Local Bond is a tool for neighbors to share what they have and borrow what they need, starting with people they know and expanding out to everyone nearby. No ads, no selling your data.
A simple way to share items with the people around you. You list things you own and don't use every day (a ladder, a pressure washer, a tent) and borrow things you only need once in a while. It saves money, saves closet space, and gets neighbors talking.
No. Local Bond is the tool that connects you, not a payment service. If a lender wants to charge a fee for an item, they and the borrower work that out directly between themselves. Many items are simply free to borrow.
A Bond is a connection between two people who trust each other, like a friend, a neighbor, or a coworker. You create one by sharing your personal invite link or entering someone's invite code, and the other person accepts. Items you share with your Bonds are visible to them.
A Guild is a group, like a street, a school, a club, or a workplace. People in the same Guild can see the items that members share with Guilds, even if they haven't Bonded one-to-one.
For every item you list, you choose who can see it: the general public, your Bonds, your Guilds, or any mix. If you turn off public sharing, only your Bonds and Guilds see it. You can also turn off public sharing for all your items at once on your profile page.
Local Bond works right in your phone's web browser, so there's nothing to download. To keep it one tap away, add it to your home screen (on iPhone: Share, then Add to Home Screen; on Android: the browser menu, then Add to Home screen).
We chose the web on purpose:
Lower cost. Apple and Google take a cut of subscriptions sold through their app stores, typically 15% to 30%. We'd rather keep the price at $10 a year and spend it on the service itself.
Your privacy. App stores see who installs an app and what they buy. On the web, we don't need to route you through a third party to use Local Bond.
Faster, simpler updates. A fix or new feature reaches everyone the moment we publish it, without waiting on store approval, and everyone is always on the same version.
Staying independent. App store rules and fees can change at any time. On the web, we aren't dependent on them.
If enough members ask for an app, we'll take another look.
Yes. Your street address is only used once, when you save it, to work out your location. It is never shown to anyone, including your Bonds and Guild members. Other people see your display name and the items you share, never your email address. We don't sell your data and we don't run ads.
Distances are calculated from map coordinates (geocoding), not from a mapping or directions service. That means they're “as the crow flies,” a straight line between two points, so the actual drive or walk is usually longer. Think of it as a rough guide to who is close, not turn-by-turn directions.
Yes. We started with a few (tools, outdoor and camping, kitchen and party, kids and baby, sports and recreation), and we'll add more as people tell us what they'd like to share. Have an idea? Tell us.
Local Bond depends on what your neighbors choose to share, so sometimes the thing you need isn't listed yet. These local lending programs are worth a look too:
The Reuse Hub's Library of Things (Petaluma). Run by the nonprofit Reuse Alliance. Instead of buying something you'll use once, you borrow it for a low fee. You create an account through their online catalog, and frequent borrowers can buy a membership. Visit the Library of Things
Sonoma County Library's Library of Things. A smaller selection, but it includes DIY toolkits you can check out with your library card. Check with the library for what's in each kit and how long you can keep it. Browse the library's list
Lending libraries and Local Bond work well together: libraries cover the common basics, and your neighbors can fill in the rest.
It's free during the pilot. Subscriptions begin in March 2027 at $10 per year. When subscriptions start, every new member gets a 60-day free trial to try it out before paying.
We'd rather be funded by the people who use Local Bond than by advertisers. A small subscription means we can keep it ad-free and keep your information private, with no one paying to get in front of you.
We think so. Borrowing one item just once can save you far more than the cost of the year. For example, renting a hammer drill from a home improvement store can cost around $20 for a four-hour rental, and that's twice the price of a full year of Local Bond. (Rental prices vary by store.)
If you cancel within the first nine months, you get a partial refund: cancel in month 1 and get $9 back, in month 2 get $8 back, and so on, down to $1 back in month 9. Cancel in month 10 or later and there's no refund.
| Month you cancel | Refund |
|---|---|
| 1 | $9 |
| 2 | $8 |
| 3 | $7 |
| 4 | $6 |
| 5 | $5 |
| 6 | $4 |
| 7 | $3 |
| 8 | $2 |
| 9 | $1 |
| 10 or later | No refund |
Months are counted from the day you pay.