🔑 License & Trial
License & Trial
SQL Gnome includes a 14-day free trial with full access. After that, a one-time license key keeps you running permanently — no subscriptions, no renewals.
Trial
The built-in trial gives you 14 days of full access to SQL Gnome with no feature restrictions.
- Trial state is stored locally on your Mac.
- The full app is available for the entire trial period.
- Expiration is enforced — once the trial ends, the main interface is gated until a valid license is entered.
Gnorman Says
14 days is plenty of time. Kick the tires, run your real queries, open your real databases. Don't evaluate me on sample data.
Activation
SQL Gnome uses direct license-key activation — no account required, no subscription to manage.
- Activation is associated with your current Mac.
- License validation is performed against Lemon Squeezy.
- The activation flow does not require an embedded admin API key.
Perpetual licenses have no expiration date. Once activated, your license remains valid indefinitely on the machine it's tied to.
License States
At any given time, SQL Gnome is in one of four states:
trial
licensed
trial expired
license expired
- trial — Full app access, countdown running.
- licensed — Valid license active, full access.
- trial expired — Trial ended, no valid license. Main interface is gated.
- license expired — A time-limited license has passed its stored expiration date.
Enforcement Model
- A valid license unlocks the app after trial expiration.
- An expired trial with no valid license blocks normal use of the main interface.
- Stored license state can be refreshed manually.
- A license can be deactivated from your current Mac, freeing it for use on another machine.
Activation Failures
If activation fails, verify the following before reporting an issue:
- The exact license key value — copy-paste, don't retype.
- Network access from your Mac.
- That the key belongs to the SQL Gnome product (not another purchase).
- That the key has not expired.
If the failure persists after checking all of the above, include the exact error message when reporting the problem. A screenshot of the error is especially useful here.