Curlo
Search sound libraries with natural language, on-device AI
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What is Curlo?
Curlo is an AI-powered, native macOS app designed to find sounds from simple descriptions without requiring internet connectivity. Its AI runs entirely on your Mac, enabling you to search audio files in seconds without uploading your audio to cloud services. Curlo is built exclusively for sound designers, film and video editors, short drama creators, and audio post-production professionals who need to organize, search, preview, and manage massive sound effect and music libraries.
The app offers semantic search that lets you find audio files by describing what you want in natural language, eliminating the need to remember exact filenames or tags. It also supports metadata search through filename, description, category, and embedded information, plus metadata writing to edit and write back metadata directly to audio files. Additional features include similar audio search to find files that sound similar to a reference file, UCS Classification using the Universal Category System industry standard, and a local API for workflow integration.
Curlo prioritizes privacy with no cloud services required—all computation and AI models run locally on your Mac. The app includes tags and UCS Classification for organization, and offers a local API to integrate with existing workflows and build custom tools. It indexes up to 5,000 files in the free tier and unlimited files in the Pro tier.
The tool is perfect for professionals managing large audio asset libraries who want privacy-first, fast search capabilities. Curlo eliminates the frustration of poorly named or untagged audio files by analyzing audio content locally and enabling natural language search. Its native macOS design ensures smooth performance and full compatibility with macOS systems.
Curlo pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Free tier: $0 with semantic search, metadata search, tags & UCS classification, up to 5,000 indexed files. Pro tier: $39.9/year (44% savings) including everything in Free plus metadata writing, local API, similar audio search, unlimited indexed files, and priority support. Lifetime tier: $99 one-time payment including everything in Pro plus all future updates with no recurring payments.
Curlo pros
- Fully local AI—no internet or cloud services required
- Semantic search by natural language description
- Metadata search through filename, description, and category
- Metadata writing to edit files directly
- Similar audio search to find variations
- UCS Classification using industry standard
- Local API for workflow integration
- Privacy-first—audio stays on-device
- Native macOS app with smooth performance
- Up to 5,000 indexed files in free tier
- Unlimited indexed files in Pro tier
- No need for perfect filenames or tags
- Search completes in seconds
- Priority support included in Pro
- Lifetime plan with no recurring payments
Curlo cons
- Only available for macOS, not Windows or Linux
- Free tier limited to 5,000 files
- Pro plan requires $39.9/year subscription
- Lifetime plan costs $99 one-time
- No DAW integration yet—still exploring
- Speech content support not implemented
- CapCut drag-and-drop has permission issues
- Duplicate file detection still planned
Frequently asked questions about Curlo
What is Curlo?
Curlo is an AI-powered, native macOS app that finds sounds from simple descriptions. Its AI runs entirely on your Mac, so you can search in seconds without internet or uploading your audio.
Does Curlo require internet connectivity?
No, Curlo does not require internet. All computation and AI models run locally on your Mac, making it privacy-first with no cloud services required.
What audio file types does Curlo support?
Curlo manages sound effect and music libraries on macOS. It indexes audio files for semantic search, metadata search, and similar audio search, supporting standard audio formats used by sound designers and editors.
How many files can Curlo index?
The Free tier indexes up to 5,000 files. The Pro tier and Lifetime tier offer unlimited indexed files.
What is semantic search in Curlo?
Semantic search lets you find audio files by describing what you want in natural language. You don't need to remember exact filenames or tags—Curlo analyzes the audio content locally and matches your description.
Can Curlo edit metadata in my audio files?
Yes, metadata writing is included in the Pro tier. You can edit and write back metadata directly to your audio files, including filename, description, category, and other embedded information.
What is UCS Classification?
UCS Classification organizes sound effects using the Universal Category System, which is the industry standard for sound libraries. This feature is available in both Free and Pro tiers.
How does similar audio search work?
Similar audio search finds audio files that sound similar to a reference file. This is perfect for finding variations and alternatives. It's included in the Pro tier only.
Does Curlo have an API for integration?
Yes, Curlo includes a local API that lets you integrate it with your existing workflow. You can build custom tools and automate your pipeline. The local API is included in the Pro tier.
What is the difference between Pro and Lifetime plans?
Both include everything in Pro: metadata writing, local API, similar audio search, unlimited indexed files, and priority support. The Lifetime plan is a $99 one-time payment that includes all future updates with no recurring payments, while Pro is $39.9/year subscription.