The default
Thaw vs A folder on your computer
Everyone, at some point. A Documents folder, maybe a scanner that dumps into it, maybe a naming convention that lasted a month.
A folder is free, private and yours. It is also the reason this category exists: the folder does nothing, so eventually neither do you. The honest comparison is what the folder costs you in missed renewals and lost afternoons.
Side by side
| Thaw | A folder | |
|---|---|---|
| Effort | None after setup. Paper arrives and is filed. | Every file needs a name and a place, or it does not get one. |
| Finding things | By person, thing, category, type, date, exact identifier, or a question. | Spotlight or Windows Search over file names and OCR, if the scans have text. |
| Dates and checkup | Every renewal, expiry, due date and notice period becomes an item with what happens if missed and what to do, from the document itself. Resolved by the next document. Knows what a person, vehicle, property, pet or business should have on file; lists what is missing, lapsed, expired or duplicated, worst first, with where to get it. | None. |
| Ownership and privacy | Per-document keys wrapped by per-account keys wrapped by a KMS master key. Identifiers encrypted with a blind index and redacted from the search index. Hash-chained audit log. Crypto-shred on delete. Originals in a folder tree named the way Thaw names them, plus facts as CSV and JSON. Continuous mirror to your own cloud folder on the roadmap. | Absolute, as long as the disk lasts and the backups work. |
| Cost | Free tier, then from $8 a month. | Free. |
Stay with A folder if
- You have a dozen documents and a good memory.
- Nothing in your life renews, expires or comes due.
Move to Thaw if
- You have a household, a car, a lease or a business.
- You have ever paid a late fee you did not need to.
Moving over
Drag the folder onto the import page. Folder names and file names become hints. Keep the folder if you like; Thaw does not need it to go away.
Point it at the pile and walk away.
Early access is open to a small group of households and owner-run businesses. Tell us a little about your paper and we will send an invitation.