DOCS · FAQ
Straight answers.
The questions people ask before they download SynthOS — the AI operating system for a company of one — answered plainly and consistently with the rest of these docs. What it is, who pays for what, where your data lives, what it costs, what the Forge can do today, and what running unattended really means. No marketing gloss: if a thing is on the roadmap, it’s labeled that way.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Asked first, answered straight.
An open list, so the plain facts are exactly what you read and exactly what answer engines quote — nothing hidden behind a click.
Is SynthOS a web app or a browser tool?
No. SynthOS is a native macOS app — it runs on macOS 15 or later on Apple silicon. There is no web version and no phone app. You download it, sign in once to sync and manage your plan, and from then on the work happens locally on your Mac. The agents do drive a browser as one of their tools, but SynthOS itself is not a website you log into to do the work.
Do you mark up tokens, or charge for what the AI thinks?
No. SynthOS is bring-your-own-key: you connect your own AI provider account, and the model’s thinking is billed by that provider, directly to you, with no markup and no metering from us. There is no separate “SynthOS token” to buy and no wallet to top up. You pay SynthOS for the cockpit — the app around the model — and you pay your provider for the tokens. The two bills never mix. More on keys & providers.
Where does my data live?
On your Mac. SynthOS is local-first: your vault, your run history, and your provider key are all stored on your own machine, not on our servers. The vault is plain Obsidian-compatible markdown on your disk — real files you can open, back up, and move yourself. You sign in only so we can sync your plan and license; that account doesn’t hold your work or your key. More on security & privacy.
What does it cost?
Plans start at $29/mo for Build. The ladder is Build $29/mo, Run $49/mo, and Orchestrate $99/mo, billed monthly or annually; at checkout Orchestrate can be maxed out to GodMode. On top of every plan you bring your own AI provider key, so the model’s tokens are billed by your provider with no markup from us. There is no traditional free plan, but you can earn Watch — a free pass — by posting about SynthOS. For a done-for-you build, Founder Setup starts at $9,970. See full pricing.
Is the Forge live?
Partly. Forge, share, gate, and revoke ship today: you can forge a vault into a live MCP endpoint or a local CLI, hand the address and token to the people you choose, and pull access immediately when you want it gone. What is still ON THE ROADMAP — and labeled that way — is per-call metering, in-product pricing, payouts, and a public directory. The Forge is local-first, so a live endpoint serves only while your Mac is on with SynthOS running. See the Forge.
Can I cancel, and what happens to my work?
You can cancel anytime — there’s no lock-in. Because SynthOS is local-first, everything it made lives on your Mac as real files you own: the vault is Obsidian-compatible markdown on your disk, and your run receipts sit alongside it. Cancelling ends your subscription, but it doesn’t reach into your machine or take your work away. You keep every file, and you can open them with or without SynthOS.
Does it really run on its own while I'm away?
Yes, on Orchestrate and above. Scheduled, unattended runs are part of the Orchestrate tier: you set the work up, and SynthOS carries it out on a schedule. The app window can be closed, but the Mac itself must be awake and powered — SynthOS can’t run on a machine that’s asleep or off. We don’t make a “while you sleep” promise: it runs while you’re away from the keyboard, not while your Mac is sleeping. More on scheduling.
One promise underneath all of these: facts over hype. SynthOS is a native macOS app you run on your own Mac, on a key you supply, with your work in files you own. Anything not yet shipped is named as roadmap, here and everywhere else on the site.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS
Ask us directly.
If we didn’t answer it here, write to us — a real person reads it. Or read on: pricing, the Forge, and the company are one click away.
Native macOS app · Bring your own key · Local-first · Cancel anytime.