Licensing
Anthrena Desk uses an offline-first Pro license. Free features work without a key; Pro unlocks the features in the table below.
Free vs Pro
| Capability | Unregistered Free | Signed-in Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Import CSV / Excel | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Save / open .asbx | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Charts, canvas, formulas | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dataset size | Up to 50,000 rows | Up to 100,000 (Plan) | Unlimited |
| Plan plugins (Optima, formula packs, …) | — | Yes (staff-selected on Plan) | Yes |
| PostgreSQL / MySQL connectors | — | Plan flag | Yes |
| Export PDF / PowerPoint | — | Plan flag | Yes |
| Install extra plugins | — | Plan flag | Yes |
| Paid plugin entitlements | — | Plan list | Yes (or listed on key) |
When a Pro-only action is blocked, Desk shows an Unlock / Buy Pro dialog. Signed-in Free unlocks only what the freemium Plan grants.
Account vs offline license
- Account (Sign in) — identity in a compact Auth / Plan window: claim Free, Sync (coming soon), buy or restore Pro. Session tokens stay on this machine.
- Offline Pro license — signed Ed25519 key verified locally. This is what unlocks Pro features at runtime, even without network after redeem.
You can explore Sample / Create / Open on Free without signing in.
Unlock Pro (activation code)
- Click the Free / Pro account chip in the title bar (or Sign in & upgrade from an upsell) to open the Account window → Unlock Pro
- Or open Settings → License for the same unlock form / advanced signed key
- Enter the email bound to your code and the activation code
- Click Unlock — Desk contacts Anthrena once over HTTPS, then stores a signed key locally
After that, Desk stays Pro offline until the key’s expiry.
If you’re offline when unlocking: Connect once to unlock, then Desk works offline. Use Continue offline as Free in the Account window if sign-in cannot reach the network.
Advanced: signed key
Under Advanced: paste signed key, you can paste a payload.signature license string (for example from a deep link or IT handoff). Desk verifies the signature locally with no network call.
Preferred deep links (when configured):
anthrena-desk://activate?key=<your-key>
anthrena-desk://auth?token=<access>&email=<you@org.com>
An HTTPS landing page may forward the same key query parameter to the activate deep link. Browser SSO / signup returns via the auth scheme.
Download key again
On first successful code unlock, Desk stores a one-time reauth token on this Mac. Settings → License → Download key again can fetch a fresh signed key without revealing your code to logs. The activation code alone cannot re-download the key.
What a key contains
Signed keys include:
- Tier: Pro
- Email associated with the unlock
- Expiry date
- Optional list of paid plugin ids
A trial is the same format with a near-term expiry — there is no separate trial code path.
Offline grace
Desk always verifies the signature offline. When online revalidation is enabled later, staying offline past a grace window may log a warning; Pro remains available until the signed expiresAt date on a validly signed key.
Privacy
Activation codes and signed keys are never written to crash reports or activity logs. Only the plan tier (Free / Pro) is included in diagnostics.
Related
- Import data — database connectors
- Export — PDF
- Plugins
- Security