Elephas - AI assistant built on your own data

What is Elephas

You have thousands of documents, meeting notes, research papers, and client files sitting on your Mac. You've read countless articles and reports. But when you need that specific piece of information — the decision from last quarter's board meeting, the client case law you reviewed last month, or the research citation you know exists somewhere — it's lost in a sea of files.

You're not alone. Research shows we forget about 70% of what we read within a week. And for knowledge workers, this isn't just annoying — it's a productivity killer.

Elephas is an AI assistant built on your data. Instead of guessing answers from the internet like ChatGPT or Claude, Elephas searches through YOUR documents to give you accurate, cited answers. Whether it's your research papers, client files, meeting notes, or internal knowledge base — Elephas turns all of it into an instantly searchable AI-powered brain.

What makes Elephas different? Privacy comes first. With local-first architecture, your data stays on your device. No uploads, no cloud processing (unless you choose), and 100% offline mode when you need it. Your sensitive documents never leave your Mac.

Founded in 2021, Liberation Softwares LLP has been helping professionals reclaim their knowledge ever since. With over 3,000 users worldwide and a 4.6/5 rating across Capterra, GetApp, and Software Advice, Elephas is trusted by executives, lawyers, consultants, researchers, and healthcare professionals who value both intelligence and privacy.

---

Elephas Core Features

Super Brain — Your Personal AI Knowledge Base

Imagine having a research assistant who remembers everything you've ever read. That's Super Brain.

You can create specialized knowledge bases for different projects or clients. Import hundreds of documents — board meeting notes, client contracts, research papers, industry reports — and Elephas indexes them all locally. When you ask a question like "What was the board's decision on APAC expansion?", you get an instant answer with citations to the exact documents.

In testing with 847 documents, Elephas delivered instant retrieval. There's no limit on how many files you can add.

You can use it to: Create client-specific knowledge bases, manage research literature, organize project documentation, or build a personal "second brain" that remembers everything you've ever read.

Super Command — AI at Your Fingertips

Press ⌘+Space anywhere on your Mac, and Elephas appears. No need to switch apps or copy-paste content.

You're in Gmail composing a response to a client — Elephas helps you write a professional reply. Reading a lengthy article in Safari — it summarizes the key points. Need to capture something for later? Save it directly to your Brain.

You can use it to: Get intelligent replies, summarize content on any webpage, rewrite text in different tones (professional, casual, persuasive), or instantly save important information to your knowledge base.

Multi-Source Data Import

Elephas plays nice with your existing workflow. Import from 20+ formats:

• Documents: PDF, Word, Pages, Markdown, Excel, CSV, code files
• Notes: Apple Notes, Notion, Obsidian, DEVONthink
• Media: Zoom recordings, YouTube videos, voice memos, web pages

Notion and Apple Notes sync automatically, so your knowledge base stays updated without manual imports.

Answers with Source Citations

Ever noticed how AI sometimes makes things up? That's called "hallucination" — and it's dangerous when you're dealing with client documents or research citations.

Elephas uses RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) technology. Every answer includes the source document and even points to the specific page. You can click to verify. This isn't AI guessing — it's your documents, giving you reliable answers.

You can use it to: Ensure accuracy in client work, quickly reference specific document sections, build presentations with verifiable sources.

100% Offline Mode

Need to work on a flight? Dealing with sensitive client data? Elephas has you covered.

Enable offline mode, and it uses local Large Language Models to process everything on your device. Zero data leaves your Mac. No internet connection required. Complete privacy, anywhere.

Complete iOS Suite

Your knowledge shouldn't be chained to your desk. With the native iOS app and AI keyboard, Elephas works across all your devices.

• iOS app: Access yourBrains on the go
• AI keyboard: AI assistance in any app — Messages, Mail, Slack, Notes
• iCloud sync: Start something on Mac, continue on iPhone seamlessly

You can use it to: Review client files before meetings, answer questions during travel, access research on your iPad.

---

Who Is Using Elephas

Executives and Business Leaders

The pain: You're preparing for a board meeting and need to quickly reference what was decided about the Asia expansion in last quarter's meeting. But that information is scattered across multiple documents — board minutes, strategy papers, email threads.

The solution: Super Brain consolidates all your board meetings, strategic documents, and executive communications into one searchable knowledge base. Ask natural questions and get instant, cited answers.

The result: "What was the board's feedback on the APAC expansion?" returns a direct answer with references to the relevant meeting notes and page numbers.

Legal Professionals

The pain: You're in a client meeting and need to reference a specific clause from a contract you reviewed months ago, or find relevant case law for an ongoing matter.

The solution: Create client-specificBrains. Store all contracts, case files, and legal research. Elephas indexes everything and lets you search instantly — even across thousands of documents.

The result: Pull up the exact条款 you're looking for during client conversations. Impress clients with instant, accurate references.

Researchers and Academics

The pain: You've read hundreds of papers. When you need to find which ones discuss a specific methodology or finding, it's like finding a needle in a haystack.

Solution: Import all your research papers, conference proceedings, and literature into a dedicated Research Brain. Elephas understands the semantic content, not just filenames.

Result: Ask "Which papers discuss CRISPR delivery methods?" and get a list of relevant papers with exact page references.

Healthcare Professionals

The pain: You need to quickly reference the latest clinical guidelines or medication interactions during patient consultations, but you can't always access the internet reliably.

