Why is some of it free?
Highlighting, notes, tags, search and the reader all run on your own computer. They cost us nothing, so we do not charge for them. That is not a trial — it stays free. Sync is free too, on every device: every competitor has it, nobody switches for it, and metering it would meter the act of saving.
What am I paying for?
Two things. Agent access — your library readable by Claude, Cursor or any AI tool you use. And Marian’s own AI — summarising a page, or answering a question about everything you have saved. That part costs us money each time, so the plan includes a monthly amount of it.
What if I use my own AI?
Then it is not metered at all. When your own Claude or Cursor reads your library over MCP, you are not charged — you already paid for that answer. And if you run a model on your own machine, Marian’s AI is unlimited on every plan, free included.
What happens if I stop paying?
Nothing you saved goes away. Highlighting, search, the reader and export keep working exactly as before. Sync becomes read-only instead of switching off, and you can still export everything at any time.
More on how it works in how Marian works, and what we do with your data in the privacy policy.