Pricing
One payment. The app is yours.
Build Mode is a one-button time tracker for Mac, and its pricing is as simple as the button. You pay once, unlock the whole app, and never see a renewal. This page explains exactly what the license includes, and why one-time pricing is the natural fit for an app this private.
Download free
Pay once
Key by email
Unlocked for good
Build Mode for Mac
$49$29lifetime
Pay once while Build Mode is new and it stays yours, including every update after this one.
- The whole app, every feature
- Every Mac you own
- No subscription and no account
- Your hours never leave your Mac
Download it free, then unlock with the key that arrives by email.
What you get
The whole app. Every feature.
One license unlocks everything: the ⌘⌥B session button, the clock in the MacBook notch, active-time counting that pauses when you step away, automatic categories, the dashboard with daily, weekly, and all-time totals, the hour wall, long-term goals with milestones, and Wrapped. There is no higher tier hiding the good parts. See the full tour on the product page.
No subscription
You buy the app. You keep the app.
There is no monthly plan, no annual plan, and no charge that surprises you next year. You pay once and the app is yours. That’s the whole arrangement, and the terms are written in the same plain language.
A key, not an account
Unlock with a license key, verified on your Mac.
The download is free. After checkout, your license key arrives by email. Paste it into the app and you’re done. The key is checked on your Mac and never sent anywhere, because the app contains no networking code at all.
Requirements
Runs on any modern Mac.
Build Mode requires macOS 14 or later and runs on Apple Silicon and Intel, as a universal app. One license, one simple requirement, nothing else to check.
Why pay once works
No cloud costs. No account to maintain. Nothing to rent.
Most trackers charge monthly because they carry monthly costs: servers to run, sync to maintain, accounts to secure. Build Mode has none of that. There is no account, no cloud, and no networking code in the app, which you can verify yourself by searching the binary for networking symbols. It also asks for zero macOS permissions. Nothing about your copy costs us money every month, so nothing about your copy costs you money every month.
That structure is also why it can be a genuinely private time tracker: privacy that comes from missing capabilities, not from a policy. If you are weighing it against subscription tools, our RescueTime alternative guide and the roundup of the best private time trackers walk through the trade-offs honestly.
Pricing FAQ
The short answers about the license.
Is there a free trial?
No. There is no trial and no free tier. The download itself is free, and the app unlocks with a license key when you buy one.
Is this price forever?
The license is. $29 is the early builder price while Build Mode is new, and it will go up to $49. Whatever you pay, you pay it once and the app stays yours, including every update.
Where do I get my license key?
It arrives by email right after checkout. If you can’t find it later, the license page can send it to you again.
Does activation need the internet?
No. The key is verified on your Mac and never sent anywhere. The app has no networking code, so there is nothing to phone home to.
What are the exact terms?
The full terms of the license live on the terms page, written the same way this page is: short and plain.
Pay once. Yours forever.