Terms of service

1. About Mantle and these terms

Mantle ("we", "us", "our") provides the Mantle website, Mac software, licensing and related account services. These terms govern your use of them. Questions or notices can be sent to support@mantlearchive.com. Our Privacy policy explains how personal information is handled, and our Refund policy explains purchases and refund requests.

By using Mantle, you agree to these terms. If you buy or use it for an organisation, you must have authority to accept these terms for that organisation. Mandatory consumer rights continue to apply.

2. What Mantle provides

Mantle helps photographers and other media professionals organise, find, review, edit, export and protect photo and video archives. Core archive work runs locally on your Mac. Account, licensing, optional AI and connected cloud features use online services. Feature availability, compatible systems and release requirements are described on the website and with each release.

Keep your own backups and check your work before deleting originals, replacing files or relying on an export. Software and third-party compatibility can change; a permanent licence does not guarantee compatibility with every future operating system or the continued availability of every third-party service.

3. Your software licence and updates

A paid Mantle software licence does not expire: you may keep using the eligible versions included with your purchase, subject to these terms and any valid suspension or refund. The purchase includes one year of feature updates. Additional update coverage is optional, purchased separately and does not automatically renew. You do not pay for years you skipped.

A licence gives you permission to use Mantle; ownership of the software and its intellectual property remains with Mantle and its licensors. Observe the computer limit shown for your licence. Keep licence keys private and do not resell, distribute or share them outside the licence entitlement. Third-party components remain subject to their respective licences.

4. Private preview and trials

Private-preview access is by invitation. Selected preview testers receive a free Mantle licence to keep; applicants who are not selected may be offered a launch discount as described on the website. Pricing is announced before launch. Preview software may contain incomplete features or defects.

When the public trial is available, it lasts 14 days from activation in Mantle, requires no payment card and does not automatically charge you. Downloading, joining the waitlist or signing in does not itself start a trial. Trial eligibility checks prevent repeated trials through new accounts, reinstallations or repeated activation.

5. Accounts and acceptable use

Provide accurate account information, use an email address you control and keep sign-in links, sessions, licence keys and recovery information secure. Tell us promptly if you suspect unauthorised access. You are responsible for having the rights and permissions needed for content you use with Mantle.

Do not use the service unlawfully, interfere with other users, distribute malware, bypass licensing or payment controls, or attempt unauthorised access. Reverse engineering is restricted only to the extent permitted by applicable law. We may limit or suspend access where reasonably necessary to address misuse, fraud, a security threat or a legal obligation; we will provide notice where appropriate and lawful.

6. Prices, payments and receipts

The price, currency, applicable taxes and what is included are shown before you confirm a purchase. Where checkout is provided by Paddle, Paddle acts as merchant of record and authorised reseller, processes payment and provides the payment receipt. Your transaction is also subject to Paddle’s Buyer Terms. Payment support is available at paddle.net.

Software licences, optional update purchases and AI-credit top-ups are one-time purchases. They do not create an automatically renewing subscription. A completed purchase is fulfilled after payment is verified; returning from a checkout page alone does not grant a licence or credits.

7. Optional AI and AI credits

When enabled, Ask Mantle includes 1,000 completed queries per account per UTC calendar month. Unused included queries do not roll over. Additional Assistant requests require a separate opt-in to paid overage. Optional cloud photo or video analysis has its own approval and estimated cost. Adding funds is not consent to run analysis or exceed an included allowance.

AI-credit top-ups add funds to a separate Mantle AI balance. Each top-up expires one calendar year after funding. Credits are for supported Mantle services, are not a bank deposit or cash account, and are not refundable except as stated in the Refund policy or required by law. Review the estimated cost before authorising processing; an estimate is not a guaranteed final charge.

You keep your rights in your photographs, videos and other content. Enabling a connected or AI feature allows the processing needed to provide the action you request. AI results can be inaccurate; review generated descriptions, selections and other output before relying on them. Third-party services have their own terms and privacy practices.

8. Refunds and cancellation

Purchases are generally final and non-refundable, including unused AI credits. We correct duplicate charges and review other unusual situations individually. This does not limit mandatory consumer rights, remedies for faulty or undelivered products, or rights under Paddle’s applicable terms. See the Refund policy for how to request help.

One-time purchases have no recurring subscription to cancel. You may stop using Mantle or choose not to buy additional update coverage. Removing the app, deleting an account or leaving credits unused does not by itself create a refund entitlement.

9. Service availability and responsibility

We aim to provide useful and reliable software and support, but cannot promise uninterrupted availability, error-free results or that every feature will suit every workflow. Take reasonable care of your archive and backups. We remain responsible to the extent required by the law that applies to you.

Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limits your mandatory consumer guarantees. Any limitation applies only to the extent permitted by applicable law.

10. Changes and contact

We may update these terms to reflect changes to Mantle, our services or applicable requirements. The effective date is shown above. Material changes will be communicated where required, and additional consent obtained where required. For support, purchase questions or a concern about these terms, contact support@mantlearchive.com.