Broadser
Download

BroadserSee how your ideas connect.

Collect web pages, write notes, and connect your sources on one board. Browse and capture on Mac; read saved pages and work together on the web.

Download for Mac
  • Free
  • Apple silicon
  • macOS 13 or later
Installation & requirements

Version 1.0.26 · Mac download

On an Intel Mac, use Broadser in your browser.

  1. Open the download.Double-click the downloaded file in Downloads.
  2. Move Broadser to Applications.Drag the Broadser app into your Applications folder.
  3. Open your installed app.Open Broadser from Applications. You can then eject the Broadser disk image, if one is open.

Personal boards need no account. Sign in to collaborate.

For later updates, use Broadser → Check for Updates.

Download againGet installation help

Broadser for Mac with a board called Tools for thought: live Wikipedia articles on the Memex, As We May Think, Hypertext, and the Zettelkasten, three notes connected to them, and the outline in the sidebar.

On your Mac

Keep personal work local.

Start a board without an account. Personal boards save on your Mac, with local backups and export when you need them.

How storage works

Mac + browser

Share a board. Work together.

Sign in to create cloud boards and invite people to view or edit. Sharing a personal Mac board creates a separate cloud copy.

Explore collaboration

01 — How it works

Keep the research connected. Collect sources, read closely, and build your ideas beside the evidence.

A research session on one board

  1. 1Collect

    • Paste a link, press W, or drag a tab
    • Pin the page to your board
    • Browse the page in its card

  2. 2Read

    • Open it in Side Peek B
    • Find in page ⌘F
    • Pin to board

  3. 3Clip

    • Save a passage, picture, or screenshot
    • Each clip keeps its source and date
    • Copy a citation

  4. 4Structure

    • Mind map ⇧M
    • Flowchart S
    • Table ⇧T
    • Each topic shows its page's icon

  5. 5Share

    • Share a snapshot people can explore
    • Send a copy by AirDrop, Mail, or Messages
    • Export a file, image, Markdown, or Mermaid
  • Your input
  • Broadser does it
  • A step on the board

02 — Web pages

Keep each source in context. Browse web pages on your Mac and connect them to the ideas they support.

  • Pin a page by pasting a link, pressing W, or dragging a link onto the board.
  • Browse a page on Mac, or read its saved screenshot in the browser.
  • Connect pages and notes, then label the relationships.
The board up close: the Memex, As We May Think, and Hypertext articles live from Wikipedia, the tldraw GitHub page as a preview card that says the site doesn't allow embedding, and three notes joined to them by dashed connections.
Mac and web: pages load directly on Mac, subject to site access and compatibility. The web displays saved screenshots so collaborators can review the same captured content.

03 — Side Peek

Read with your work in view. Side Peek opens a full-size page beside your board.

  • Open Side Peek with B, or expand a page card to focus on it.
  • Browse with tabs, history, Find in page, zoom, and Print. Customize a new tab with your preferred search engine.
  • Pin the current page, or drag a passage or picture onto the board to keep it with your notes.
Side Peek beside a research canvas, with two browser tabs and a new-tab page that offers search and start-page customization.

04 — Clips

Keep the passage and its source. Clips stay linked to their original page and capture date.

  • Click the source line to go back to the page; ⌘-click opens it at the passage, highlighted.
  • Copy a citation or export the clip as Markdown.
  • Review every source in one list, with each page listed once.
A frame of clips: three passages quoted from Wikipedia, a photo of a memex, and a YouTube video of the 1968 demo, each with a source line naming its page and the date, beside a note.

05 — Notes and reading

Keep more than plain text. Bring formatted notes into your research, then read them in Doc.

  • Paste headings, lists, images, tables, and code from pages or documents.
  • Arrange your sources in Canvas, or switch to Doc to read and edit them in order.
  • Export your notes as Markdown or keep a board as a web page that opens offline.
Broadser's Doc view reading a research note with headings, a list, a comparison table, and a code block.

06 — AI on Mac

Ask about the work in front of you. Use your selected notes and sources as context.

  • Summarize, compare, or make a table or mind map from the cards you choose.
  • Choose an AI service, a local model, or Apple Intelligence when supported on your Mac.
  • Undo an AI run in one step. Choose what connected AI apps can read or change.
Broadser for Mac with a selected research note and the optional AI panel showing its context and Connect AI setup.
Your choice: AI is optional. External services receive the context you send and may charge for usage. Local and on-device models depend on your setup.

07 — Structure

Make the relationships visible. Organize ideas in mind maps, flowcharts, and tables beside their sources.

Mind maps ⇧M

Develop an idea one branch at a time. Tab adds a child topic; ↵ adds a sibling. Cite a page from any topic to keep its source close.

A mind map called Tools for thought with branches for Trails, Links, Canvases, and Open questions; topics that cite a page show its site icon.

Tables ⇧T

Compare sources side by side. Paste cells from a spreadsheet, a Markdown table, or a page, then sort, resize, and copy them.

