Alternative to Eagle app that is able to be used offline?
I really like Eagle app. Used Pixave extensively and switched over to Eagle when Pixave was abandoned. I don't need Eagle to be connected to the internet so I restricted access. I don't remember ever having a problem with this years back but recently Eagle…
I really like Eagle app. Used Pixave extensively and switched over to Eagle when Pixave was abandoned. I don't need Eagle to be connected to the internet so I restricted access. I don't remember ever having a problem with this years back but recently Eagle keeps requesting reactivation like every 3 days. This app tries to phone home for license verification constantly. I mean all the time. 2 days ago the app stopped working and said it had failed license verification 30 times and required me to re-enter my license. I connected to the internet and re-verified my license. 2 days later, it's locked me out again and is asking for me to re-enter my license. 2 days. And it completely locks you out. I wasn't able to do anything but enter a license or close the app. I use Eagle to save and organize my own art/assets. I understand they seem to be extremely worried about people using unlicensed copies or trying to install it on more Macs than allowed but I don't need it connected to the internet and this incessant dialing home is annoying. TL;DR - Eagle app stops working if it can't phone home all the time. Can anyone recommend an app with similar features and utility that is able to be used offline 100% after license verification?
已收录讨论
My backups are all saved locally and on Dropbox. I'll admit I have not emailed the dev. After being locked out for the fourth time with a "Trial Expired" message that only allows me to re-enter the license or close the app, I actually tried searching the FAQ and the dev explains on their site that they instituted the constant license checks to prevent against misuse of the license. I don't think a dev that worried about people using a cracked version or trying to install on too many machines, would be willing to alter their stance on this. Plus I didn't want to be an entitle customer by asking them to change what is apparently a very important aspect of the app just because I don't like the way it works. I am aware enough to know most people simply won't care about leaving the app connected to the internet all the time. I am more than willing to buy a new app and move my workflow over.
Never heard of it. I'll check it out. Thanks.
I've never personally checked out XnViewMP though I heard of it a lot. Yeah, the search and filter features like searching by tags, comments, or notes, and filtering assets by color (for example having it show me all the assets that have a certain hex code) are great. The collection features and plugins are great as well but I could probably get away with just using use a folder based image viewer if that was all. I'll check out XnViewMP and actually try it for once.
It's not a bug, unfortunately. The app is meant to call home to verify licensing often and if you block connections the app just stops working after 30 attempts to connect. I, at least, thought that would be 1 attempt a day but it required re-verification after 2 days this last time so I would rather just find a different app if possible.
That actually looks like a really good replacement for Eagle. Have you used it? Their site looks nice and clean but offers almost no information except for the list of features. There isn't even info on the dev or contact/support information.
Your app looks worth trying out. Thanks
App developer here, so this thread hits something I deal with. Offline-forever is the right default for users, and Eagle's every-3-days lockout is hostile. But the phone-home tends to exist for one reason: someone buys a license, refunds it, then keeps the app forever. A one-time check at install can't catch that. Periodic checks can. So where's your line? A check once a month? Once a quarter? Or a single activation at install with nothing after? Curious what feels fair from the user side.
That's a good question and excuse the long response. I mentioned in another comment that I do understand the reason why a dev would want license checks but this seemed excessive. I know it's not a perfectly equivalent comparison but to me it's like a single player game (download or disc) that refuses to even play without an internet connection or one that kicks you out the game if you lose connection while playing. But there's a reason I didn't reach out to the dev. I understand that is how they want their app to function. The thing is I was okay with re-verifying my license periodically but I wasn't ready for the app to lock me out again after only 2 days. And maybe it's not supposed to happen that fast but that was very frustrating. I am not a dev so I know my ideal state for license checks might be contentious but to me the ideal amount is for the app to check during install and at every update check. If the user has auto check for updates then the app checks more consistently, but if the user would like to check updates themselves then the app checks for updates and verifies the license when they do. Eagle has attempted to connect about 1000 times in the last week. LaunchOS attempted to connect 57,000 times in the same week. Both have restricted internet access. One still works with no issues and has been working since install. It's just my personal stance, that any app whose functionality should not require internet connection, gets restricted from internet access. A good chunk of the apps on my Mac do not have internet access and they work. The dev has the information about offline functionality clear on their FAQ. Not sure if it's always been there or when it was added but it's clear. When my workflow is no longer compatible with an app I find a different one.
