The rules, in plain English.

1. Who we are

"ThoughtMic" (the "Service") is software published by ThoughtMic LLC ("we", "us"), a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Texas, USA. You can reach us at hello@thoughtmic.com.

By downloading, installing, or using ThoughtMic, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you don't agree, don't use the Service.

2. License grant

We grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to install and use ThoughtMic on Macs you own or control, subject to these Terms. Your license is:

· Free tier: use the Free features forever, subject to the limits described on our pricing page.
· Paid tiers (Pro, Lifetime): tied to the email address you subscribed with. A single license is for a single individual. You may install on multiple Macs that you personally use.

Don't: redistribute the app binary, sell or sublicense your license, remove copyright notices, or use the Service to build a directly competing product.

3. Open source components

ThoughtMic bundles several third-party open-source components. Each is used under its own license, reproduced in full on our licenses page. Nothing in these Terms restricts rights you already have under those open-source licenses.

4. Your content & AI features

You own everything you dictate and everything in your vault. ThoughtMic does not claim any rights to your recordings, transcripts, or notes. Your voice and your vault never leave your Mac — see our privacy policy for the full boundary map.

When you use the optional cloud rephrasing feature (Pro), transcript text is sent to a Zero-Data-Retention provider. You retain full ownership of that text; the provider is contractually prohibited from training on it or retaining it.

Model tiers. "Pro AI features" means the cloud rephrasing and AI-assist tier included with any paid plan. At the time of writing, this runs on a standard open-weights model (currently Meta Llama 3.3 70B via Groq, with Fireworks as fallback). The model landscape changes fast — providers deprecate models, raise prices, and new ones appear every few months. Your Pro or Lifetime plan includes standard-tier AI features indefinitely, including equivalent substitutes we choose if the current model is deprecated or becomes uneconomic to serve. We will not silently downgrade quality; substitutes will be comparable or better on the rephrasing tasks ThoughtMic performs.

We reserve the right to offer separately-priced Premium AI tiers (e.g., frontier closed models such as GPT-4o-class or Claude Sonnet-class) as optional add-ons. Your Pro or Lifetime plan does not automatically include Premium AI tiers. We will announce any new tier in-app and on this page at least 30 days before launch so you can decide whether to opt in.

5. Acceptable use

Don't use ThoughtMic to: break any law; infringe anyone's rights; generate or disseminate content designed to defame, defraud, or harass; attempt to extract, probe, or attack our infrastructure or our upstream providers; or circumvent the license-verification or usage-limit mechanisms.

We may suspend or terminate your license if you breach this section.

6. Payments & refunds

Paid subscriptions (monthly and annual) renew automatically at the end of each billing period until you cancel. You can cancel any time from the billing portal linked in your receipt.

Refund policy: we offer a 14-day, no-questions-asked refund on your first paid subscription. Email hello@thoughtmic.com and we'll process it. Renewal charges and Lifetime purchases after 14 days are non-refundable except where required by law.

Taxes are included where applicable. Prices are in USD unless otherwise stated.

7. Updates & changes

We ship updates through Sparkle. You can turn auto-updates off in Preferences, but we may decline to support older versions if a security issue requires an upgrade.

We may revise these Terms over time. Material changes will be announced in-app and on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Continued use after a change means you accept the revised Terms.

8. Warranty disclaimer

ThoughtMic is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that transcription results will be perfectly accurate.

9. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, ThoughtMic LLC's total liability arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service is limited to the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the twelve months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) USD $50.

Neither party is liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, lost data, or loss of goodwill, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation of liability for consequential damages; in those jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

10. Indemnity

You agree to defend and indemnify ThoughtMic LLC against third-party claims arising from your misuse of the Service or your breach of these Terms, except to the extent such claims are caused by our gross negligence or willful misconduct.

11. Termination

You may terminate your license at any time by uninstalling the app and canceling any paid subscription. We may terminate or suspend your license if you breach these Terms. Sections 4, 8, 9, 10, and 12 survive termination.

12. Governing law & disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms will be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Travis County, Texas, and you consent to personal jurisdiction there.

Nothing in these Terms prevents either party from seeking injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to protect intellectual property rights.

13. Miscellaneous

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service. If any provision is found unenforceable, the remainder stays in effect. Our failure to enforce any right is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms; we may assign them to an acquirer or successor.

Questions? Email hello@thoughtmic.com.