Relay copies one local folder to another on a Mac. Before it changes anything, it shows a sealed plan listing new files, replacements, and archive moves.

Can Relay permanently delete files during a backup?

Mirror mode moves destination-only items into Safety Vault. Replaced files are also preserved there. Permanent purge is a separate explicit action.

Does Relay upload files or require an account?

No. Relay 1.0 performs folder scanning, planning, copying, verification, and history locally, with no account, analytics, advertising, or third-party SDK.

Is Relay a replacement for Time Machine?

No. Relay is for deliberate one-way copies between folders you choose. Time Machine remains the better choice for automatic whole-Mac backup and system recovery.

Folder backup for Mac

Previewed folder replication for Mac.

Relay shows every new file, safe replacement, and archive move before it touches your destination folder.

See the real app Release status

Mac release in preparation · not yet available.

Relay preview ledger listing five planned file operations between a source folder and an archive drive — One route. Five operations. Nothing runs until you approve the plan.

Platform: macOS 14+

Direction: One-way, manual

Privacy: Local, no account

Availability: Not yet available

A visible safety boundary

Folder replication plan

Most folder tools ask you to trust a mode and press Sync. Relay makes the consequences readable first.

Choose two folders.

Select a source and destination through the macOS folder picker. Relay accesses only what you choose.

Read the change set.

Inspect each copy, replacement, folder creation, and archive move in a sealed preview.

Run the same plan.

If either endpoint changes, the stale plan is blocked and must be rebuilt before execution.

Real native screens

Preview and verification

Every image below comes from the current macOS build with fictional local data.

Relay Update preview showing copies and a safely preserved replacement — **Read every consequence.** The ledger separates copies, replacements, and their safety outcome.

Relay Mirror preview with safety review for destination-only files — **Mirror with a recovery path.** Destination-only files move to Safety Vault.

Relay Safety Vault browser listing archived file versions — **Restore what changed.** Browse archived versions and restore deliberately.

Relay run history showing completed local folder operations — **Keep the evidence.** Each local run remains inspectable.

Launch campaign

Availability

A focused campaign system built from the real product: editorial typography, Relay’s route motif, and one promise on every format.

Relay launch poster with the headline A backup plan you can read and a real preview screenshot — **Launch landscape**Download 1600 × 900

Relay social poster with the headline Every change before it happens — **Social portrait**Download 1080 × 1350

Relay story poster with the headline Preview first Copy second — **Story portrait**Download 1080 × 1920

Designed for a specific job

How the app works

Relay fits project archives, external-drive copies, photo handoffs, and any folder mirror where you want to see exactly what will change.

Relay 1.0 is deliberately focused.

It is manual, local, and one-way. It does not offer schedules, cloud connectors, NAS integration, bidirectional sync, bootable clones, or full filesystem-metadata preservation.

Compare Relay with Time Machine and advanced sync tools

Current status

Mac release in preparation

Relay is not yet publicly available. No public price or purchase is offered on this page.

Read the current product scope, then check this page again after a public release is confirmed.

Manual, one-way folder replication
Readable preview before execution
Recoverable Safety Vault

Direct answers

Product limits

What does Relay do?

Relay copies one local folder to another. It always creates a readable, immutable plan before running.

Does Mirror permanently delete destination files?

No. Destination-only items move into Safety Vault. Permanent purge is a separate explicit action.

Does Relay upload my files?

No. Version 1.0 has no account, analytics, advertising, cloud service, or third-party SDK.

Is this a Time Machine replacement?

No. Time Machine remains the right tool for automatic whole-Mac history and recovery. Relay is for deliberate folder-to-folder replication.

When can I download Relay?

Relay is in preparation and is not publicly available on the Mac App Store. This page will link to the public listing only after it is live.