How offline task managers work
Most modern task apps - Todoist, TickTick, Notion, Microsoft To Do - require an active internet connection to function properly. They store your tasks on remote servers and sync changes through the cloud. Lose connection, and you lose access.
Telu works differently. It's a self-contained HTML file. When you open it in your browser, everything runs locally on your machine. Your tasks are stored in your browser's localStorage - a built-in database that exists on your device only.
What "offline-first" actually means
Telu makes zero network requests. It has no server to connect to. No API to call. No cloud account to authenticate against. It is fundamentally designed to work without any network dependency whatsoever.
When you need an offline task manager
- Frequent travel: Flights, trains, rural areas with poor signal.
- Security-sensitive work: Environments where network access is restricted or monitored.
- Privacy concerns: You don't want your task data synced to someone else's cloud.
- Reliability: No dependency on a third-party service staying online or maintaining their servers.
- Speed: Instant access with no loading delays waiting for remote data.
Offline vs cloud: the honest trade-off
Cloud task managers sync your data across devices automatically. That's convenient. But it comes with dependency: if their servers go down, you can't access your tasks. If you're offline, features break or disappear entirely.
Telu trades automatic sync for complete independence. To use it across multiple devices, you export a backup file on one machine and import it on another. That's one extra step. In return, you get zero downtime, zero network dependency, and absolute privacy.
How to use Telu offline
Simple: download Telu.html once. Open it in any browser. That's it. It works identically whether you're online or off. Your tasks save automatically to your browser's localStorage - no internet required.
To move tasks between devices, use the built-in export feature. It downloads a backup file. Copy that file to another computer, import it, and your tasks are there. No cloud account. No sync service. Just files.
If you're also interested in how Telu works without requiring any account, see our no account task manager page. Or if you want to understand how the browser-based approach works, visit our browser-based task manager page.