Reviewed by Amit KumarPip is a Mac-only AI companion that sits next to your cursor, looks at your screen when you ask, and points at the exact control to click. It is for people stuck in complex apps, terminals and settings. Free covers 30 questions a month, Pro is $15 a month for 300 questions, and Max is $69.99 a month for 1,000.
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Pip Review: Mac AI Helper, Pricing and Free Plan
Mac AI buddy that points where to click
Quick verdict
The pricing is simple and the free tier has no expiry, but 30 questions will not last a working week of daily use. The bigger decision is privacy. Visual questions send a screenshot to OpenAI, so read the policy before you rely on it. Pip also points rather than clicks, which makes it a tutor, not an automation tool. We found no annual price on the pages we read.
Best forLearning new Mac appsTerminal help for developersFinding hidden settings
How we reviewed Pip
We read Pip's homepage, pricing FAQ, privacy policy and terms on 29 September 2026.
Every Pip plan, price and limit in this review comes from Pip's own pages, checked on , and links to the page it came from. A review cannot be bought. How these reviews are written
On this page
Pip at a glance
On the Pip homepage, the product is a glowing companion that lives beside your cursor on macOS 14.2 or later. You hold a hotkey and ask out loud, or type, and Pip answers in a short sentence while circling the control you need. There is no separate chat window. Because it reads the screen instead of using per-app plug-ins, the homepage says it works in video editors, design tools, spreadsheets, browsers, System Settings and the terminal.
What Pip does
Pip's FAQ says it does not click for you when teaching. It points, and you click. For multi-step tasks it follows along click by click, circling the next control after each step. Separately, Pip can carry out small Mac actions when you ask: volume, dark mode, timers, window tiling, music, calendar lookups, reminders and confirmed Messages. Anything that sends or deletes waits for on-screen confirmation, per the same FAQ and the Pip privacy policy.
Distribution is a direct Mac download (Pip.dmg), with Google sign-in via Firebase for accounts, Stripe for paid plans and support at support@hipip.app. The terms note that Pip is built on Clicky by Farza (MIT) and warn that answers and pointer targets can be wrong, so check before any destructive action.
Who Pip is for, and who should skip it
Pip fits Mac users who learn by doing: editors learning a new panel, developers who want plain-language terminal help, and anyone tired of describing their screen into a chat box. The founder note on the homepage frames the problem as "how you use it", not model quality: help that lives where the work is.
Skip it in these cases:
- You are on Windows or Linux. It needs macOS 14.2 or later.
- You want unattended automation. Pip's own FAQ says it points rather than clicks in teaching flows.
- You cannot let screenshots leave the Mac. Visual questions send a screenshot and short conversation context to OpenAI.
- You need org admin, MDM packaging or a SOC 2 write-up. None of these appear on the public pages we read.
How much does Pip cost?
Plan names, monthly question caps and prices come from the homepage FAQ ("what does it cost, and can i cancel?") and are reinforced in the terms (last updated 22 September 2026). There is no separate /pricing URL. The vendor lists plans under "pick your pip" and the FAQ on hipip.app. Limits reset on the first of each month (UTC), per the terms. Confirm in the Pip menu before you subscribe.
USD, checked 29 September 2026, from hipip.app pricing and the terms
| Plan | Price | What you get | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 30 questions per calendar month, forever, per the homepage FAQ | Stops at 30 questions a month. Voice typing into Claude Code or Codex is not listed for Free. |
| Pro | $15/month | Up to 300 questions a month, plus voice typing in the terminal for Claude Code or Codex (the homepage FAQ says that voice typing does not use question quota) | Caps at 300 questions a month. Switching plans prorates via Stripe, per the terms. |
| Max | $69.99/month | Up to 1,000 questions per calendar month | Highest published self-serve tier; cancel or switch from the Pip menu anytime, and keep access until the period ends after cancelling |
Billing is monthly until cancelled. Payments go through Stripe, and Pip's privacy page says Pip never stores card details. Automated or abusive use may be limited, per the terms. Annual pricing was not published on the pages we read on 29 September 2026.
What happens to my screen and voice?
The privacy wording is unusually specific for a screen-aware assistant. The privacy page (last updated 27 September 2026) says Pip only looks while you hold the hotkey, after a double-press hands-free mode, or when you type a question. Screenshots are not stored by Pip's server.
