Pricing
Convene the right council
All plans include the structured deliberation engine.
Every paid tier includes instant server-key councils out of the box — bring your own key for premium councils, unlimited access, and web search.
Free
$0 / mo
- ▸20 asks/day included
- ▸AI Model Switcher — switch between free AI models in one continuous conversation, with no API key required
- ▸OpenAI GPT (OSS 120B) — answers your question up front, the main answerer
- ▸A three-model council deliberates with it:
- ▸Meta Llama (3.3 70B)
- ▸NVIDIA Nemotron (Nano 30B)
- ▸Google Gemma (4 31B)
- ▸All four answer, then challenge each other — GPT refines its answer live
- ▸Backup models help keep answers available during provider interruptions
- ▸Image attachments + full math & markdown rendering
- ▸Every model identified — name, lab, country, role
- ▸The Council and AI Model Switcher: no key setup
- ▸Investment Research Preview — $0 access with a free account; requires your own OpenRouter API key. Model and search usage billed by OpenRouter.
Mid-Tier
$14.99 / mo
- ▸Daily CLAVE usage included · use your own key beyond the included allowance
- ▸CLAVE — the right chamber assembles around every question
- ▸The Math Council — independent solving and verification with your OpenRouter key
- ▸The Berean Council — Bible study with your OpenRouter key, including saved studies
- ▸Seven interior disciplines: rapid, strategic, technical, adversarial, deep, research, and global
- ▸Three independent answers · direct cross-examination · one decision brief
- ▸Automatic model selection with role-compatible backups
- ▸CLAVE includes access on the RefNode key; Math and Berean require your own key
- ▸BYOK web search for live, internet-grounded asks
- ▸$2.99 same-day session reset when you run out
- ▸OpenRouter key is free to get
Pro Tier
$29.99 / mo
- ▸Everything in Mid, plus:
- ✦Higher-tier access with daily included usage · BYOK for additional usage
- ✦AR1ST0TL3 included access — no key needed
- ✦Oracle Council — with your OpenRouter key
- ✦AR1ST0TL3 — Hybrid Adaptive AI, powered by CLAVE II
- ✦One question. The right reasoning architecture is assembled automatically.
- ✦Direct answers, independent perspectives, enterprise analysis, global synthesis, and adaptive review
- ✦Included Pro model access; connect OpenRouter for eligible frontier models
- ✦View Automation — inspect actual stages, models, fallbacks, and added reviews
- ✦Conversation History — encrypted and synced across devices
- ✦Attach documents and images with your OpenRouter key
Frontier access
RefNode AI Max
$39.99 / mo
- ▸Everything in Pro, plus:
- ✦Council Memory — your councils remember previous conversations and build on them
- ✦The All-American — a council of models from US AI labs, with your OpenRouter key
- ✦Oracle II Council — independent analysis and synthesis with your OpenRouter key
- ✦Vanguard Boardroom — six advisors and a synthesis, with your OpenRouter key
- ✦Scholar’s Scriptorium — scholarly research and writing with your OpenRouter key
- ✦The Studio — creative collaboration with your OpenRouter key
- ✦Council of Code is a separate $30/month addition and requires verification
- ✦The highest daily included model-call allowance for CLAVE and AR1ST0TL3
- ✦Math, Berean, Oracle, and Max councils require your OpenRouter key
- ✦BYOK web search on supported council routes
Full deliberation
Max + Council of Code
$69.99 / mo
Max ($39.99/month) plus the $30/month Council of Code addition. Includes eligibility for the Council of Code — our engineering council for aviation, aerospace and government-contract support work. Access requires a virtual appointment to verify US-person status; a clearance code is issued after verification. No payment substitutes for the appointment. Subscribe — $69.99 / mo
$69.99 / mo
Max ($39.99/month) plus the $30/month Council of Code addition. Includes eligibility for the Council of Code — our engineering council for aviation, aerospace and government-contract support work. Access requires a virtual appointment to verify US-person status; a clearance code is issued after verification. No payment substitutes for the appointment. Subscribe — $69.99 / mo
Prices are monthly in USD. Applicable taxes and the final total are shown at checkout.
