---
title: General FAQ
summary: What HeartBeatAgents is, how pricing works, and where your data actually lives.
date: 2026-09-03
---

# General FAQ

What HeartBeatAgents is, how pricing works, and where your data actually lives.

## What is HeartBeatAgents?

A self-hosted operating system for AI agents. Instead of running on someone else's server, HeartBeatAgents runs on your own machine: "your desk is the new data center." See [Core Concepts](/en/docs/guides/core-concepts) for the building blocks (agents, memory, tools, channels) and [Security](/en/docs/guides/security) for how local-first execution is enforced, not just claimed.

## Is it really free?

The free tier includes one primary agent with full functionality, running entirely on your machine, no account required. Paid plans add more concurrent agents. Running fully local via Ollama (see [Models](/en/docs/guides/models)) is free end-to-end, with no per-token API costs. You provide the compute instead.

## Do I need an account to try it?

No. Download and run it with no account. An account is only needed once you activate a paid plan, via a magic-link sign-in sent after payment.

## Does my data leave my machine?

No, by design. Conversations, memory, and any files an agent touches stay on the machine (or server, if self-hosted; see [Self-Hosting](/en/docs/guides/self-hosting)) running HeartBeatAgents. The only network traffic is what a given integration or LLM provider call requires, and that traffic is scoped and audited per [Security](/en/docs/guides/security)'s egress policy.

## What if my question isn't answered here?

Check [Troubleshooting](/en/docs/troubleshooting) for common problems, or [Guides](/en/docs/guides) for deeper how-tos.