Onset Engine Pricing
Zero cloud costs. Zero monthly fees. One-time purchase with v1.x updates included.
Onset Engine runs on Windows 10 and 11. There's no Mac version yet. Onset Engine doesn't run on macOS yet. It's for Windows 10 and 11 PCs only, so please don't buy it for this Mac. Get notified when the Mac version is ready →
Cut to the Beat, Round by Round
Rhythm bar
Rounds and Length
Your shape, your taste
Onset Engine Demo
Prove it runs on your hardware.
No credit card required
Download DemoFor Windows 10 and 11
- ✓ DJ Mode (1-minute sessions)
- ✓ New video: a draft of the whole song in one click
- ✓ Editor rendering (720p / 30 FPS)
- ✓ Full AI analysis + ingest
- ✓ All 9 style presets
- ✓ Full v3 Driver AI pacing
- ✓ Text descriptions (describe what to show)
- ✓ Rhythm bar + click track: cues that land on every beat
- ✓ Beat markers for Premiere Pro, Resolve and After Effects
- ✓ "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)
- - Must-use clips
- - Rounds, Length and the energy arc
- - Learn my taste
- - 1080p / 4K rendering
Onset Engine Core
For DJs, casual editors, and large library browsing.
One-time · v1.x updates included
Buy Core - $29.99For Windows 10 and 11 · 14-day refund, no questions asked
- ✓ 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)
- ✓ 9:16, 1:1 and 4:5 re-crops of your finished video (face-centered)
- ✓ Clip fit: keep vertical phone clips whole in 16:9 videos
- ✓ Custom v3 Drivers + vision query filtering
- ✓ Must-use clips: videos every edit has to include
- ✓ Rounds with breaks and countdowns, and Length up to 60 minutes
- ✓ Energy arc: shape how the edit builds, mark holds for long takes
- ✓ Learn my taste: more of the clips you keep, fewer of the ones you skip
- ✓ All 9 presets + New video, rendered in 1080p
- ✓ 1 PC activation (request 2nd for laptop)
- - 4K rendering
- - OTIO NLE export
- - Native vertical, Teaser, Triptych and Highlights formats
Onset Engine Studio
Full editorial control. Pro outputs. Advanced AI steering.
One-time · v1.x updates included
Buy Studio - $59.99For Windows 10 and 11 · 14-day refund, no questions asked
- ✓ Everything in Core
- ✓ 4K / 60 FPS rendering (uncapped)
- ✓ OpenTimelineIO (.otio) NLE export
- ✓ Native vertical (9:16): full-length videos and Teasers, up to 2160×3840
- ✓ Highlights export mode
- ✓ Triptych Mode (3 vertical panels side by side in 16:9)
- ✓ DJ Session → Video export
- ✓ 1 PC activation (request 2nd for laptop)
14-day refund, no questions asked
If Onset Engine doesn't fit your workflow, email support@onsetengine.com within 14 days of your purchase and we'll refund it in full.
Try the free demo first
The same engine, rendering at 720p with a watermark. It's the surest way to check Onset does what you want before you pay. Download the demo →
Check it runs on your PC
Windows 10 or 11 and 8 GB of RAM, with a GPU optional. Onset runs on hardware up to five years old. System requirements →
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 $29.99 and Studio is $59.99 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.
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.
What hardware do I need?
Onset Engine runs on any Windows 10/11 PC with 8GB RAM - no GPU required. NVIDIA (GTX 16-series / RTX 20-series or newer, including RTX 50-series) is fastest: AI analysis of your footage runs on the GPU, and NVENC speeds up exports. AMD Radeon is fully supported: exports are hardware-accelerated (AMF), while AI analysis runs on the CPU, so importing new footage takes somewhat longer with Standard analysis and several times longer with High Quality, while editing and rendering are unaffected. Intel-only systems work the same way, with CPU encoding. The engine runs on hardware as old as 5 years. Onset Engine is currently Windows-only; a macOS version is not yet available. Full hardware compatibility table →
Is there a Mac version?
Not yet. Onset Engine runs on Windows 10 and 11 only, so please don't buy it for a Mac. A version for Apple Silicon Macs is planned. Leave your email and we'll send you one email when it's ready.
Does it require internet?
Only to set up and to keep your license valid. Onset Engine goes online to activate your license, to download its AI model once the first time you add footage, and for a lightweight license check at most once a day while you're online. Checking for updates happens only when you click it. Everything else runs 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. Once set up, the software is fully functional in air-gapped environments, making it suitable for restricted networks and privacy-conscious workflows.
What can I do with the free Demo?
Almost everything. All 9 style presets, v3 Driver AI pacing, New video (one click to a draft of the whole song), 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.
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, native vertical (9:16) videos and Teasers, Highlights export mode, Triptych Mode (3 vertical panels side by side), and DJ Session-to-Video export. We'll send you a discount code via email - no hassle, no repurchasing.
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.