FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Karpa.
Is Karpa really private?
Yes, by architecture. With local providers (LM Studio, Ollama) your text never leaves your machine and no internet connection is needed. There is no Karpa server that could receive data. If you choose a cloud provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, OpenRouter), requests go directly from your browser to that provider under your own API key.
Does Karpa need an internet connection?
Not for local providers. Once LM Studio or Ollama is set up with a downloaded model, everything works offline. Cloud providers obviously require internet.
How much does it cost?
Karpa itself is free and open source under the MIT License. Local providers are free to use with your own hardware. Cloud providers bill you directly under your own account; Karpa never sits in the middle of that billing.
Which platforms are supported?
Native desktop installers exist for Windows (.exe/.msi), macOS (.dmg, Intel and Apple Silicon), and Linux (.deb/.AppImage/.rpm). You can also run Karpa in Docker or from source on anything with Node.js. See Installation.
How is this different from Google Translate or DeepL?
Those services run on someone else's servers and log your input. Karpa runs on yours: you pick the model, you keep the history locally, and you can even swap the AI backend per project. Quality depends on the model you connect.
Where is my data stored?
In your browser storage, on your device. History and favorites live in localStorage; API keys in session storage. Full details in Data & Storage.
Can I use my own self-hosted model server?
Yes. Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint works through the Custom provider: vLLM, LiteLLM, text-generation-webui, or a corporate gateway. See Setting up Providers.
How do I move my history to another machine?
Export a backup from Settings → Data → Export Data, then import it via Import Data on the other machine. The JSON file contains history, favorites, and settings.
A translation finished while I was in another tab. Can I get notified?
Enable desktop notifications and the optional sound in Settings → Notifications.
Something is broken. Where do I start?
Check Troubleshooting first. If nothing there helps, open an issue with your OS, app version, and provider setup.