Solution: Load medical guidelines, clinical references, and drug databases into Elephas. Enable offline mode for complete privacy and accessibility anywhere — even in clinics with spotty WiFi.

Result: "Latest guidelines on pediatric anxiety treatment" returns source-verified answers you can trust at the point of care.

Knowledge Workers and Professionals

The pain: You read dozens of articles and reports each week. A month later, you remember reading something useful about a specific topic — but you can't find it.

Solution: Quick Capture (⌘+Space) lets you save key insights instantly while reading. Build Your Brain over time with these captures. Three weeks later, you can still ask "What did I save about Japan interest rates?" and get your exact notes.

Result: Read once, remember forever. Your personal "second brain" that never forgets.

Cross-Device Professionals

The pain: You research extensively on your Mac at home, but need to access that information when meeting clients on your iPhone.

Solution: iCloud sync keeps yourBrains perfectly synchronized across Mac and iOS. Start building a research Brain on your desktop, continue refining it on your iPad at the coffee shop.

Result: Your knowledge is always with you, on whatever device is convenient.

---

Getting Started with Elephas

Step 1: Install Elephas

Head to the Mac App Store or download directly from elephas.app. The installation takes under a minute. Launch the app, and you're ready to go.

Step 2: Create Your Free Account

No credit card required. The free version gives you unlimited documents, Super Command, and offline mode. You can use Elephas indefinitely without paying — it simply limits AI credits for cloud-based queries.

Step 3: Build Your First Super Brain

This is where the magic happens. A Super Brain is a collection of documents that Elephas indexes and makes searchable.

1. Click "Create New Brain" in the app
2. Give it a name (e.g., "Client Projects," "Research 2024," "Board Meetings")
3. Drag and drop your documents — PDFs, Word files, notes, anything
4. Wait for indexing (usually seconds for small collections)

Pro tip: Start with your 5 most-used document collections. This gives you an instant foundation to start asking questions.

Step 4: Activate Super Command

Press ⌘+Space on your keyboard. That's it. The Elephas assistant appears in a floating window, ready to help in any application.

You can configure what Super Command does by default (reply, summarize, rewrite, or save to brain) in Preferences.

Step 5: Import Your Data

Beyond drag-and-drop, Elephas offers several import options:

• Notion sync: Connect your Notion workspace for automatic synchronization
• Apple Notes sync: Pull in all your notes with one click
• Browser capture: Use Quick Capture to save web content as you browse
• Direct integrations: Connect DEVONthink, Obsidian, and other apps

Step 6: Enable Offline Mode (Optional)

If you handle sensitive data or need complete privacy:

1. Open Preferences → Privacy
2. Enable "Offline Mode"
3. Download the local LLM model (one-time, around 500MB)

Now all processing happens on your Mac. Zero network requests.

---

Technical Deep Dive

Local-First Architecture

Elephas is built on a fundamental principle: your data belongs to you.

Unlike cloud-based AI assistants that upload your documents to their servers, Elephas processes everything locally on your Mac. When you create a Super Brain, the indexing happens on-device. When you ask questions, they're answered from your local index.

This isn't just marketing — it's baked into the architecture. Your documents never leave your machine unless you explicitly choose to use cloud-based AI models (and even then, they're not stored).

Multi-Model Flexibility

Elephas gives you choices:

• Cloud models: OpenAI GPT-3.5, GPT-4, GPT-5 for maximum capability
• Anthropic Claude: For different response styles and strengths
• Google Gemini: Google's latest model
• Local LLM: Run AI entirely offline with models like Llama

You can even switch models per-query. Want the best reasoning? Use Claude. Need quick summaries? Local LLM is faster.

RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation)

This is the technical foundation behind Elephas's accuracy. When you ask a question:

1. Retrieval: The system searches your indexed documents for relevant passages
2. Augmentation: Those passages are fed into the AI model as context
3. Generation: The AI generates an answer based ONLY on your documents

This is fundamentally different from generic AI chatbots that generate responses from training data. Elephas only answers from what you've given it — and cites the exact sources.

Native Application Design

Elephas isn't a website wrapped in Electron. It's a true native macOS app with:

• System-level keyboard shortcuts (⌘+Space works everywhere)
• Native menus and navigation
• Full accessibility support
• Optimized performance for Apple Silicon

The iOS app is equally native, with a custom AI keyboard that works across all iOS applications.

Security and Compliance

• GDPR compliant: Meets European data protection requirements
• No AI training: Your data is NEVER used to train Elephas or third-party models
• Secure payments: All payments processed through Gumroad with PCI compliance
• Children's privacy: Not designed for users under 13

---

Frequently Asked Questions

---

Pricing Plans

Which Plan Should You Choose?

Start with Free. You can build SuperBrains, use Super Command, and enable offline mode — all without paying. This gives you a complete sense of whether Elephas fits your workflow.

Upgrade to Standard ($9.99/month) when you want more AI credits for cloud-based queries. Great for personal use with moderate document volumes.

Choose Pro ($19.99/month) if you manage multiple projects orBrains, need unlimited AI credits, and want access to all advanced features.

Team ($29.99/month) if you're working with colleagues and need sharedBrains, collaborative features, and team credits.

Lifetime ($299) makes sense if you plan to use Elephas for years — it's roughly 15 months of Pro pricing, then everything is free afterward.

---

Ready to build your second brain? Download Elephas from elephas.app or the Mac App Store and start creating your first Super Brain today.