Do I need Spectacle Pro to use Spectacle Desktop?
No. Spectacle Desktop is completely free, local-first, and open source under GPL-3.0. You can use it offline forever. Spectacle Pro is an optional cloud companion that provides hosted cloud AI without managing API keys, instant web snapshots, and live collaboration.
Where are my canvas files stored?
Your canvases stay on your own computer, encrypted on disk by default. You can switch to plain SQLite files anytime in Settings. When you publish a Web Snapshot (/s/:id), only that specific read-only export is uploaded to Spectacle Cloud. When collaborating in a Live Jam, canvas strokes stream directly between participants and are never saved on our servers.
How does Cloud-Hosted AI work?
You don't need accounts with AI providers or API keys. Spectacle Cloud gives your desktop app top-tier models out of the box, measured in AI credits: 600 every 30 days on Pro, and 1,200 per seat on Team, pooled across the team. You choose a model, or let Auto pick.
What is an AI credit?
One credit is $0.01 of model use. Each request is charged at the real cost of the model that ran, so a quick answer costs a fraction of a credit and a long reasoning task costs more.
What happens if I run out of AI credits?
Your desktop canvas keeps working, and so do local models and your own API keys, which are free and unlimited. Credits free up day by day over a rolling 30 days, and on Pro and Team you can buy a top-up from $5.
How does end-to-end encrypted Live Jam work?
Live Jam connects collaborators directly for real-time work. Room encryption keys are generated on your device and placed in the link fragment (#key=...), which is never transmitted to our servers. Our signaling relay only coordinates the initial encrypted handshake; we cannot view, store, or recover your live canvas.
Can I export my canvases or migrate away?
Always. Your canvases are saved in open formats on your own computer. There are no export walls, no proprietary database locks, and you can take your files anywhere at any time.
Can I cancel or switch plans at any time?
Yes. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your Spectacle Pro subscription at any time directly from your account billing settings. If you cancel, your desktop app keeps working with all your local files intact.