A New, Networked Era for Anytype

We started Anytype with the vision of making the protection of our digital freedoms unconditional. Privacy of thoughts and the freedom to connect with our families, friends and communities directly, are the precious gifts of our digital age. 

Today, we’re taking a humble stride towards this goal by publicly debuting the first version of local-first sharing and collaboration within Anytype.

When we were testing collaboration internally, we loved seeing the whole team edit the same page, even after switching off the Internet. It felt like magic - all communication was purely local and the changes happened in an instant.

This followed years of R&D into a network based on creator-owned keys, local-first collaboration, and end-to-end encryption. The combination of these technological choices allows creators to connect directly to each other and own what they create. Practically, such a network delivers the benefits of offline access, speedy loading times, and privacy and autonomy from software providers.

We fondly refer to this as a ‘no-one-in-between’ network, where nobody mediates the connections between you and your data, your relationships, or your devices.

Underlying this network structure is Anysync, our open-source protocol designed to support encrypted communication and collaboration at scale. Anysync combines on-device storage, P2P sync, and CRDTs to make it possible for users to collaborate independently from the cloud.

Anytype, our first product, is the interface to this network. Till now, it has been widely used as a tool for personal knowledge management. With the introduction of multiplayer, we step out of personal and into the realm of collaborative spaces, discussions, and communities with those you trust.

We’ve added first ideas for spaces for families, communities, teams, neighbors and creators - this is how our own team has started to use multiplayer in Anytype.

This first version of collaboration is very basic - it’s an alpha, and it’s far from polished. We will focus on making it complete by adding notifications, public spaces, comments, and many other essential features in the coming months.

How can you support?

1. First and foremost, we’d love for you to try out collaboration. 
   
   Create a shared space and invite a family member, friend, or colleague to build it together with you. 
   
   If you need inspiration, you’re welcome to check out some examples of how to use shared spaces in our Experience Gallery. We’ve added first ideas for spaces for families, communities, teams, neighbors and creators - these are how our team has started to play with multiplayer. 
   
   Once you’ve tried it for yourself, leave us your feedback! Let us and the rest of the Anytype community know what you’d love to see next, and what challenges you’ve faced.
2. If you’re enjoying this experience, upgrade your membership to a Builder or Co-Creator plan. To celebrate this release and thank those of you who’ve supported our journey, we’re offering limited-quantity discounts for the membership.
   
   To claim your limited-quantity discount on our paid plans, you can follow the below instructions:

• For 1-year Builder Plan at $79: Order via the app and use discount code: BetaBuilderPreOrder2024 at checkout
• For 3-year Co-Creator Plan at $239: Order via the app and use code: BetaCoCreatorPreOrder2024 at checkout

3. Finally, participate in our release-day fun! If you have a Twitter/X account, we’d love for you to let the world know that you’re among the first to participate in this local-first network. Tag @anytypelabs and we’ll be sure to repost! 

What comes next?

Today’s release marks just the beginning of our multiplayer journey, and we’re excited to evolve this into a comprehensive and engaging experience. The current iteration supports small groups, providing a foundation for collaboration and communication. 

Moving forward, we aim to enrich these interactions by introducing new types of spaces tailored for larger groups, such as creators and communities. Essential features like notifications, comments, and discussions will be integrated into all spaces to enhance connectivity and engagement. Our team will continue refining the overall user experience to ensure it meets your expectations and needs.

We deeply appreciate your continued support and companionship on this journey. We are blessed to work together with you to shape this new, networked era of Anytype.