Free trial
No trial is needed because a free tier is permanent: 5 AI tool calls per day with all built-in tools, no credit card and no signup. Custom tools and web search are excluded.
Learn moreCriticly
Select any text and get an instant critique in your own apps
Beginner
What is Criticly?
Criticly is a macOS and Windows desktop app that critiques whatever text you highlight, in any app. Interpret, assess, question, counter and reframe tools stream answers in about three seconds, with a quiz mode and user-built custom tools on paid plans.
Criticly is a Mac and Windows utility that turns highlighted text into a structured second opinion. It lives outside any single app: highlight a paragraph in Word, Gmail, Slack, Notion, VS Code, Obsidian, Preview or a browser tab, and a small floating bar appears beside the selection. Picking a tool from that bar streams a response inline in roughly three seconds, and the tool's own copy states that nothing is stored afterward. The built-in tools split into two groups. The Think set covers interpret (plain-language meaning, decoded terminology, open questions), assess (whether a claim holds up), question (what a careful reader would ask next), counter (the strongest opposing case) and reframe (an alternative angle). The Learn set currently offers quiz, which turns a passage into self-testing. Users can pin favourites to the selection bar and press a hotkey (Cmd+Shift+M on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+M on Windows) to open the full palette. It fits best with people who read and write for a living and want a critique layer that follows them across apps rather than a chatbot they have to paste into. Writers checking an argument before an editor sees it, students interpreting a chapter, researchers stress-testing a claim, engineers reviewing a design doc and anyone reading news with a sceptical eye are the stated audiences. Answers can come back in a chosen response language, with 12 options in preferences. Model access is flexible. Free and Monthly users can rely on Criticly's hosted AI, while Monthly and Lifetime buyers can plug in their own key from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or OpenRouter. Compared with general assistants, the pitch is narrower and more deliberate: fewer features, a fixed set of critical-thinking tools and a low-friction selection workflow. The trade-off is that it only works on macOS 10.15+ and Windows 10+, and the custom tool builder sits behind the paid tiers.
How do you use Criticly?
1Download and install the desktop app
Grab the free build for macOS 10.15+ (Intel or Apple Silicon) or Windows 10+ 64-bit. No account or card is needed to start.2Highlight text in any app
Select a passage in your editor, browser, mail client or PDF reader. A small floating bar appears next to the selection.3Run a tool from the selection bar
Click interpret, assess, question, counter or reframe, or press Cmd+Shift+M (Ctrl+Shift+M on Windows) to open the full palette and pick with arrow or number keys.4Read the streamed response
The critique streams inline within seconds. Switch to the Learn group if you want a quiz on the passage instead.5Set your language and AI provider
Open Preferences to choose one of 12 response languages, and add your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or OpenRouter key if you have one.6Build custom tools on a paid plan
Monthly and Lifetime plans let you create up to 20 custom tools per device from your own prompts, for tasks like translating or rewriting.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Works inside apps you already use, including Word, Gmail, Slack, Notion and VS Code, without copy and pasteAI
- Five critical-thinking tools go beyond summarisation, covering counterarguments, assumptions and clarifying questionsAI
- Free tier gives 5 tool calls a day with no card and no signupAI
- Bring-your-own-key option supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and OpenRouterAI
- Lifetime licence is a one-time $29.90 with updates includedAI
Cons
- Desktop only: no web app, mobile app or browser extensionAI
- Free plan caps usage at 5 calls a day and blocks custom tools and web searchAI
- Lifetime plan requires your own paid AI provider key, so the real cost is higher than the sticker priceAI
- Monthly licence covers one device and Lifetime two, which is tight for multi-machine usersAI
- No ability to save a history of past critiques, since responses are not storedAI
How much does Criticly cost?
Pricing
Free forever tier with 5 AI tool calls a day, no card required. Monthly is $8.90 with unlimited hosted calls, web search at 300 per month and custom tools. Lifetime is $29.90 one-time, requires your own AI provider key, covers 2 devices and includes lifetime updates. A 7-day refund policy applies.
Learn moreSupport
Priority support is listed as a Monthly plan benefit. A 7-day refund window applies to paid purchases. The homepage offers no separate help centre or documentation link.
Integrations
No formal integrations; instead it overlays any app where text can be selected, including Word, Outlook, Gmail, Chrome, Slack, Notion, Safari, VS Code, Obsidian and Preview.
Features
Five thinking tools (interpret, assess, question, counter, reframe) plus a quiz mode and user-built custom tools. Responses stream inline in about 3 seconds and are not stored. Supports 12 response languages and brings your own key for OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or OpenRouter. Hotkey palette and pinnable favourites speed up repeated use.
Frequently asked questions about Criticly
How much does Criticly cost?
Free forever tier with 5 AI tool calls a day, no card required. Monthly is $8.90 with unlimited hosted calls, web search at 300 per month and custom tools. Lifetime is $29.90 one-time, requires your own AI provider key, covers 2 devices and includes lifetime updates. A 7-day refund policy applies.Does Criticly offer a free trial?
No trial is needed because a free tier is permanent: 5 AI tool calls per day with all built-in tools, no credit card and no signup. Custom tools and web search are excluded.How do you use Criticly?
The walkthrough on this page covers 6 steps: 1. Download and install the desktop app 2. Highlight text in any app 3. Run a tool from the selection bar 4. Read the streamed response 5. Set your language and AI provider 6. Build custom tools on a paid plan.What platforms does Criticly support?
Criticly is available on MacOS and Windows.What does Criticly integrate with?
No formal integrations; instead it overlays any app where text can be selected, including Word, Outlook, Gmail, Chrome, Slack, Notion, Safari, VS Code, Obsidian and Preview.What are the limitations of Criticly?
Desktop only: no web app, mobile app or browser extension. Free plan caps usage at 5 calls a day and blocks custom tools and web search. Lifetime plan requires your own paid AI provider key, so the real cost is higher than the sticker price.
Status
StatusActive
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Added10/21/2026
Platforms
MacOSWindows
Pricing
FreeFreemiumPaid