When you ask a visual question, voice goes to AssemblyAI, a screenshot plus control names and your question go to OpenAI for the answer and pointer target, and spoken answers go through ElevenLabs. Multi-step "follow along" control finding is described as on-device only. Voice typing into Claude Code or Codex, a Pro perk, sends voice to AssemblyAI and types on the Mac without a screenshot or an OpenAI call.
How Pip compares with other tools reviewed here
Pip is a screen-aware Mac tutor and helper, not a launcher, notetaker or coding-agent security layer. These reviews make the contrast clearest.
Raycast has a free plan plus paid upgrades. It is a Mac launcher and extension platform for shortcuts, search and AI commands you invoke from a palette. Choose Raycast when you already know the action and want speed. Choose Pip when you do not know which menu hides the control and need something to circle it on screen.
Granola has a free plan plus paid upgrades and focuses on meeting notes and AI summaries from conversations. Pip is not a meeting notetaker; its job is live UI guidance and small Mac actions. Pick Granola for calls and Pip for "where is that button?" while you work.
Fathom also has a free plan plus paid upgrades and centres on recording and summarising meetings. Like Granola, it does a different job from Pip's cursor-side companion. Use Fathom for call memory and Pip for coaching on the Mac itself.
VibeDefend covers security guardrails inside AI coding agents. That is complementary, not competing: VibeDefend constrains what agents write, while Pip helps humans operate the Mac UI and can voice-type into Claude Code or Codex on Pro.
Pip screenshots
More of Pip's own website, captured . Each caption says which page it shows.
Pip pros and cons
Pros
- Clear Free / Pro $15 / Max $69.99 USD pricing on the vendor site
- Free tier forever at 30 questions/month
- Points on-screen instead of forcing you to describe the UI in chat
- Public privacy page lists what leaves the Mac and to which vendors
- Pro terminal voice typing does not consume question quota (vendor FAQ)
Cons
- macOS 14.2+ only: no Windows or Linux build on the public site
- Free plan's 30 questions/month is easy to burn through in a work week
- Teaching mode does not click for you; unattended automation is not the product
- Visual questions send screenshots to OpenAI per the privacy policy
- No public annual billing prices found on 29 September 2026
The bottom line on Pip
Pip FAQ
What is Pip used for?
Pip is a Mac AI buddy that answers short spoken or typed questions while pointing at the control you need in whatever app is open. Details are on the Pip homepage.
Is Pip free?
Yes. Free includes 30 questions per calendar month forever, per the homepage FAQ and terms. Paid Pro and Max raise the monthly cap.
How much does Pip cost?
Checked 29 September 2026: Free $0 (30 questions/month), Pro $15/month (300 questions plus terminal voice typing for Claude Code or Codex), Max $69.99/month (1,000 questions), per Pip's pricing FAQ and terms.
Does Pip click things for me?
For teaching flows, no: Pip points and you click. It can run confirmed Mac actions you request. It does not move the mouse on its own, per the privacy policy.
Is Pip watching my screen all the time?
No. Pip only looks when you hold the hotkey, after double-press hands-free listening, or when you type a question. Screenshots are not stored by Pip's server.
Who should use Pip?
Mac users on macOS 14.2+ who want screen-aware help. Skip Windows/Linux users, people who need unattended click automation, or buyers who cannot accept OpenAI processing screenshots on visual questions.
How does Pip handle privacy and data?
Visual questions send voice to AssemblyAI, screenshot and context to OpenAI, and answer speech via ElevenLabs. Everyday Mac actions often stay local. Full detail is in Pip's privacy policy.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Upgrade, switch, or cancel from the Pip menu. After cancel you keep the paid plan until the end of the period you paid for.
Alternatives to Pip
SaybleFree plan + paid upgradesLive AI that suggests what to say next on a call
AncherFree plan + paid upgradesSave what you read and watch, then find it by meaning
AyvenFree plan + paid upgradesAI coordinator that chases team tasks in Slack and Teams
Chat.shFree plan + paid upgradesAI help center that answers with citations
CoreSpeedFree plan + paid upgradesMCP access layer for AI agents
Reviewed by
Amit Kumar
Full Stack AI Strategist
Amit Kumar runs MPAT, where he reviews AI tools and writes its guides. When he covers a tool he checks its pricing, credits and plan limits against the vendor's own pages, so readers know what a plan includes before they pay. He also leads the site's SEO and AI-focused content strategy.
