# Licensing and Founding Users

> cwdio is free in beta with every feature and no account. Beta users are Founding Users and can claim a perpetual, offline-verified licence key by email.

- Canonical: https://cwdio.com/docs/licensing-and-founding-users/
- Updated: 2026-08-15
- Product: Cwdio File Manager (cwdio) — https://cwdio.com

cwdio is **free during the beta** — every feature, for everyone, with no account. Using it during the beta
makes you a **Founding User**, and Founding Users keep it free permanently, including after version 1.0
introduces paid tiers for new individuals and businesses. A licence key exists so that status can be
recorded; it unlocks nothing, because nothing is locked.

## What "Founding User" means

It is not a purchase and there is no code to enter to become one. Anyone who uses cwdio during the beta is
one. Registering — leaving an email — is how a perpetual licence key gets to you, and it is optional: an
unregistered copy is fully functional, has every feature (remote servers, the AI assistant, everything),
never expires and never nags. The one visible difference is a small marker on the title-bar account icon
that opens the registration dialog (Help ▸ License…).

## How the claim works

1. On the [home page](/#founding), enter your email in the Founding Users section.
2. You receive an email with a **one-time link that expires in an hour**. Opening it shows your licence
   key on the page — the key is delivered in that one response and appears nowhere else.
3. In cwdio, open **Help ▸ License…**, expand **Already have a licence key?**, paste the key and choose
   **Activate**. Keep the key somewhere safe; it is also kept on file, so it can be resent.

Two deliberate details, both privacy-motivated: the page after you submit an address says the same thing
whether or not that address already has a licence — otherwise the form would be a way to test whether a
given person uses cwdio — and the difference is carried only by the email, which only the address's owner
can read. If a licence already exists, that email says so and how to have the key resent. Replaying a link
you already used returns the same licence rather than an error, so a double-click or a second device never
loses your key.

## What the key is, technically

A compact signed token, verified **offline** on your machine with a public key built into the app.
Verification happens once when you paste it and once at startup, locally. cwdio never contacts a licence
server; there is no online check to fail, so a network outage cannot affect a registered copy. The token is
**perpetual** — no expiry.

## Email and consent

The claim form asks for consent to the occasional note about what shipped. It is optional, and the
wording you see is stored verbatim with the licence record. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe;
withdrawing consent **never touches the licence** — it verifies offline and keeps working. The website's
[privacy policy](/privacy/) says exactly what is stored (an email address, the licence id, the consent text)
and for how long.

## Pricing at 1.0

| Tier | When | Price | Includes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Founding User** | You, today | **€0, forever** | Every feature, free updates for life, keep your version forever |
| Individual | After 1.0 | €29 early-bird → €39, one-time | Every feature, one year of updates, perpetual, personal use |
| Commercial | After 1.0 | From €59 per seat, one-time | Every feature, one year of updates, business use, priority support |

Three promises hold across every tier: **all features in every tier** — cwdio never cripples the free app;
**perpetual** — stop paying and nothing locks, updates simply pause; **no account, no subscription, no
nags**. Full detail on the [pricing page](/pricing/).

## Commercial use

During the beta, use it at work: everything is free for everyone. From 1.0, business use of new copies
falls under the Commercial tier. Founding Users keep their free perpetual licence for their own use;
teams should get in touch at hi@cwdio.com when the time comes.

## If something goes wrong

- **No email arrived:** check spam, then try again after a few minutes. The link works once and expires
  after an hour; a fresh claim issues a fresh link.
- **The key is refused when pasted:** make sure the whole token was copied — it is one long line — and
  that you are on a released build. If it still fails, reply to the claim email.
- **You changed email address:** claim again with the new one; each verified email holds one licence.

## Related

- [Pricing](/pricing/)
- [Privacy](/privacy/) — what the site stores when you claim.
- [Security and privacy](/security/) — the app's own posture: no telemetry, offline licence.

## Frequently asked questions

**Do I need a licence key to use cwdio?** No. Every feature works without one, for everyone, for the whole beta. A key changes only your registration status — the small marker on the title-bar account icon goes away. Nothing is unlocked by it and nothing is locked without it.

**How do I get my Founding User key?** Enter your email in the Founding Users section of the home page. You receive a one-time link that works for an hour; opening it shows your licence key. In cwdio, open Help ▸ License…, expand Already have a licence key?, paste it and choose Activate. The key is perpetual.

**I lost my key. Can I get it again?** Yes. Claim again with the same email address: the page looks identical either way, and the email that follows tells you a licence has already been issued and how to have it resent. Replaying the original link also returns the same licence rather than an error.

**Does the licence phone home?** No. The key is a signed token that cwdio verifies on your machine. Registering never becomes a launch-time check, and the app never contacts a licence server. Withdrawing consent for email does not touch the licence either.

**What will cwdio cost after 1.0?** New individuals pay a one-time €29 early-bird price, then €39, for a perpetual licence with a year of updates included. Commercial use starts at €59 per seat, one-time. Every tier has every feature; there is no subscription and no crippled edition. Founding Users never pay.