Everything you need to know about Carson.
Carson is an AI assistant that lives in your Mac's menu bar. It can manage files, search the web, read web pages, draft emails, set reminders, manage your calendar, look up contacts, launch apps, set timers, manage your clipboard, and more — all through natural conversation. Speak or type, and Carson handles the rest.
Carson has 10 built-in skills, all available on every plan:
Carson requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Yes. Every skill is available on every plan, including the free trial. Plans differ only in the number of monthly requests and the quality of voice output. Even the Essential plan at $4.99/mo gets you the full Carson experience.
A request is a single interaction where Carson processes your input. When you ask Carson to do something — find a file, draft an email, set a reminder — that counts as one request. Each request uses the AI to understand what you want and carry it out. Conversational follow-ups (like saying "yes" to confirm an action) also count as requests. Your plan's monthly request limit is how many of these interactions you can have per billing period.
Your request count resets at the start of each billing period. If you hit your limit before then, Carson will let you know. You can upgrade to a higher tier at any time for more volume.
The subscription plans (Essential, Plus, Max) include API keys managed by us — you don't need to set up anything. Carson Pro is a one-time $59.99 purchase where you bring your own API keys (BYOK) for your AI provider and, optionally, ElevenLabs for premium voice. You get unlimited requests and full control over your API usage and costs. At $59.99 lifetime, it's less than three months of most AI subscriptions.
With Carson Pro, you provide your own API keys from your chosen AI provider (Claude, Grok, or Gemini) and optionally ElevenLabs for premium voice. Carson stores your keys securely in your Mac's Keychain and sends requests directly to the provider. This gives you full control over your usage and costs, and means Carson never sees or stores your conversations on our servers.
Yes. Every new user gets a 1-day trial with 200 tokens to try Carson. No credit card required. All skills are available during the trial.
System voice uses Apple's built-in text-to-speech engine — it's functional and available on all plans. ElevenLabs voices are premium, natural-sounding AI voices that are noticeably more lifelike. ElevenLabs is available on Plus, Max, and Carson Pro (via BYOK). You can also choose between different voice characters with ElevenLabs.
Absolutely. Carson works with both voice and text input. You can type your requests if you prefer, and Carson's responses will appear as text in the conversation panel. Voice is optional — you're always in control of how you interact.
Yes. Conversation history is stored locally on your Mac. API keys are stored in your Mac's Keychain. Carson runs in Apple's App Sandbox with only the permissions you grant. When you make a request, only the information needed to process it is sent to your chosen AI provider — nothing more.
No. Carson does not collect analytics, usage telemetry, or any data beyond what's needed to process your requests and manage your subscription.
Carson asks for permissions only as you use features that need them. Microphone access for voice input, Contacts access for looking up contacts and adding calendar attendees, Reminders and Calendar access for those respective skills, and file access for folders you choose to grant. You can revoke any permission at any time in System Settings.
No. Carson previews every action before executing it. Destructive operations — like deleting files — always require your explicit confirmation. Nothing runs until you approve it.
Carson is built on Claude (by Anthropic) as the default provider. It also supports Grok and Gemini. On subscription plans, API keys are managed for you. On Carson Pro, you choose your provider and supply your own key.
Sign up on the beta page. We review signups and send approved testers a one-time beta access code via email. Download the Carson DMG, install it, and enter your code to get started. Beta spots are limited.
Yes. Beta testers get full access to Carson at no cost during the beta period.