Terms of Use & License

Last updated: 17 June 2026

Sorrel is a macOS app made by an independent solo developer based in Canada. By downloading, installing, or using Sorrel — or by buying a license — you agree to these terms. Questions? Email [email protected].

Trial and one-time purchase

The direct-download version of Sorrel is free to use for 14 days so you can try it before paying. After the trial, continued use requires a one-time license purchase ($9.99). There is no subscription. Your direct-download license is personal to you, is non-transferable, and may be used on the Macs you own. Direct-download payments are handled by Gumroad, which acts as the merchant of record (the seller of record) for your purchase and handles checkout, applicable sales taxes, and refund processing under its own terms.

Sorrel is also available on the Mac App Store. That version uses Apple's purchase and update systems instead of Gumroad license keys, with a one-time in-app unlock. Direct-download/Gumroad purchases and Mac App Store purchases are separate and do not transfer between stores. A direct-download license key does not unlock the Mac App Store build, and a Mac App Store purchase does not create a website license key.

An internet connection is required to buy Sorrel, receive or recover a direct-download license key, make or restore a Mac App Store purchase, and use any optional cloud voice provider. After activation, Sorrel verifies the stored direct-download license key locally on your Mac and does not require ongoing license-server checks for normal use.

Your license

Your purchase grants you a personal, non-transferable right to install and use the compiled Sorrel application. It does not grant any rights to the source code. Except where the law expressly permits it, you may not copy, resell, sublicense, rent, reverse-engineer, or create derivative works from the app. You are responsible for keeping your license key reasonably secure and for not sharing it publicly.

Built-in voices and optional cloud voices

By default, Sorrel speaks using your Mac's own built-in voices, entirely on your device. Optionally, you may connect your own account or API key for a third-party cloud voice provider (for example OpenAI, ElevenLabs, or Google). If you choose to do this, the text you play is sent directly from your Mac to that provider using your own key.

Your use of any third-party provider is governed by that provider's own terms and privacy policy. Sorrel does not control, and is not responsible for, how those third parties handle your data or what their service produces. Sorrel does not proxy, store, or log those requests.

Your responsibilities

You are responsible for the text you choose to have Sorrel read and for ensuring you have the right to use it. Do not use Sorrel for any unlawful purpose, or in a way that infringes anyone else's rights. If you connect a third-party cloud voice provider, you are responsible for your own account or API key and for complying with that provider's terms. Because Sorrel's reading features run on your own Mac and the developer operates no server that receives your text, you — not the developer — are solely responsible for your input and how you use the output. Sorrel's license service processes purchase and activation data only for license delivery, recovery, support, refunds, and abuse prevention.

No warranty

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Sorrel is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. We do not warrant that the app will be uninterrupted, error-free, or fit for a particular purpose.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the developer will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages, or for any loss of data, arising from your use of — or inability to use — Sorrel. Where liability cannot be excluded, it is limited to the amount you actually paid for your license.

Your consumer rights come first. Nothing in these terms removes or limits any right you have as a consumer under the laws of your own country that cannot legally be waived. If anything here conflicts with such a mandatory right, that right applies.

Refunds

Because the direct-download version of Sorrel gives you a full 14-day free trial, you can evaluate it completely before paying. If you bought a direct-download license and it isn't working for you, email [email protected] within 14 days of purchase and I'll help you get a refund. Direct-download refunds are processed through Gumroad, the store that handles payment, under its refund policy.

If you buy Sorrel through the Mac App Store, refunds are handled by Apple under the App Store's policies and account tools.

If you are a consumer in the EU or UK, digital products normally carry a 14-day right to cancel. Because Sorrel is delivered to you immediately, by completing your purchase you ask for that immediate delivery and acknowledge that the cancellation right may no longer apply once delivery has begun. This does not affect your right to a remedy if the product is genuinely faulty.

Trademarks

macOS, Siri, and other Apple marks are trademarks of Apple Inc. Other product names mentioned on this website are trademarks of their respective owners. Sorrel is independent software and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of them.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time; the "last updated" date above will change when we do. Continuing to use Sorrel after an update means you accept the revised terms.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of Canada (and the province in which the developer resides), without affecting any mandatory consumer-protection rights you have where you live.

Contact

Sorrel is an independent product. For any question about these terms, licensing, or a refund, email [email protected].