A table, What each one kept, comparing the Memex, NLS, HyperCard, and the World Wide Web by year and idea.

Flowcharts S

Steps, decisions, and swimlanes. Click a shape's dot to add the next step; a decision labels its branches Yes and No.

A flowchart: Start, Read the full essay, a decision Enough sources?, Yes to Write the one-pager and Share it, No to Find two more and back.

See the whole project

Group cards in frames, then zoom out to see the structure. The Outline lists every frame and card so you can return to the details.

The whole board zoomed out: four frames — Where the idea comes from, Map of the idea, Quotes and pictures, and Plan the write-up — with each card shown as its title, and the outline in the sidebar.

  • Nested boards

    Give a topic its own board while keeping it connected to the larger project.

  • Templates

    Issue tree, fishbone, timeline, org chart, swimlane, and decision matrix.

  • Export and cite

    A board file, a web page anyone can open, an image, a Markdown document, or a bibliography in APA, MLA, Chicago, BibTeX, or RIS.

08 — Home

A board for every project. Keep boards, folders, and saved sources organized in Home.

  • Home ⇧⌘H

    Return to recent boards and sources, or start a new board from a blank page or template.

  • Folders and Starred

    Organize boards into folders and star active projects to keep them close.

  • Library

    Find pages and notes across your personal boards. Filter by site, then open a card on its board.

  • PDFs

    Read PDFs beside your web pages. Passages you clip keep a link to the PDF.

  • Save from any browser

    Use Save to Broadser to send the page you're reading and any selected passage to your open board.

  • Bring your bookmarks

    Import Chrome bookmarks to start with the pages you already saved.

09 — Collaboration and sharing

Share the right version. Invite people to work together, publish a snapshot, or export a copy.

Keep your sources and thinking together.

Read something useful, add a note, and connect it to what came before. Your board keeps the context as your research develops.

10 — Privacy and storage

Keep control of your work. Personal boards stay on your Mac. Share when you choose.

Keep working on personal boards offline. Web pages, external AI services, and cloud collaboration need a connection.

  • Personal boards on your Mac

    Personal boards, settings, and website data stay on your Mac. Signing in enables separate cloud boards; your personal boards stay local.

  • A backup every day

    Broadser backs up your boards, folders, and templates once a day while it's open. Choose a backup folder, including iCloud Drive. The last 14 backups are kept, and Restore adds boards without replacing existing work.

  • Export your boards

    Export everything saves every board in one file for storage or transfer to another Mac.

  • No advertising tracking

    Broadser has no advertising or advertising tracking scripts. Websites you open have their own privacy practices. We don't sell personal information. Service providers process data to operate the app, and sharing follows your choices. Read the privacy policy.

Fig. 02 — Where your boards live

Your MacPersonal boards save on this Mac, even offline. Optional shared boards sync through the cloud.
BackupsEvery board, folder, and template. The last 14 are kept.

11 — FAQ

Common questions

More in the product guide and the privacy policy.

Can I use AI with my research?

On Mac, open Ask AI or press ⌘J to work with selected cards. Choose a service in AI & Connected Apps, use a local model, or use Apple Intelligence when available. AI is optional; external services may charge for usage. Choose what connected apps can read or change, and undo an AI run with ⌘Z.

Is Broadser free?

Yes. Broadser is free, with no payment details required. Personal Mac boards need no account; browser and cloud features require sign-in.

What does Broadser for Mac need?

A Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 13 or later. The version from this website updates itself: it checks once a day and installs a new version when you quit.

Where are my boards stored?

In Broadser for Mac, personal boards stay on your Mac (Settings ▸ Boards and storage ▸ Show in Finder opens the folder), with local backups. Optional shared boards use cloud storage and collaboration. The privacy policy has the details.

How many boards can I have?

Create a personal Mac board for each project. Home keeps your boards, folders, Starred, templates, and Library together.

Can I share a board?

Open Share to invite people to view or edit a cloud board. Share a snapshot publishes a separate, view-only copy for anyone with the link; turn it off on Shared links. You can also export a copy or send it by AirDrop, Mail, or Messages on Mac. Saved or downloaded copies can't be recalled.

Can I bring things in from other tools?

Paste a Mermaid diagram or an indented outline and it becomes a map. Paste cells from a spreadsheet, a Markdown table, or a table from a page and it becomes a table. Drop a .csv file or a board file on the board to bring it in.

Does it work on a phone or tablet?

The web app supports touch on phones and tablets and works best on a larger screen. The downloadable app is for Mac with Apple silicon. Shared snapshot links can be viewed without an account.

How do I delete my data?

For local Mac data, delete boards from Home (Trash ▸ Empty Trash), and clear website data and page pictures in Settings. Existing backups and exports remain until you remove them. For your browser account board, choose Delete my board data from the account menu. Manage shared boards separately, and turn off snapshot links on Shared links. For account deletion or other privacy requests, use Support; accounts are shared with Ken's Toolbox.

Start your next research board.

Broadser for Mac is free. Personal boards work without an account; cloud sharing is optional.

Download for Mac