Question 1

How much does it cost?

Accepted Answer

$99 once for the app. After the free trial, paid AI features require your own API key. Your AI provider bills usage separately; charges depend on the provider, model, and amount of use.

Question 2

Do I need my own API key?

Accepted Answer

No API key is needed for the free trial. Paid AI features require your own API key from OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google. Your provider bills usage separately; charges depend on the provider, model, and amount of use.

Question 3

What data can I import?

Accepted Answer

Employee rosters, performance review exports, eNPS survey results, and HR documents like handbooks and policies. Supports CSV, Excel, PDF, Word, and plain text.

Question 4

What happens if I accidentally include an SSN?

Accepted Answer

The app scans outgoing AI requests for patterns such as SSNs, credit card numbers, and bank account information, and replaces detected matches with placeholders such as [SSN_REDACTED]. Detection has limits; review sensitive context before sending.

Question 5

Can I use this alongside my existing HR tools?

Accepted Answer

That’s exactly how it’s designed to work. Export data from your review tool, survey platform, or HRIS and import it into People Partner. It’s the layer where all your HR data meets AI.

Question 6

Does People Partner work offline?

Accepted Answer

You can browse and manage your employee data, performance reviews, and documents offline. AI features, license activation, and app updates require an internet connection.

Question 7

Is my employee data sent to the cloud?

Accepted Answer

Your database is stored on your Mac. AI features send relevant context to an AI provider; free-trial requests pass through People Partner’s trial service. Automatic redaction filters certain sensitive information, but does not remove all personal information. Names and email addresses may be included in HR chat context.

Question 8

How does the AI work with my HR data?

Accepted Answer

When you ask a question, People Partner finds the relevant employee records, review data, or policy documents and includes them as context for the AI. The AI reads your actual data to give specific, informed guidance — not generic HR advice.

Question 9

What Mac versions are supported?

Accepted Answer

People Partner requires macOS 12 (Monterey) or later. It runs natively on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

Question 10

What file formats can I import?

Accepted Answer

CSV, Excel (.xlsx), PDF, Word (.docx), and plain text files. The smart import pipeline includes HRIS presets, intelligent column mapping, and duplicate detection to make setup fast.

Question 11

How is People Partner different from BambooHR or Gusto?

Accepted Answer

BambooHR and Gusto are cloud HRIS platforms for payroll, benefits, and onboarding. People Partner is a local AI knowledge layer — it pulls data from those tools (and spreadsheets, documents, surveys) into one place and pairs it with an AI that understands your team. Most users run People Partner alongside their existing HRIS, not instead of it.

Question 12

Can I use People Partner alongside my existing HRIS?

Accepted Answer

That’s exactly how it’s designed. Export data from your HRIS, review tool, or survey platform and import it into People Partner. It becomes the layer where all your HR context meets AI — complementing, not replacing, your existing tools.

Question 13

Is there a subscription or recurring fee?

Accepted Answer

People Partner costs $99 once for the app. Paid AI features require your own API key. Your AI provider bills usage separately; charges depend on the provider, model, and amount of use.

Buy People Partner — $99 once + your own AI API key