It lives on your device first.
Your photos, videos and writing begin on your device. Keeping your material and publishing it are separate decisions.
Some things are
worth keeping.
Keep them yourself.
We’re building an app for your computer and phone. A place for your photos, videos and writing on your own device. You choose what you keep and how you share it.
Knowledge lives
through people.
HummHive’s founder is Nick Haslem. His time in Peru, the Amazon and the Andes inspired him to help preserve oral wisdom, stories and lore.
The bee in our logo comes from an Egyptian hieroglyph. The starting question was how knowledge could be kept and shared without losing its connection to the people who carry it. The ambition is to give those people more choice over how their stories are preserved and passed on.
That same intention extends to anyone who makes things. Keep media on your own device, choose how to share it, and connect directly with the people it matters to. We’re building HummHive because it’s the right thing to do.
Every share starts
with a choice.
You choose the audience.
Send material in a conversation, share a post within your Hive, or publish it through a web-accessible hosted site. A Hive post does not automatically become public on the web.
Your people, in a shared place.
A Hive brings material and people together. The ambition is a closer relationship between those who create and those they choose to share with.
What it is,
and what it isn’t.
It is
A place to build and grow real relationships.
It isn’t
A town square where you talk with everyone all the time, even people you don’t know.
See HummHive running
on a computer.
Watch the team demonstrate the app in the Equinox briefing.
Where HummHive is going. Draft · under review
A working view of the test builds, work in progress and future plans. Feature statuses and timing are awaiting review.
- Jun 2026Solstice updateMessages tested between two machines.
- Sep 2026Equinox updateA new, faster core. Publishing from your own device.Latest
- Within 6 weeksWider private testingExpanding the group testing real builds.
- Within 2 monthsDownload and installSigned installers that run on a clean machine.
Area
ShippedIn today’s test builds10
In progressBeing built now9
On the horizonPlanned, not started4
Your libraryPhotos, videos and writing
Encrypted local data, with keys on your device
Media library with folders and drag and drop
Link another device with the same key
Each Hive kept separate from the others
Bigger files, sent in parts
PublishingYour Hive on the web
Host a Hive’s public pages from your own device, over HTTPS
Hive logo, banner and theme
Nothing announced yet
Proof of who made a piece of work
MessagingPerson to person
End-to-end encrypted messages, with media
Requests before someone new can message you
Check who you’re talking to, with a warning if that changes
Faster delivery for busy conversations
Live audio and video between devices
Shared playlists with live chat
Labels that show when you’re messaging an automated Node
Getting HummHiveTesting and installs
Automated release builds
The Nectar & Bloom redesign, in light and dark
Wider private testing within 6 weeks
Download and install within 2 months
Signed installers your computer trusts
Android and iOS alongside the other installers at launch
Production servers that help devices find each other
Automatic updates
ShippedIn progressOn the horizon
“Shipped” refers to test builds, not a public release. Timing is relative to the 23 September Equinox update and is not a confirmed release date.
Your device is
where it starts.
The app and the protocol share one idea: more choice over where your material lives and how it reaches people.
Peers are other devices. They connect to exchange material.
A picture of the intended flowSend selected material to a person, share with Hive members, or publish through a hosted site. This sequence shows the intended flow, not an availability guarantee.
Built on Holochain.
Part of its ecosystem.
HummHive uses Holochain’s peer-to-peer framework to connect people and their material. Holochain has featured HummHive as an ecosystem partner, sharing our work on publishing with more choice for creators.
Explore HolochainA few good questions.
The vision is long term.
These answers describe the product and its current plans.
What is HummHive?
HummHive is an app to store, create and share photos, videos and writing on your device. A Hive brings your material, people and tools together.
Who can see my posts?
A post in a Hive is visible to members of that Hive. It is public on the web only when it appears on a hosted site. The app’s “Public” label does not, by itself, mean anyone on the internet can read the post.
What does local-first mean?
Your material starts on your device. Locally stored or cached material can remain available without a connection. Connecting to other people, discovering material and transferring it need you to be online. Local-first does not mean every function works offline.
Is everything encrypted?
Mostly. Protections vary by content and workflow. Web-public material is not encrypted; that is what makes it public. Folder names and structure are public. Changing a media file’s audience does not yet re-encrypt it for the new audience. A JSON export is plaintext and unencrypted.
What are Sidecars?
Sidecars are focused tools inside a Hive, similar to plugins. Current examples, including Contacts, Direct Messages and Note to Self, are built into the application. Installing third-party Sidecars and a marketplace are future work.
Can I export or move my Hive?
Export into a fresh Hive. Yes. You can export your Hive as a plaintext, unencrypted JSON file and import it to create a fresh Hive. Keep the JSON file private.
Move the encrypted data. You can also copy or move the single data directory, including its keys, to retain the encrypted data at rest.
Keep your recovery phrase safe. You will need your 24 words to decrypt your data if you forget your password.
Which devices will be supported at launch?
Android and iOS are planned to be available at the same time as the macOS, Windows and Linux installers. The mobile versions will likely be less polished and less tested at the initial release. This is the release plan, rather than a claim that installers are available today.
Can I download the app now?
HummHive is still in development; public production installers are not available yet. The interactive prototype on this website shows the intended experience with simulated actions and connections. It is not the production app.
What is a founding seat?
A founding seat is early access: every new build before the app’s public release, $25 a seat, paid once. It is not an investment and includes no shares, ownership or financial returns. Every seat gets the same. If $50,000 isn’t reached within 30 days after seats open to the public, everyone is refunded. Checkout is a demo. Who holds the money and the full terms must be confirmed before real purchases open.
Early access.
A founding seat gets you every new build before the app’s public release.
$25 a seat, paid once. Every seat gets the same.
Get founding seatsCheckout is a demo. Who holds the money and the full terms must be confirmed before real purchases open. No shares, ownership or financial returns.
