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
- On the home page, enter your email in the Founding Users section.
- 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.
- 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 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.
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
- Privacy — what the site stores when you claim.
- Security and privacy — the app’s own posture: no telemetry, offline licence.