Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions people ask most about Horoptic — price, accounts, devices, credits, refunds, your footage and your data — each with the article that has the detail.
Each answer is short on purpose. The linked article has the detail, and it is the one that stays current.
Is Horoptic free?
Editing is. Manual editing is free, offline, and account-less: you can import, cut, mix, grade, caption and export a Local project without paying or signing in. What costs credits is AI generation and the Director; rendering a master on our servers currently costs no credits. See local-first & accounts and credits and billing.
Do I need an account?
Only for the cloud. You only sign in to reach the cloud — sync between devices, the Director, generation and server exports. See local-first & accounts.
What does it run on?
Horoptic runs on macOS and Windows with a WebGPU-capable GPU, and on iPhone and Android. It is for adults in the United States. On a Mac it needs Apple Silicon (M1 or newer). See system requirements, and use Horoptic on your phone for the phone apps.
Is my footage uploaded when I import it?
No. Import is local-decode first — no upload for common formats. A Local project’s footage stays on your device unless you move the project to the cloud. See import, export & formats.
Where are my projects saved, and how do I back them up?
A Local project lives inside the app’s own data folder, not as a file you can see. Save it as a .horoptic package to back it up or move it. See where your projects live.
How do credits work?
Credits are prepaid. Generation is spent at the gate; Director turns are metered per turn. A failed job costs nothing. See credits & billing.
How much does a generation cost?
It depends on the model. Each model is priced separately, so cheap models stay genuinely cheap. You see the cost before a credit moves. See what generation costs.
What happens if a generation fails? Can I get a refund?
A failed generation costs nothing — the hold is released. Spent credits are prepaid and non-refundable. See refunds & failed generations.
What does the Director do?
The Director is a second operator that edits your timeline by calling the same typed operations your buttons call. Every change it makes can be undone. See how the Director works and work with the Director.
Is AI-made work labelled?
A master rendered on our servers gets a C2PA provenance manifest by default — always when it holds AI-made media — recording whether a Horoptic AI model made or changed any of it. A Local project exported on your own computer cannot hold AI-made media, so it gets none. See Content Credentials (C2PA).
I lost my passkey. Can I get back in?
Yes. Sign in with an email one-time code, then add a passkey — it’s required before you can spend credits. Lost every passkey? A reset waits 7 days and emails you first. See accounts, sign-in & recovery.
How do I get my data, or delete my account?
You can export your data and request deletion. See data export & deletion.
Something isn’t working. How do I reach you?
Start with troubleshooting, which covers a failed export, a blank preview, a refused import and a stalled sign-in. If you are still stuck, write to support@horoptic.com.