Pricing
Simple, transparent pricing
The software is open source and free. What you pay for is the third-party services it calls, at cost.
First things first
Why does an open-source project charge?
Two separate things: the software costs nothing. What costs money are the third-party services it calls on your behalf.
What you download is the Community Edition
The desktop app is open source under the AGPLv3 and the full source is public. Downloading, installing, using and modifying it is free, with no subscription and nothing held back — commercial customers install the very same build. The licence is a legal distinction, not a different product.
Read the source on GitHubReal usage runs up third-party bills
AI chat calls model APIs. Beyond that there are servers, Qichacha company records, the PKULaw legal database, OCR, speech transcription, web search and financial data — all billed per call by outside vendors. We buy them centrally so you do not have to open seven accounts and sign seven agreements.
You are charged the vendor bill × 1.2
Every call is deducted from your Credits at the amount the vendor actually charged us, plus 20%. That 20% covers servers and operations. Nothing else is added: no subscription, no seat fee, no minimum spend.
Limited-time sign-up credit — Sign up before 30 Sep 2026 (UTC+8) and get ¥99.99 in trial credits
Upstream price references
- AI models · OpenRouterOfficial pricing
- OCR · Alibaba CloudOfficial pricing
- Speech transcription · Tongyi TingwuOfficial pricing
- Company records · Qichacha Open PlatformPriced on requestOfficial pricing
- Legal database · PKULaw MCPOfficial pricing
- Web search · Bocha AIOfficial pricing
- Financial data · TushareOfficial pricing
Unit prices are whatever each vendor charges at the time. We do not publish a price list of our own.
Free to install, metered by use
Community Edition
AGPLv3 open source. The software is free; AI and other services are billed by usage
- Full core feature set under the AGPLv3 license, desktop app free to use
- AI chat, speech transcription, and OCR procured centrally by the platform, no separate vendor accounts
- A flat 20% markup over provider cost covers servers and operations, nothing else added
- Pay as you go with Credits. Sign up before 30 Sep 2026 (UTC+8) and get ¥99.99 in trial credits
Organisation and OEM licensing
This section only matters to organisations that need to be free of AGPL obligations. Individuals and teams happy to use the app under the AGPLv3 can skip it.
Commercial License · Internal Use
In-house deployment for law firms and enterprises, free of AGPL open-source obligations
- Deploy modified versions on your internal network with no source-disclosure obligation
- Full legal authorization for closed-source plugins and private integrations
- Priced by organization headcount, see the tier table below
- Includes annual updates and standard technical support
OEM & Redistribution License
Embed the AI WorkDeck core in your product and serve your own customers
- Redistribution rights for legal-tech companies and integrators
- Minimum annual fee plus a share of related revenue, structure discussed individually
- No AGPL obligations for your end customers
- Optional branding and certification program ("Powered by AI WorkDeck")
Internal-Use License · Tiered by Organization Headcount
| Organization size | Annual fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 50 people | ¥39,800 / year | Small firms and teams |
| 51 – 200 people | ¥98,000 / year | Mid-size firms and in-house legal departments |
| 201 – 1,000 people | ¥248,000 / year | Large firms and group legal departments |
| 1,000+ people | From ¥398,000 / year | Very large organizations, contact sales for a custom quote |
Headcount counts all professionals and staff with access to the system. Implementation, custom development, and enterprise plugins are quoted separately at ¥3,000–6,000 per person-day.
All prices are public list prices, identical for every customer. Commercial licensing details are in legal/COMMERCIAL-LICENSE.md in the GitHub repository; open-source use follows the AGPLv3, see the Licensing FAQ.
Common questions
If the project is open source, why does it charge?
The software is free and the code is public. What we charge for are the third-party services the app calls for you: AI models, OCR, transcription, Qichacha, PKULaw and web search all bill per call. We buy them centrally so you do not need seven vendor accounts. Each call is passed through at the vendor charge plus 20%, which covers servers and operations. Individuals pay no subscription and no licence fee; only organisations that need to be free of AGPL obligations buy a commercial licence.
What is the Community Edition, and do I need a licence?
The Community Edition is what you download here, and it is the same installer commercial customers get — the difference is legal, not functional. Individuals, and teams willing to meet the AGPLv3 conditions, need no licence. You need an internal-use licence only if your organisation wants to run a modified build without publishing the source, or to write closed-source plugins and private integrations. Embedding the core in a product you sell requires an OEM licence.
What happens when the sign-up credit runs out?
Top up any amount on your account page via WeChat Pay. There is no minimum and nothing renews automatically. Credits are then drawn down call by call at the vendor charge × 1.2 — you spend what you use, and the rest stays put.
Are the prices negotiable?
No. Every price here is a public list price and is the same for every customer, including the 20% usage markup and the commercial licence tiers. The cost of that is we do not enter bidding rounds; the benefit is you never wonder whether a firm your size paid less.
Can I build it myself and self-host?
Yes. The source is published under the AGPLv3, so you can build it, host it, and point the AI calls at your own model account — our hosted services are optional, not a condition of using the software. If you distribute a modified build, the AGPLv3 source obligations apply; organisations that would rather not take those on can buy a commercial licence.