I believe the lack of popularity is more of an economics problem. There are established business models for SaaS apps or freemium with ads. But, the business model for local-first apps is not as lucrative. Those who like the local-first model value features like: data-sovereignty, end-to-end encryption, offline usage, etc. These properties make existing business models hard-to-impossible to apply.
My current thinking is that the only way we get substantial local-first software is if it's built by a passionate open-source community.
My current thinking is that the only way we get substantial local-first software is if it's built by a passionate open-source community.