--- url: https://pencel.ai/docs/reference/faq.md description: >- Short answers to common questions about Pencel, including who it's for, pricing and credits, your data, what it does on its own, and what it works with. --- # FAQ Quick answers to the questions people ask most. Each links to the page with the details. ## About Pencel ### What is Pencel? A desktop app that takes care of the recurring work in your business, like finding government bids, clearing your inbox or answering questions about your books. It does the groundwork and brings you only the decisions that need you. See [What is Pencel?](https://pencel.ai/docs/getting-started/what-is-pencel.html) ### Who is it for? People who know their work but don't write code: business owners, operators, business development leads, office managers and consultants. You never need to write code or set up anything technical. ### How is a room different from ChatGPT? A chat assistant forgets your business between conversations and waits for you to ask. A Pencel room remembers your company, keeps the files and rules you give it, works on a schedule, and brings you finished work to approve. See [Team and rooms](https://pencel.ai/docs/concepts/programs.html). ### What can it do out of the box? Three ready-made rooms: [RFP Operations](https://pencel.ai/docs/programs/rfp-operations.html) for government bids, [Email Chief of Staff](https://pencel.ai/docs/programs/email-chief-of-staff.html) for your Gmail, and [QuickBooks Accountant (Beta)](https://pencel.ai/docs/programs/quickbooks-accountant.html) for your books. You can also describe any other recurring work and Pencel sets up a room for it. See [Set up your own Room](https://pencel.ai/docs/guides/setting-up-a-program.html). ### Which computers does it run on? macOS, Windows and Linux. There's no mobile app today. See [Install Pencel](https://pencel.ai/docs/getting-started/installation.html). ## Pricing and credits ### How much does it cost? Free to start, with $5 of starter credits. Solo is $20 a month and Pro is $99 a month, with lower yearly prices. Teams: talk to us. See [Accounts, plans and credits](https://pencel.ai/docs/getting-started/accounts.html). ### What is a credit? One credit is $0.10 of AI usage. How many credits a piece of work uses depends on how much it reads and writes. A typical RFP search uses roughly 4 to 24 credits. **Settings ▸ Cost & Usage** shows exactly what you've spent. ### Can I use my own API key? Yes. Add a key from Anthropic, OpenAI or Google in **Settings ▸ Credentials**. Requests then go straight to the provider, you pay them directly, and no credits are used. It works on every plan, including Free. See [Supported models](https://pencel.ai/docs/reference/supported-models.html). ### What happens when I run out of credits? Top up 40 credits for $19 in **Settings ▸ Plan & Billing**, add your own API key, or wait for next month's credits. Plan credits reset each month and don't carry over. ### Can I cancel anytime? Yes. Click **Manage Subscription** in **Settings ▸ Plan & Billing**. You keep your plan until the end of the period you paid for, then move to the Free plan. Your workspace and documents stay on your computer. ## Your data and safety ### Does Pencel send emails, submit bids or pay bills on its own? No. Pencel never sends an email until you press **Send** and confirm, never submits a bid, and never records a money change without your approval every time. Other actions, like posting to Slack or changing a record, wait for your approval unless you've chosen **Always Allow** for them in that room. See [Approvals and permissions](https://pencel.ai/docs/privacy-and-security/approval-workflows.html). ### Where is my data stored? On your computer. Your rooms, documents, knowledge, memory and history are kept in Pencel's local workspace, not on Pencel's servers. Saved keys are stored encrypted on your computer. See [Data handling](https://pencel.ai/docs/privacy-and-security/data-handling.html). ### What leaves my computer? Your sign-in, the requests Pencel makes to the AI model, and the requests it makes to accounts you've connected, such as Gmail. With your own API key, AI requests go straight to the provider. With Pencel credits, they pass through Pencel's service on the way. Choose **Pencel Private** if you want the AI provider to keep nothing. Anonymous usage statistics are shared only if you opt in, and never include your content. See [Data handling](https://pencel.ai/docs/privacy-and-security/data-handling.html). ### Can I see what Pencel did? Yes. Every piece of work keeps a record of what Pencel read, what it did and what it cost, in the room and in **Studio ▸ Jobs**. **Settings ▸ Activity Log** keeps a tamper-evident record of approvals, deletions and access to your saved keys. See [Check on scheduled work](https://pencel.ai/docs/guides/monitoring-runs.html). ## Using Pencel ### Does it work offline? You need an internet connection for anything that uses AI or your connected accounts. Your documents and history are on your computer, so you can open and read them offline. ### Does it keep working when my laptop is closed? No. Pencel works while the app is open and your computer is awake. When you open it again, it catches up on a missed daily or weekly schedule. See [Run work on a schedule](https://pencel.ai/docs/guides/scheduling-automation.html). ### Can my team use it? Pencel is for one person today. Each room's crew is AI teammates, not other people. Shared workspaces for teams are being built with pilot customers. If you need them, [talk to us](https://pencel.ai/company). ### Which email does it work with? The inbox room ([Email Chief of Staff](https://pencel.ai/docs/programs/email-chief-of-staff.html)) works with Gmail. You can also connect Microsoft 365 and ask about your Outlook mail and calendar in chat. See [Google Workspace](https://pencel.ai/docs/integrations/google-workspace.html) and [Microsoft 365](https://pencel.ai/docs/integrations/microsoft-365.html). ### What else can it connect to? Slack, QuickBooks Online, Notion, Stripe, GitHub, Atlassian, Linear, databases and more. See [Integrations](https://pencel.ai/docs/integrations/overview.html). ### Where does it find government bids? Federal listings, including those posted on SAM.gov, and state and local bids from HigherGov and public bid portals. See [RFP Operations](https://pencel.ai/docs/programs/rfp-operations.html). ### Which AI models does it use? Models from Anthropic, OpenAI and Google, or **Pencel Auto**, which picks one for you. See [Supported models](https://pencel.ai/docs/reference/supported-models.html). ### How do I get help? Check [Troubleshooting](https://pencel.ai/docs/reference/troubleshooting.html). Still stuck? Click the **Send Feedback** icon at the top of the Pencel window, or email .