Donationware

Support Novalon

Novalon is donationware — free to use, no locked features, no subscription. Donate if the studio helps you ship.

Choose an amount to donate
Free to use — no paywalls, no trials
Local-first — keep your work private
BYOK — use your own cloud keys when needed
Donationware — support if it helps you ship
The simple deal
You get
A full desktop AI studio. No locked features.
We promise
Local-first defaults and no subscription lock-in.
You stay
In control with safe, reviewable changes and diffs.
Donations
Fund stability, improvements, and long-term sustainability.

Why donationware

Because pricing shapes who gets access — and what gets built.

Keep it affordable for everyone

Indie teams and small studios shouldn’t have to choose between shipping work and paying a subscription tax. Donationware keeps Novalon usable without gating core functionality.

Protect private, local workflows

Local models let you work with sensitive projects without uploading your code. We want that to be the default, not an “enterprise feature”.

Built to earn it, not trap you

Subscriptions profit from keeping you locked in. Donationware only works if the tool actually helps. That's the point.

What this means in practice

You can use Novalon without paying

  • No feature gating
  • No time-limited trials
  • No “team plan” required to do real work

Donations keep it alive and improving

  • Stability and bug fixes
  • Local model workflows and performance
  • Documentation and onboarding improvements

No guilt. No countdown timers. No “limited-time” nonsense. Donate when it feels fair.

What your donation actually funds

Where your support goes and why it matters.

Keeping developers paid
Donations help pay the people working on Novalon so they can continue building and improving it full-time.
Website & downloads
Hosting costs, bandwidth, and keeping the website and downloads accessible for all users.
New features & improvements
Development time for new capabilities, workflow enhancements, and user-requested features.
Bug fixes & stability
Time to fix issues, improve reliability, and ensure Novalon works smoothly for everyone.
Cross-platform support
macOS and Linux builds, testing, and platform-specific improvements as the project grows.
Documentation & support
Better docs, examples, and time to help users with questions and feedback.

Suggested donations

Pick a level that matches the value you got. Every amount helps.

Coffee
$10

Keeps momentum going and supports quick fixes.

  • Bugfix fuel
  • Docs polish
  • Small workflow upgrades
Donate $10
Most common
Indie Boost
$25

Helps fund deeper improvements across core workflows.

  • Local model workflow improvements
  • UI/UX refinements
  • Faster iteration
Donate $25
Team Support
$60

For small teams using Novalon in real production work.

  • Stability work
  • Compatibility improvements
  • More time for testing and polish
Donate $60
Studio Sponsor
$150

Meaningful support that helps keep donationware viable.

  • Maintenance runway
  • Major quality-of-life improvements
  • Long-term sustainability
Donate $150
Not ready yet?

Try it first, donate later

Download Novalon Studio Desktop and put it to work. If it helps you ship, come back and support the project.

Download

Other ways to support

Money helps, but so does signal. These make a bigger difference than most people think.

Share it with other indie teams

If you know a solo dev, small studio, or web team who would benefit from local-first AI workflows, telling them is one of the best ways to help.

Send feedback from real projects

What broke? What slowed you down? What would make Novalon feel effortless? Practical feedback from production use directly shapes what we build next.

Feedback

Have feedback?

Tell us what broke, what slowed you down, or what would make Novalon feel effortless.

Contact Download

FAQ

Quick answers to the obvious questions.

Is Novalon really free to use?
Yes. Novalon Studio Desktop is usable without paying. Donations exist to keep it sustainable and improving.
Will features ever be locked behind a subscription?
The goal is to avoid subscription lock-in and keep Novalon accessible for indie teams. If the model ever changes, it will be communicated clearly.
Why do donations matter so much?
Donationware only works if the people who benefit help fund ongoing maintenance. Your support buys time for stability, improvements, docs, and long-term development.
Can I use Novalon at work?
Yes. If your team uses Novalon regularly, consider a team-sized donation level.
Is my code sent anywhere?
Local models keep processing on your machine. If you connect a cloud provider using your own API keys, requests go to that provider.