Kompas Free vs. Kompas Pro: Which Should You Use?

Updated

Choose Kompas Free if you want a local-first desktop app, are comfortable bringing your own AI access (an OpenAI or Anthropic key, a Claude Code or Codex subscription, or local models via Ollama), and want your ideas to stay on your device. Choose Kompas Pro if you want your sessions synced across desktops and AI built in with no setup or API keys — the 7-day free trial requires no credit card, so you can test that before committing.

The two versions side by side

Dimension Free · Desktop Pro · Cloud
Where your ideas live On your device (local-first) Synced across your desktops
AI access Your own OpenAI / Anthropic key, Claude Code or Codex subscription, or local models via Ollama Frontier AI built in — no setup, no API keys
AI usage Depends on your own provider or local setup Included usage with clear limits, optional top-ups
Platforms macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows (x64) Cloud, paired with your desktops
Licensing Open source under MIT Commercial cloud service
Getting started Download and configure your own AI 7-day free trial, no credit card

What stays the same

Both versions are the same thinking tool. Your sessions become a graph, and the graph becomes your writing: you capture fragments, connect them to earlier notes and decisions, and the app helps you turn that material into work that is yours. The page describes it as AI that works alongside your thinking rather than instead of it, and states that your content is never sold and never used to train models.

The workflow shown on the site is the same in either version: capture a fragment, let the session connect it to prior entries (for example, a note from session 009 or a saved quote from Camus), and then move into the Writer to shape it into prose.

When Free is the right call

  • You care about data locality. Free is local-first; your ideas stay on your device.
  • You already pay for AI. If you have an OpenAI or Anthropic key, a Claude Code or Codex subscription, or run models locally through Ollama, Free lets you use what you already have.
  • You want to inspect or modify the code. Free is open source under MIT.
  • You work on one machine. Sync isn't part of Free, so cross-device use is the main reason to move up.

The trade-off: you handle setup, and AI quality and cost depend on the provider or local model you choose.

When Pro is the right call

  • You switch between desktops. Pro syncs sessions across your machines.
  • You don't want to manage keys or models. Frontier AI is built in with no setup.
  • You want predictable AI usage. Pro includes AI usage with clear limits and optional top-ups, rather than metering through a third-party account.
  • You want to try before deciding. The 7-day trial needs no credit card.

The trade-off: Pro is a cloud service, so your sessions leave your device to sync — a real difference from Free's local-first design.

A practical way to decide

  1. Download the free desktop build for your platform (macOS Apple Silicon, macOS Intel, or Windows x64).
  2. Run a real session: capture a few fragments, let the graph connect them, and draft something in the Writer.
  3. If setup friction or single-device limits are the only things bothering you, start the 7-day Pro trial and repeat the same session across two machines.
  4. Stay on Free if local control and your own AI setup matter more; move to Pro if sync and handled AI are what you actually needed.

The site's own framing matches this: start free, and move to Pro when you want sync and AI handled for you.