I built a desktop app to move files between cloud providers without subscriptions or CLI
I started working on this about a year ago because I needed to backup my GoPro footage to Backblaze B2. GoPro Cloud has no API, no bulk download, and no third-party tool support. The web app lets you grab 25 files at a time in zip bundles.
That turned into Blober, a desktop app that connects to 11 cloud storage providers and lets you transfer files between any two of them. AWS S3, Azure Blob, Google Drive, Dropbox, Backblaze B2, Cloudflare R2, DigitalOcean Spaces, Wasabi, Google Photos, GoPro Cloud, and local storage.
Why local-first
Every other cloud transfer tool I found was either a SaaS that routes your data through their servers or a CLI such as rclone that requires config files. I used custom scripts because I wanted my files to have a specific format:
backup/
├── 2025-12-24/
│ ├── 2025-12-24_08-24-02:DSC08007.jpg
│ └── 2025-12-24_09-15-45:IMG_1234.mp4
└── 2025-12-25/
├── 2025-12-25_10-05-30:HolidayPic.png
└── 2025-12-25_11-20-10:FamilyVideo.avi
Blober runs entirely on your machine. Files stream directly between provider APIs. Your credentials never leave your computer. No subscription, no transfer fees and definitely no transfer limits.
This matters for two reasons:
- Privacy. SaaS tools decrypt your data on their servers to relay it. Your credentials sit in their database.
- Cost. SaaS tools charge per-GB or monthly subscriptions. Blober is a one-time purchase. Transfer 100 GB or 100 TB, same price.
The hard parts
Google Photos changed their API policy in March 2025. Third-party apps can now only download photos they uploaded themselves. rclone broke overnight. Google's official answer is Takeout, which takes hours and gives you fragmented zips with no folder structure. I had to find a different approach to make it work in Blober.
GoPro Cloud has never had a public API. Building support for it was the most challenging integration because there's no documentation, no SDK, and no community resources.
Azure Blob mutations were an interesting addition. Beyond just moving files, Blober can change Azure storage tiers (Hot, Cool, Cold, Archive) and container access levels in bulk.
One-time purchase model means every sale is permanent revenue. No churn. But it also means no recurring revenue, so growth has to come from volume.
Currently supports Mac, Windows, and Linux.
As a developer with a very tiny online presence, marketing is the hard part. If you've built a utility tool and struggled with the marketing side, I'd love to hear what worked for you.
This is stronger than just a “file transfer app.” The local-first angle is the real wedge: no server relay, no credential storage, no transfer limits, and no subscription tax. That is a much sharper position than competing with generic cloud-sync tools.
I’d probably make the privacy/control story more central than the provider list. The list proves utility, but the trust claim is what makes Blober different: your files move between clouds without the product becoming the middleman.
One thing I’d think about early is whether the name Blober will age well if this becomes a broader local-first cloud operations tool. For a more serious cloud workflow/platform direction, Xevoa.com would carry the product cleaner than a name that sounds tied to “blob” storage only.