Pricing · macOS

Helmsman is free during the beta.

Run a local model and the AI features are free too. Pro puts the AI on our cloud and unlocks the fleet.

Pick your lane.

The whole core app is free. One subscription is coming, and it sells the two things only a crew can ship: hosted frontier models and the fleet.

Free

$0during the beta

Everything you need to run a fleet on one machine.

The session grid: up to twelve real terminals per deck, sixty sessions in all
Localhost manager and the MDR reader
AI features included when a local model is installed. Helmsman finds it and wires it up, no key needed
Prompts never leave the machine
No account needed

Your own Anthropic key

Bring your own key anytime for sharper AI output. A key buys model quality, never the power features.

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Pro when it ships

$12per month

or $119 billed yearly · founding price $99/yr, locked at launch

Frontier models, zero setup, and the full fleet.

AI features on Helmsman's cloud with frontier Claude models. Nothing to install, no key to manage
Fleet MCP: your agents can steer the whole grid themselves
Multi-machine: every machine you own, one helm

Fair use, not metering

A generous fair-use cap, set so heavy daily use fits comfortably. It exists to stop abuse, not to meter you.

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What runs where.

Two lanes, one app. Your own Anthropic key upgrades the free lane's AI anytime, it is not a tier; only the AI engine and the fleet change.

Capability	Free	Pro
Core app: grid, terminals, localhost manager	Included	Included
AI features: commit messages, criteria drafts, goal checks, dictation polish (macOS)	A local model you already run, or your own Anthropic key	Helmsman cloud, frontier Claude
Fleet MCP (agents steer the grid) and multi-machine	No	Yes

Parallel agents on one machine are table stakes.

That part costs nothing. Pro buys what a free tool cannot ship: frontier models with zero setup, and a fleet that outgrows one machine.

Fair questions.

Is any of this for sale today?

Not yet. Helmsman is in beta and free, and beta time is never billed after the fact. When Pro turns on it applies going forward, and only if you upgrade.

Is the free version crippled?

No. The core app is identical on every tier, and with a local model the AI features run free, locally, with your prompts never leaving the machine.

I already have an Anthropic API key. Do I need Pro?

Your key gets you cloud-quality AI output for free. Pro adds the hosted convenience and the power features: fleet MCP, multi-machine.

Is there a usage limit on Pro's AI?

A generous fair-use cap, set so heavy daily use fits comfortably. It exists to stop abuse, not to meter you.

What do the free AI features need?

Ollama, the local-model runner, with a model between 3B and 12B parameters pulled. Helmsman looks for one and tells you plainly what it found.

Nothing to buy today.

Helmsman is in public beta and free to download today. Release notes and Pro news land here first.