Included usage applies to supported councils. BYOK councils bill model and search usage separately through OpenRouter. Subscriptions renew monthly; cancel anytime.
Common questions
Is there a free trial?
Paid tiers do not include free trials. The Council, AI Model Switcher, and Investment Research Preview remain available on Free Tier. Investment Research requires your own OpenRouter API key. Existing grandfathered subscriptions retain their agreed pricing.
What is Max + Council of Code?
An $69.99/month plan ($39.99 Max + $30 Council of Code) with everything in RefNode Max plus eligibility for the Council of Code, our engineering council for aviation, aerospace, and government-contract support work. Access itself requires a virtual verification appointment confirming US-person status — a clearance code is issued after the appointment, and no payment substitutes for it.
Do I need an OpenRouter key to get started?
The Council and AI Model Switcher work without a key. Investment Research Preview requires your own OpenRouter API key, including on Free Tier. Math, Berean, Oracle, and Max councils also require your own key and the appropriate subscription. Creating an OpenRouter key is free; model and search usage is billed separately by OpenRouter.
What is OpenRouter?
OpenRouter is a model gateway that gives you access to models from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta, and others under one API key. RefNode uses it to route BYOK sessions to the right model and, when enabled, to OpenRouter web search. Your key lives in your browser for API calls; when you're signed in, RefNode also keeps an encrypted backup bound to your account so clearing browsing data or switching devices doesn't lose it — disconnecting your key deletes the backup. Model and search usage is billed by OpenRouter.
What's the difference between Mid and Pro?
Mid includes CLAVE, The Math Council, and The Berean Council. Math and Berean require your own OpenRouter key. Pro includes everything in Mid, plus AR1ST0TL3, Oracle Council, and cloud conversation history. Oracle requires your own OpenRouter key.
What's in RefNode AI Max?
Max includes everything in Pro, plus Oracle II Council, Vanguard Boardroom, Scholar’s Scriptorium, The Studio, The All-American, and Council Memory. Max councils require your own OpenRouter key. Max also has the highest daily included model-call allowance on supported councils. Council of Code costs an additional $30/month and requires a verification appointment.
Is my saved conversation history private?
Conversation History (Pro and Max) is encrypted at rest, scoped to your account, and never used for anything but showing you your own sessions. On Max, Council Memory gives new conversations brief notes from your recent consultations — those digests are encrypted the same way and you can turn Memory off with one click. You can delete individual conversations or your entire history at any time; we keep your most recent 100 conversations. Investment Research history stays in your browser on the current device and is not cloud-synchronized. Details are in the Privacy Policy.
Can the council search the web?
Supported councils can use web search with your OpenRouter key. Model and search charges are billed to your OpenRouter account. Investment Research Preview also uses your key for research and remains available with a free RefNode account.
What are pre-prompts, and can I turn them off?
Pre-prompts are the role and mode instructions each advisor receives — the council persona plus the mode you picked (Advise, Challenge, or Explore). They're on by default, and one click turns them off on any plan, including Free. With pre-prompts off, models answer your question in their own natural voice instead of a council role — but the structure always runs: advisors still cross-examine each other, and on synthesized councils the fourth-model verdict still renders.
What happens if a model is down?
Supported routes try backup models when a provider is unavailable. If the required work cannot be completed, the council reports the interruption or incomplete result. Provider availability is not guaranteed.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel from within the app at any time. Your access continues until the end of the current billing period. We offer a 14-day refund on initial purchases — see the Billing Policy.
What is a "council session"?
A session starts with a question. The number of model calls depends on the council, routing, verification, and any retries. Paid included usage is metered in model calls, so the number of complete sessions varies. Using your own OpenRouter key bypasses the RefNode included-usage allowance; provider limits, available credit, and model and search charges still apply.
Questions? help@tryclaves.com