Merged 1 post from Browser sync via Kagi servers for paid users.
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Browser syncing Without iCloud (Firefox sync or Orion sync) - via Kagi servers for paid users
Vlad changed the title to Browser syncing Without iCloud (Firefox sync or Orion sync) - via Kagi servers for paid users .
One other idea -- sync data via IMAP server. Since IMAP ~ email and already trusted with sensitive/personal information (and it may be a self-hosted for many), storing this kind of data there doesn't spread it to new servers. I realize that IMAP wasn't designed for this (for Notes to use IMAP it basically creates a sometimes hidden folder there) and this is unlikely to drive the revenue for Kagi but still wanted to throw the idea out there as I am trying to minimize the use of proprietry services outside of my control.
2 months later
I also can’t sync with iCloud on my work computer. Having a non-iCloud option for Kagi and/or Orion+ subscribers would be awesome. Also, I would love if all profiles synced, but that’s probably another suggestion 
6 days later
Just found this thread, as I was searching for a way to sync my bookmarks across different browsers on Windows, Mac, and iPhone. I am currently using XBrowserSync and Eversync (Everhelper). Both work great and allow any changes that anyone in my family makes to bookmarks in Chrome, Firefox, or Edge -- at work or home -- to propagate to all of our devices, Windows and Mac. Unfortunately, to use this extension (or any other), one must disable any native browser bookmark sync (Chrome, Firefox, etc.), as failure to do so will result in a mess as multiple systems try to sync data. iPhone browsers do not support extensions, so Firefox on my iPhone cannot get any of the bookmarks saved on Windows or Mac.
I was hoping Orion would be my solution, even though there is no Windows version yet. Unfortunately, neither of the two extensions works on Orion, either on mobile or desktop.
To answer Vlad's question (reiterated frequently, as a clarification of complexity and cost of development): I am an Orion Lifetime subscriber and Kagi subscriber. I would happily pay more for a working bookmark syncing feature to enable headache-free access to all of my bookmarks via native bookmark interfaces in Firefox, Chrome, and Orion.
Thank you for all the hard work and effort you put into continuing it.
Vlad stickied the discussion .
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VirtualPanther We will try to get some of these extensions working soon. Getting them to work on iOS will be more challengingdue to Apple limitations, not the lack of our ambition. For Orion native sync, it is a matter of time and resources.
I know that GNOME Web (Epiphany) has/had integrated Mozilla/Firefox Sync into their WebKit browser for this exact purpose.
https://mozilla-services.readthedocs.io/en/latest/sync/overview.html
It's also apparently possible for people to self-host their own Firefox Sync instance: https://thesmarthomejourney.com/2023/03/18/self-hosting-firefox-sync/
If this is possible still today, this may be the easiest thing for Orion to integrate.
15 days later
Can e2e encrypted backup not simply be allowed to be exported to cloud service of choice eg Dropbox? This can then be restored on second device without needing to use iCloud. This works for people like me who have to use devices with different iCloud accounts for work and home.
10 days later
I am also an Orion Lifetime and Kagi premium subscriber and would be willing to pay a small premium to have Orion sync extensions, settings, tabs, etc. independent of iCloud. I don’t use the Orion password manager and so wouldn’t see that as important.
Same, I would love the speed a reliability of a Firefox style sync vs iCloud. I would be happy to pay a premium to support the back end services required.
a month later
I am also an Orion "lifetime" etc and I would be willing to pay a modest premium just to close this ticket for good, as in, put it in the NOFIX category and move on. I can sympathize with all the blockers/situations that prevent using the native syncing, but from reading @Vlad responses in this thread from over, quite literally, the years, it's well outside the bounds of what would be considered pragmatic decision making.
I love the whole mission behind Kagi/Orion and I truly want to keep paying for them until I finally peace out of this world. But to do that requires repeatedly prioritizing the right things, and there's so many other worthwhile areas where time would be better spent.
To everyone who wants to sync to their work laptop... just... why? That is not your device in any remote sense. I personally do not want my employer to have any more access to me than they already do. And besides, it's called work for a reason. We're supposed to suffer.
My $0.02
- Edited
andelink
while I sympathize with you with the work laptop discourse, I feel that slowly moving out of the apple ecosystem is the right thing to do basically for two reasons:
1- sync my bookmarks and tabs with my linux and android devices
2- wearing my tinfoil hat: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-07/apple-ordered-by-uk-to-build-backdoor-to-access-customer-data
Also as I wrote in other threads of this forum I'd like this to be the more platform and account agnostic as possible developing a floccus-like thing to be able to choose whatever cloud provider we want is preferable, even more, the ability to point orion to save bookmarks tabs and passwords in a local folder of my choice and then sync using Syncthing (I do this for my passwords with keepass) or something similar.
Surely if a linux version of orion is developed something like that will have to be considered and could be a killer feature.
I support orion from the beginning, I know the devs works really hard, they have fulfilled many of my wishes by adding features that I considered essential, so I don't want to bother them further, but the time to think about some form of cross platform synchronization will come...
thank you Kagi & Orion team 
10 days later
- Edited
@Yannick I would strongly recommend your team re-reviews this topic. @chorizo's tin foil hat turns out to have been more than warranted. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgj54eq4vejo)
In effect, I have now completely switched over to LibreWolf for my desktop browsing, and Orion now looks to be the only somewhat decently private browser for iOS. But the iCloud backupsync is the main reason I wouldn't use Orion on my Macbook instead of LibreWolf.
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octomutt
hi! this thread is strictly related to syncing via Kagi servers and since Kagi doesn't want to handle our data this is a Nofix.
We need to open another thread specifically for my suggestions to get them upvoted and and have the devs working on it.
They have just started to work on the Linux version of Orion so they need time, is not something that can be done immediately, meanwhile avoid syncing (I already do this) I think we can live without sync for some month, use a trusted notes app for your bookmarks or whatever...
I will open the two feature requests on the next days, one for syncthing and one for the floccus like feature (because floccus extension doesn't work on mobile need to be integrated directly in Orion)
please guys take a look at this:
7 days later
Vlad Why would you not want to use Apple's infrastructure that comes built into every Apple device by default?
Apple can no longer offer Advanced Data Protection in the United Kingdom to new users. https://support.apple.com/en-us/122234
Eventually users who already have ADP enabled will be asked to disable EE2E on their iCloud accounts.
Many like myself are now looking for alternatives to Safari that don't rely on iCloud for syncing.