Onset Engine Pricing
Zero cloud costs. Zero monthly fees. One-time purchase with v1.x updates included.
Onset Engine Demo
Prove it runs on your hardware.
No credit card required
Download Demo- ✓ DJ Mode (1-minute sessions)
- ✓ Autopilot (one-click mode)
- ✓ Studio Mode rendering (720p / 30 FPS)
- ✓ Full AI analysis + ingest
- ✓ All 9 style presets
- ✓ Full v3 Driver AI pacing
- ✓ Text descriptions via CLIP
- ✓ "Created with Onset Engine" watermark
- - Pointer-only ingest (~4x faster, no duplicated files)
- - All VFX (cutout pop, subliminal, beauty, smooth motion, depth)
- - Unlimited DJ Mode
- - Curator tools (Swap/Slip/Pin)
- - 1080p / 4K rendering
Onset Engine Core
For DJs, casual editors, and large library browsing.
One-time · v1.x updates included
Buy Core - $29.50- ✓ Unlimited DJ Mode
- ✓ 1080p / 60 FPS rendering
- ✓ No watermarks
- ✓ Curator tools (Swap, Slip, Pin, Re-Roll)
- ✓ All VFX (Beauty Mode, Smooth Motion 60fps interpolation)
- ✓ Pointer-only ingest — ~4x faster, nothing copied to your drive
- ✓ Collections (organize your library)
- ✓ Custom v3 Drivers + vision query filtering
- ✓ All 9 presets + full Autopilot
- ✓ 1 PC activation (request 2nd for laptop)
- - 4K rendering
- - OTIO NLE export
- - Triptych / vertical / highlights exports
Onset Engine Studio
Full editorial control. Pro outputs. Advanced AI steering.
One-time · v1.x updates included
Buy Studio - $59.50- ✓ Everything in Core
- ✓ 4K / 60 FPS rendering (uncapped)
- ✓ OpenTimelineIO (.otio) NLE export
- ✓ Highlights & Teaser export modes
- ✓ Triptych Mode (3-panel vertical)
- ✓ DJ Session → Video export
- ✓ 1 PC activation (request 2nd for laptop)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a subscription?
No. Onset Engine is a one-time purchase — you pay once and own your license permanently. All updates within the v1.x series are included at no additional cost. Core is $29.50 and Studio is $59.50 with the current launch discount. There are no monthly fees, no render credits, and no feature gates that require a recurring payment. If we release a major v2.0 rewrite in the future, existing customers will receive a discounted upgrade path.
Does it require internet?
A brief API call during initial activation and a lightweight license check (at most once a day) are the only network requests Onset Engine ever makes. Between checks, the application runs fully offline — all AI processing, rendering, and library management happen on your local machine. We never track your usage, never upload your media, and never send telemetry data. The software is fully functional in air-gapped environments between license checks, making it suitable for restricted networks and privacy-conscious workflows.
What hardware do I need?
For best performance, an NVIDIA GPU (GTX 1060 or newer) with CUDA support provides GPU-accelerated AI analysis and NVENC hardware encoding for fast 4K renders. CPU-only mode works on any machine — AI analysis is slower without CUDA, but rendering and editing remain responsive. Minimum requirements: 8GB RAM, Windows 10 or 11. macOS support via Apple's MPS (Metal Performance Shaders) is currently experimental. The engine runs on hardware as old as 5 years — no cutting-edge GPU required.
What does "pointer-only ingest" actually save me?
Time and disk, on every batch of footage you add. When Onset Engine indexes your library it either cuts a separate video file for each clip it finds, or records where that clip lives inside your original footage. Core and Studio do the latter by default. On a measured 60-second 4K source that is 30 seconds instead of 1 minute 51 — roughly 4x — and 0 bytes written instead of 144 MB. Scaled to an hour of 4K footage, that is about half an hour of indexing instead of nearly two, and around 8 GB of your drive left alone. It also produces better edits: a physically cut clip cannot be read past its own end, so when the music calls for a longer shot the editor has nothing left to hold, while a pointer can always read further into the source. The Demo tier cuts physical clips.
Can I upgrade from Core to Studio later?
Yes. Contact us after purchasing Core, and you'll pay only the difference between your Core purchase price and the Studio price to unlock all Studio features — 4K/60 FPS rendering, OpenTimelineIO (.otio) NLE export for Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, Highlights and Teaser export modes, Triptych Mode for 3-panel vertical video, and DJ Session-to-Video export. We'll send you a discount code via email — no hassle, no repurchasing.
What can I do with the free Demo?
Almost everything. All 9 style presets, v3 Driver AI pacing, Autopilot one-click mode, CLIP text descriptions and full library analysis work exactly as they do in the paid tiers. The limits are mostly output-focused: renders are capped at 720p/30 FPS with a "Created with Onset Engine" watermark, VFX are disabled, Curator tools (Swap/Slip/Pin) are locked, and DJ Mode sessions are limited to 1 minute. One limit is not about output: the Demo always cuts a physical file for every clip it indexes, so ingest is around 4x slower and duplicates footage onto your drive. The demo is designed to prove the engine runs on your hardware, and that the AI pipeline delivers, before you spend anything.
How many PCs can I activate?
Core and Studio licenses activate on 1 machine. Need a second activation for your laptop? Just email us and we'll bump your limit — takes 30 seconds, no additional charge. If you upgrade your hardware or reinstall Windows, deactivate first from the in-app License dialog (Deactivate for Transfer button), then re-activate on the new machine. The deactivation process is instant and doesn't require internet beyond the license server call. Lost access to your old machine? Contact support and we'll reset your activation remotely.
Do you offer refunds?
Yes — 14-day refund policy through Lemon Squeezy, no questions asked. If Onset Engine doesn't work for your workflow, request a refund within 14 days of purchase and you'll receive a full refund. We recommend trying the free demo first to confirm the software runs on your hardware and that the AI pipeline produces the results you're looking for before purchasing Core or Studio.