MacBase is a modern, affordable alternative to ChessBase — a native Mac app, not a Windows VM, not a €250 package plus an annual database bill. The licence is annual, the price steps up as more people buy, and it never auto-renews.
| SUPPORTERS | PRICE / YEAR | WHO |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – 50 | $29 | Super early birds |
| 51 – 150 | $49 | Early adopters |
| 151 – 300 | $69 | Growth phase |
| 301 and beyond | $89 | Standard price |
This is the first year of a product built by one person. Early buyers take the biggest risk, so they get the lowest price. Later buyers get a more mature app with more data and more tooling — and they pay what that’s worth.
The price is not a marketing trick. It reflects what it costs to keep the thing running and growing.
A one-time purchase would mean the app has to be finished on the day you buy it. It isn’t. The annual licence pays for:
Every update released during your licence is included. There is no “version 2.0, pay again” — if MacBase ships 1.1, 1.2, or 2.0 while your licence is active, you get it. When the year ends you can renew, or keep using the last version you downloaded. Existing keys keep working until their expiry date; nothing is switched off early.
Every install starts with a 7-day free trial. No card, no account, no email required. When the trial ends the app locks; your database and repertoire stay on your Mac and come straight back the moment you activate.