marginTerms of use
What a Margin licence gives you, what it doesn't, and the small print behind both.
Margin is a macOS app made by J4 Code LTD, a company registered in Cyprus; "I" and "me" in these terms mean J4 Code LTD. These terms cover using the app and what a licence gives you. Buying a licence goes through Polar Software Inc., the merchant of record, under Polar's buyer terms. Polar's terms cover the purchase. These terms cover the software.
By installing or using Margin you agree to these terms. If you don't, don't use it.
Your notes are yours
Margin works on folders of Markdown files on your Mac. Those files are yours. I claim no rights over anything you write in Margin, and the app never uploads your notes anywhere. The one exception is an AI action you run yourself, which sends the text you chose to the AI provider you chose. The privacy policy has the details.
What a licence gives you
Lifetime
A licence to use Margin for as long as you like, on two Macs at a time, with every current and future feature of the app. It includes every update, with no time limit. If I ever change how Margin is sold, a lifetime licence keeps everything it had on the day you bought it.
Subscription
Monthly or yearly, from version 1.0. A licence to use Margin while the subscription is active. It renews automatically until you cancel, which you can do at any time from your Polar customer portal. When it ends, Margin locks until you renew. Your notes stay in their folders, readable by any editor, and they were always plain files anyway.
Trial
Seven days of use with every feature, free, no account. After that Margin locks until you buy a licence. Your notes never lock: they stay plain Markdown files in their folders, readable by any editor.
Alpha and other pre-release builds
Free while Margin is in development. When version 1.0 ships, pre-release builds keep working for 30 more days, and people who used the alpha get a discount on a lifetime licence for the same 30 days. Pre-release software has bugs. Back up your notes (they're files, so Time Machine or a copy of the folder is enough).
What happens when a licence, trial or grace period ends
Margin locks. The window shows where your notes are, with a button to open each folder in Finder, and asks for a licence. Nothing on disk changes: your notes are plain Markdown files in folders you chose, and any editor opens them. What a licence gates is Margin itself.
A licence is for one person, on two Macs at a time. To use a third, deactivate one first, in Settings › Licence on that Mac or from your Polar customer portal. A team needs one licence per person, and a licence can't be resold.
Licence keys
Your licence is tied to the email you bought with. Margin activates itself after checkout, and on another Mac you ask for a link by email ("Restore purchase"); when both seats are taken, the link does nothing until you free one. Don't pass activation links around; if a licence turns up being shared publicly, or was obtained by fraud, I may disable it.
What you agree not to do
- Resell, rent, or sublicense Margin or a licence key.
- Bypass or tamper with the licence and trial checks.
- Use Margin to break the law.
Reverse engineering for interoperability, where your local law allows it, isn't something I'm going to chase.
AI features
Margin can send text to an AI provider, but only when you run an action and only the text that action needs. Which provider depends on the mode you chose in settings: the Anthropic API with your own key, a Claude Code or Codex program already installed on your Mac, a model that runs entirely on your Mac, or Ollama. Anything you send to a third party is covered by that party's terms, not mine.
AI output can be wrong. Margin shows every AI change as a proposal you accept or reject, and I'd ask you to read before accepting. I'm not responsible for what a model produces or for what a provider does with the text you send it.
Updates
Margin checks for a newer build when it launches and about every six hours while it stays open, and downloads one in the background when it finds it. Nothing installs while Margin is running: the new build goes in when you quit, or sooner if you choose Restart to Update. Every update is signed, and Margin refuses one it can't verify.
There is no setting to stay on an old build; the current release is the one I fix. Margin needs macOS 14 or later, and a future version may need a newer macOS than the one you have. What an update check sends is in the privacy policy.
Usage statistics
Margin sends anonymous usage statistics so I can find crashes and see which features get used. They never include your notes. You can turn them off in Settings under Privacy. The privacy policy lists exactly what is sent.
No warranty, and a limit on liability
I test Margin, but I can't promise it has no bugs or that it suits your purpose. It's provided as is.
To the extent the law allows, I'm not liable for indirect or consequential losses, including lost data or lost profits, and my total liability to you for anything to do with Margin is limited to the amount you paid for your licence.
Your notes are plain files on your own disk. Please keep a backup. Nothing in these terms limits rights that consumer law gives you and that can't be limited by contract.
Ending the licence
You can stop using Margin at any time. Refunds are covered by the refund policy. I can end your licence if you break these terms, for example by sharing a key or bypassing the licence checks. Your notes are unaffected either way.
Changes to these terms
I may update these terms. If a change matters, the app's release notes will say so and this page will show the new date. The terms that were in force when you bought a licence keep applying to that licence.
Law
These terms are governed by the law of Cyprus. If you're a consumer, you keep the protections of the law where you live.