Free trial
A free trial build is available to download directly from the site, aimed at letting you test selection-based translation and explanation before buying the lifetime license.
Learn moreClicknow
Select text in any Mac app, get an instant AI translation or explanation.
Beginner
What is Clicknow?
Clicknow is an AI search tool. A lightweight macOS app that translates or explains any selected text in any application, with no prompting or API key setup. The AI engine is included, output languages are broad, and a single lifetime license covers two Macs.
Clicknow is a macOS utility that turns selected text into an AI lookup. Highlight a word, a sentence or a whole paragraph in any application, and the app sends that selection to an AI knowledge engine, then returns a translation or a plain-language explanation in the language you have configured. There is no chat window to open, no prompt to type and no API key to arrange, which is the central promise of the product: the selection itself is the input. The app targets people who read and work across languages. Language learners can pull translations with example sentences and copy the result into a notes tool for later review. Developers reading foreign documentation or unfamiliar code snippets get explanations in place. Researchers, students and office workers who keep a calendar open can select a date and get an option to create an event from it. It also handles smaller interpretation jobs, such as checking the spelling of a selected word or pulling details out of a flight reference, so it functions less as a dictionary and more as a general interpreter for whatever text sits under the cursor. In practice the workflow stays inside the current app. Clicknow runs in the background, watches for text selection, and surfaces its answer without forcing a copy and paste detour through a browser chatbot. The vendor ships a PopClip extension for people who already use that selection toolbar, and a two-way translation mode for moving between a pair of languages. Interface and output languages span a long list that includes English, Chinese, French, Italian, German, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Spanish, Hindi, Russian, Portuguese and Turkish. Clicknow is a narrow, single-purpose tool rather than a full assistant platform. It competes with the macOS dictionary, with general chatbots and with browser translation extensions, and its case rests on speed and low resource use rather than on breadth of features. It is Mac-only, requires macOS 14 or later, and is sold as a one-time purchase instead of a subscription.
How do you use Clicknow?
1Download the app for macOS
Get the free trial build from the download link and confirm your Mac runs macOS 14 or later before installing.
2Grant the permissions it needs
On first launch, allow the accessibility and selection monitoring permissions the app requests so it can read highlighted text in other applications.3Set your preferred output language
Open the settings and choose the language you want explanations and translations delivered in, along with your source language pair for two-way translation.4Select text anywhere and read the result
Highlight a word or paragraph in any app and let the popup appear with the translation or explanation, without leaving the window you are working in.5Add the PopClip extension if you use PopClip
Install the extension so Clicknow actions appear in the PopClip toolbar alongside your other selection tools.
6Buy the lifetime license when the trial ends
The vendor explains the pay-once model and included model access on the blog post about unlimited usage before you commit.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Works on selected text in any app, so the reading flow is never interrupted by switching windowsAI
- No API key configuration or prompt writing; the AI engine is bundled with the purchaseAI
- One-time payment model with no recurring subscription, licensed for two devicesAI
- Long list of supported output languages plus a dedicated two-way translation modeAI
- Selection-aware extras such as calendar event creation, spelling checks and flight tracking raise it above a plain dictionaryAI
Cons
- macOS 14 or newer is required and there is no Windows, Linux, web or mobile versionAI
- The scope is deliberately narrow: translation and explanation, not document editing, chat history or team collaborationAI
- Quality and latency depend entirely on the vendor's bundled model and backend, with no option to plug in your own providerAI
- No published detail on data retention for the text you select, which matters for confidential work materialAI
- Small independent project, so long-term maintenance and support capacity are limited compared with venture-backed alternativesAI
How much does Clicknow cost?
Pricing
Sold as a lifetime license rather than a subscription. The site states a one-time price under $20, use on two devices, and no recurring fees. Unlimited AI usage is included because an API key is bundled with the purchase. A free trial download is offered separately.
Learn moreSupport
Help documentation lives on the project wiki, and bugs and feature requests are collected in the r/ClicknowAI subreddit. A contact page is offered for content creators seeking audience deals.
Learn moreIntegrations
A PopClip extension places Clicknow actions in the PopClip selection toolbar. Beyond that, the product works system-wide on text selection rather than through named third-party integrations.
Learn moreFeatures
Translate or explain any highlighted text inside any macOS app, with results in your chosen language. Includes a bundled AI engine with no API key or prompt setup, two-way translation, a PopClip extension, selection-aware actions such as creating calendar events from dates, spelling checks and flight tracking, and support for roughly sixteen output languages.
Frequently asked questions about Clicknow
How much does Clicknow cost?
Sold as a lifetime license rather than a subscription. The site states a one-time price under $20, use on two devices, and no recurring fees. Unlimited AI usage is included because an API key is bundled with the purchase. A free trial download is offered separately.Does Clicknow offer a free trial?
A free trial build is available to download directly from the site, aimed at letting you test selection-based translation and explanation before buying the lifetime license.How do you use Clicknow?
The walkthrough on this page covers 6 steps: 1. Download the app for macOS 2. Grant the permissions it needs 3. Set your preferred output language 4. Select text anywhere and read the result 5. Add the PopClip extension if you use PopClip 6. Buy the lifetime license when the trial ends.What platforms does Clicknow support?
Clicknow is available on MacOS.What does Clicknow integrate with?
A PopClip extension places Clicknow actions in the PopClip selection toolbar. Beyond that, the product works system-wide on text selection rather than through named third-party integrations.What are the limitations of Clicknow?
macOS 14 or newer is required and there is no Windows, Linux, web or mobile version. The scope is deliberately narrow: translation and explanation, not document editing, chat history or team collaboration. Quality and latency depend entirely on the vendor's bundled model and backend, with no option to plug in your own provider.
Status
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Added10/21/2026
Platforms
MacOS
Pricing
Free TrialPaid
