Question 1

How much does MotionQL cost?

Accepted Answer

Nothing today. The core app is free forever and needs no license key. When you create an account you also get a Pro license, free for 12 months, with no credit card. Team seats are free for now too.

Question 2

What's free, and what does Pro add?

Accepted Answer

Free covers connections with every auth method, the query bar and visual query builder, IntelliShell, the aggregation editor, SQL Query, Query Code, import and export, dump and restore, Compare and Sync, schema tools, indexes, the profiler, dashboards and the AI assistant with your own key. Pro adds SQL Migration, Data Masking, scheduled tasks and MongoDB Atlas management.

Question 3

How do I get the free Pro year?

Accepted Answer

Create an account at motionql.com, confirm your email, and copy the Pro key from your account page. In MotionQL, open Settings → License, paste the key and click Activate. Activation happens offline.

Question 4

What happens after the 12 months?

Accepted Answer

While the free launch offer runs, you renew for another year with one click on your account page and paste the new key. If we ever start charging for Pro, you'll see the price before your year ends, and everything that's free today stays free. If a key does expire, only the Pro features stop: MotionQL still opens, connects and shows your data, and nothing on your computer is deleted.

Question 5

Can I use MotionQL for commercial work?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The free edition may be used for any lawful purpose, including commercial use by individuals and organizations. A Pro license covers the internal business use of the person it's issued to, on up to three of their devices. The EULA has the details.

Question 6

Which operating systems are supported?

Accepted Answer

macOS 12 or later on Apple silicon and Intel, and Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit). Linux (AppImage and deb) arrives with the next release, for 64-bit x86 desktops. MotionQL works with MongoDB 4.4 and later, including Atlas, replica sets and sharded clusters, plus Amazon DocumentDB, Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB and FerretDB within the features those services implement.

Question 7

Why does macOS or Windows warn me about the installer?

Accepted Answer

The current installers aren't code-signed yet, so macOS Gatekeeper and Windows SmartScreen show a warning the first time you open them. On macOS, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway. On Windows, click More info → Run anyway. Every release lists SHA-256 checksums so you can confirm the file is the one we published. Signed builds and in-app updates will follow.

Question 8

How do I update MotionQL?

Accepted Answer

Download the new version from the download page and install it over the old one. Your connections and settings are kept. In-app updates need signed builds, so they're off for now.

Question 9

Does my data go to MotionQL?

Accepted Answer

No. MotionQL connects directly from your computer to your databases. We never receive your documents, queries, connection strings or credentials. Passwords are encrypted with your operating system's keychain and stay on your computer.

Question 10

Does MotionQL send anything at all?

Accepted Answer

If you allow it on first run, MotionQL sends anonymous usage statistics once a day: a random install ID, the app version, the OS and the license edition. It also downloads a small signed file with notices and cancelled license keys; that request carries no identifiers. Crash reports are off unless you turn them on in Settings → Diagnostics.

Question 11

Does license activation phone home?

Accepted Answer

No. Keys are verified offline with a digital signature, so MotionQL works behind firewalls and on air-gapped machines.

Question 12

What does the AI assistant see?

Accepted Answer

It's off for every connection until you turn it on and add your own provider key. Then it sees your request plus database, collection and field names, types, indexes and the shape of explain plans. Document values, passwords and connection strings aren't sent, and requests go straight to your provider, not through us.

Question 13

How do I get a free Gemini API key for the AI assistant?

Accepted Answer

Go to Google AI Studio at aistudio.google.com/app/apikey, sign in with your Google account and click Create API key. Copy the key, then in MotionQL open Settings → AI, choose Google Gemini, paste it and click Save, then Test connection. Google's free tier has per-minute and per-day rate limits that vary by model. Under Google's Gemini API terms, content sent to unpaid services is used to improve Google's products and may be read by human reviewers, so Google asks you not to send sensitive, confidential or personal information on the free tier. Paid usage isn't used that way.

Question 14

Is there a version for teams?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and team seats are free for now. Create a team from your account, invite people by email, and assign each member a seat. Each member gets their own Pro key. Owners and admins can free a seat, reissue a key or remove someone at any time, and every change is logged.

Question 15

Can IT deploy MotionQL and a license to many computers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Windows installer supports silent installs (/S, /allusers), and a license key can be placed in MotionQL's machine policy file so users don't need to paste one. The same file can turn off AI, force read-only connections and more.

Question 16

Do you offer invoicing or a signed agreement?

Accepted Answer

Write to support@motionql.com and tell us what you need.

Questions, answered

Pricing and the free year

Platforms and installing

Data and privacy

Teams