The parents watching kids grow
They grow fast. Catch the small stuff now, seal some of it in capsules, and hand them their childhood later.
Coming to iPhone and Android in November
Coming in November
Leave the light on for your family.
A private home for your family’s story. One gentle feed, a weekly surprise, letters sealed for someday. No strangers. No tracking. Just your people.
FreeInvite onlyOn the web today
Coming in November
- 100%PrivateOnly the people you invite. Nothing is watched or sold.
- 6Digits to sign inA one-time code, never a password to forget.
- 1Invite codeThe whole family joins with it.
- FreeFor the whole familyNothing locked behind an upgrade.
Who it’s for
Made for the people who made you.
The keeper of stories
Grandma’s recipes, Dad’s terrible puns, the way things really happened. A place where the family memory actually gets kept.
The far-flung family
Three time zones, one table. Porchlight keeps the small everyday moments flowing between houses, so nobody feels far.
The Porch
Your family at a glance: what is coming up, what is waiting, who has been posting.
Learn moreFamily Feed
Photos, stories and voice notes from everyone, in one gentle stream.
Learn moreThe Flash
Once a week, one surprise question goes to everyone at once.
Learn moreShare Something
This week’s question for everyone, with every answer gathered together.
Learn moreTime Capsules
Write something today and pick the day it opens.
Learn moreShared Calendar
Birthdays, Sunday dinners and recitals, where everyone can see them.
Learn moreNearby
See who in the family is close by, as a rough distance, never a pin.
Learn moreFamily and circles
Everybody at your table, plus smaller circles inside it.
Learn moreFamily Feed
One feed, and only your people in it.
The photos that used to scatter across five group chats land in one place, in order, with the people who love them right underneath.
- Photos, stories, milestones, voice. Share a picture, write a few lines, mark a milestone, or record a voice note. Grandpa telling the story beats Grandpa typing it.
- Share with the right room. Post to the whole family or just one circle, like the grandkids.
- Hearts and comments. Everyone can heart a post and say something under it, so a photo becomes a little conversation instead of a read receipt.
Time Capsules
Seal it today. Open it someday.
Write a letter, add a photo or your voice, choose who it is for and the day it opens. Until then it stays sealed. Not even you can peek.
- For a birthday that is years away. A letter for an 18th birthday, a wedding day, or a grandchild who has not been born yet.
- Photos and voice inside. Add a picture or record your voice along with the words.
- Sealed means sealed. The family sees that a capsule is waiting and when it opens. What is inside stays hidden until the day.
Start your family
Name your family and tell us who you are. Porchlight gives you a warm little invite code like peach-fable-1917.
Pass the code around
Text it to the group chat or read it over the phone to Grandma. A link with the code already in it works too.
Sign in with a code, not a password
Everyone joins with their name and a one-time code. No usernames and nothing to remember.
Let the story fill in
Share the small stuff, answer the week’s question, catch the Flash, seal a capsule.
Privacy, plainly
No tracking. No algorithm. No strangers.
Porchlight is invite only. Your family’s memories live in your family’s private space, never in a public feed and never sold.
Invite only
Nobody sees anything unless your family invited them. There is no public Porchlight for a stranger to find.
Nothing tracked
No advertising identifier, no pixels and no third-party scripts. A sponsor never learns anything about your family.
Never sold
Your family’s photos, words and recordings are never sold or handed to anyone.
No algorithm
The feed is your family, newest first. Nothing is ranked, recommended or promoted.
No password to forget
You sign in with a one-time code, every time. Nothing to write on a scrap of paper.
Location only when you say
Nearby shares a rough distance only while you choose to, and forgets it when you stop.
What does Porchlight cost?
Nothing. There is nothing to buy and no upgrade to unlock.
Who can see my family’s posts?
Only the people your family invited. There is no public profile, no search and no way for a stranger to find your family.
Do I need to download anything?
No. Porchlight works in any browser on a phone or a computer, and you can add it to your home screen. Apps for iPhone and Android arrive in November.
Is it hard for grandparents?
It was built with grandparents in mind. No password, large clear text that follows the phone’s text size, and a simple guide that walks through every step.
How do people join?
With your family’s invite code, or a link that already has the code in it. They enter their name and the one-time code we send them.
Are there ads?
A few, each clearly marked Sponsored, and never inside a time capsule, a voice note or the Flash. They carry no tracking, and your family’s memories are never sold or shared with an advertiser.
Your people are waiting. Give your family a home.
Free, invite only, and on the web today. iPhone and Android apps arrive in November.