I would strongly prefer tools where originals stay in normal folders and the app only adds metadata, thumbnails, and search on top. It was easy enough to export what I need. Yes, this would be ideal but I've found most apps of this sort create their own database/library. Pixave was similar so I got used to it. The problem is sometimes even an app that adds metadata, thumbnails, etc but leaves the original files in their own folder, puts all that info in their own separate library file. I used YACReader for years. Had 100s of gigs of digital comics organized with summaries, series info, cover art...it took me years to organize. During an update the .yacreaderlibrary file got corrupted somehow and my library lost all it's organization. I had to rebuild my library from scratch. But then you have apps like Swinsian. All the metadata is written to the original file. So I can update the metadata of a song/album and immediately play it in another music app and all the info is retained in the file. So, you know. It's a toss up.
Browsing, yes. Tagging, no. I just assumed as you said that it's based on how big my libraries are. The biggest browsing issue is lagging/stuttering and thumbnail quality.
I have always encountered difficulties with Eagle's indexing and high background CPU usage once a library has exceeded a few thousand assets. For me, using a combination of Hazel rules and HoudahSpot for searching effectively replaced Eagle, with no additional daemons running, keeping Spotlight responsive. Are you experiencing issues with the browser or tagging?
I'm biased as the developer, but my app PIXLpath lets your build reference catalogs which can used completely offline between your Mac and iOS devices. The catalogs, which hold only thumbnails and metadata, can be saved as .pixlpath documents and can be passed between your devices using AirDrop, iCloud Drive, or an external drive. Your original files remain exactly where they are. Here's a link to a recent deep dive by a photographer on YouTube. Most of his critiques are addressed in my upcoming release. If anyone is interested in being a beta tester, reach out to me directly.
the phone-home thing is getting out of hand tbh. paying for a license shouldn't mean the app locks you out every 48 hours because it can't phone home. have you tried Claquette or Unfolder? neither needs a connection after you buy. if you specifically want something close to Eagle's library structure, Creativit is worth a look, though it's more mood board territory than a proper asset manager. the underlying problem is these devs decided license checks need to run constantly, not just at activation. no good answer for you except finding tools that don't do this.
the constant phone-home thing is exactly why i've gotten allergic to apps that need a server to keep working. a license check that locks you out of your OWN files every 2 days is wild, you bought it. for what it's worth i build mac stuff and went fully offline on principle, no account, no callback, activate once and it just runs. can't recommend a direct eagle swap but yeah, "works offline 100%" should be the baseline not the rare feature.
Have you tried contacting the developer/ support and see if they can fix it? Unfortunately can't help with finding any better app.
I've been an Eagle user for a long time - I get annoyed that I can't easily my library on my iPad / iPhone (I think there are apps that will parse the library that I'm currently saving to iCloud) - but recently I did discover https://www.gatheros.co/ and it's been great so far.
For an app that manages a personal asset library, offline access feels like a baseline requirement. License checks are understandable, but locking someone out of their own organized files every couple of days is a very different tradeoff. I would strongly prefer tools where originals stay in normal folders and the app only adds metadata, thumbnails, and search on top.
I built my own eagle replacement https://www.refern.app/ that has an integrated infinite canvas (like pureref) to organize my own art references. The only network call it does is to activate license for the first time, check for updates, and (optional) download auto tagging models. Once the license is activated, it won't ping after that, and it will stay like that for the foreseeable future. If you'd like to give it a try, you can import your entire library from eagle into refern with all its metadata. After import, your file is just a regular folder on your computer that refern read as is.
You could have a look at Resurf.
Have you emailed the dev? I just opened mine today, could you save to a local folder? Mine seems fine aside from links. Have a look in the megathread too - I think I saw something that could fit. Or Pixave? The dev who makes Deskeen etc - it's on the app store. Then https://tropy.org open source
Haven't used Eagle myself, but if you just need local asset browsing/organizing without any phone-home behavior, XnViewMP is worth a look — it's freeware for personal use, no license server checks at all since it's not subscription-based. Might be missing some of Eagle's tagging/collection features though, so depends how deep you need to go.
What about https://www.refern.app/ or https://onefolder.app/
Photo Supreme Neofinder
Creativit is worth a look if you're okay with it being more mood board than strict asset manager. for something closer to Eagle's actual library approach, Unfolder handles images and video well and has no phone-home after purchase. the 2-day lockout thing is genuinely bad design. locking someone out of their own organized files because a license check timed out is a different category of problem from just "requires internet." that's the app holding your data hostage.
If you mainly need an offline/local alternative to Eagle, I’d look at TagSpaces, XnView MP, digiKam, or PureRef, depending on your workflow. TagSpaces is probably the closest if you want local file organization with tags and folders. XnView MP is good for browsing, rating, and managing large image folders. digiKam is more photo-management oriented, with metadata, albums, tags, and face recognition. PureRef is great for moodboards and visual references, but it’s not really a full asset manager.