FAQ

Straight answers.

Buying

Can I try it before I buy?

Yes, and you should. Community is free, open source, and runs in minutes. It is the same architecture — just without auth, a database, the full media studio, or billing. Read the code, run it, then decide.

Is this a subscription?

No. Each Developer edition is a one-time purchase and you own the source. You pay your AI providers directly for the API calls you make; StartOne takes nothing per call.

Why are the two Developer editions sold separately?

Because most developers build either a web app or a bot, not both. Bundling them would mean charging you for a codebase you never open. If you genuinely need both, buy both.

Do you offer refunds?

No — this is downloadable source code, and it cannot be returned once you have it. That is precisely why Community exists: evaluate the architecture for free, at length, before spending anything.

Technical

What do I actually need to run it?

Node, and an API key from at least one AI provider. Developer — Web also uses Postgres and Redis (a docker-compose file is included) and Clerk for auth. Every edition boots with zero keys configured, so you can explore before setting anything up.

Which AI providers are supported?

OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, GLM (z.ai), DeepSeek, and Qwen for chat; fal.ai and Replicate for media. Providers sit behind a single contract, so adding another is a contained change.

Can I swap out Clerk / Postgres / fal.ai?

Yes. Each is behind a seam — auth in lib/auth/, media providers in lib/media/providers.ts. That is the point of owning the source.

Is there really no billing in Developer?

Correct, and it is deliberate. Developer is unmetered: no credits, no limits, no payment code to rip out. If you want billing, that is Business.

Licensing

Can I build commercial products with it?

Yes — unlimited products of your own, including commercial ones, on unlimited projects you own.

Can I resell it?

No. You may not resell or redistribute the StartOne source, modified or not, as a competing boilerplate, template, or starter kit. Build products with it; do not sell it as a product.

What about the StartOne name?

The licence covers the code, not the brand. See Licensing.