your needs.

Enjoy Scrapalot! Your AI-powered research and knowledge assistant - in the browser, on your desktop, and on Android.

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