Lida
A Windows desktop AI companion that watches your screen and guides, teaches, or acts on your behalf in any app.
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Lida is the right pick for someone who wants a persistent, on-screen AI tutor that can point at the next click or take over a task entirely, without alt-tabbing to a chat window. It is still in private preview with provisional pricing and no live checkout, so it is not a finished product yet. Anyone who needs something they can pay for and rely on today should look at ChatGPT or Claude instead.
What is Lida?
Lida is a Windows desktop AI assistant that reads your screen in real time and interacts with whatever application you have open. It operates in three modes: Guide (pointing at the next step), Teach (explaining what is on screen), and Agent (completing the task autonomously while the user watches). The tool is aimed at people learning complex software such as Excel, Blender, or Photoshop who want contextual help without switching away from their work.
Lida is currently in private preview on Windows, with access granted by invitation. Pricing follows a credit model where one credit equals approximately one minute of active use. A Free tier provides 30 credits per month, while paid tiers and add-on credit packs are planned once checkout launches. The product is made by a small team and positions itself as a persistent on-screen companion rather than a standalone chat interface.
How we scored Lida
Capability scores 17 because the three-mode screen-aware approach (Guide, Teach, Agent) is genuinely differentiated from every chat-based directory competitor, but the tool is in private preview with no independent evidence of output quality, and Agent mode's reliability is entirely unverified. Ease of use scores 15 because the concept is simple and the credit model is clearly explained, but invite-only access, Windows-only support, and no live checkout create real onboarding friction for anyone trying to start today. Value scores 14 because the provisional $20/month Pro tier is not unreasonable for 10 hours of use, but the prices may change before checkout launches, the Free tier's 30 credits (30 minutes) is thin for meaningful evaluation, and the 14-day Pro trial attached to the Free tier is the only real trial mechanism. Delivery scores 12 because the product cannot be purchased, the pricing is explicitly provisional, there is no independent user sentiment to assess, and continuous screen-reading in Agent mode raises unanswered privacy questions that the public pages do not address.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- Screen-aware context: Lida reads the live state of your screen rather than requiring you to paste screenshots or describe your problem, which is a capability none of the chat-based directory competitors offer natively as a persistent desktop overlay.
- Three distinct assistance modes (Guide, Teach, Agent) let the same tool serve different learning stages, from hand-holding through a workflow to fully autonomous task execution.
- Purchased credit packs (300 credits for $10) never expire, so occasional users are not penalized for months when they use the tool less.
Where it falls short
- Windows-only with no Mac, browser, or mobile support announced, which immediately excludes a large share of potential users and has no timeline for change.
- No live checkout and explicitly provisional pricing mean you cannot actually subscribe today; the product is invite-only and the final cost could be higher than the figures currently shown.
- The Agent mode, where Lida takes control of your screen, raises real questions about what data is captured and transmitted to the server during a session; the pricing page notes that credits are counted server-side from model-reported usage, but the privacy implications of continuous screen reading are not addressed in the available public copy.
Key features
Lida pricing
Three tiers with provisional monthly prices: Free at $0/month (30 credits, roughly 30 minutes of use), Pro at $20/month (600 credits, about 10 hours), and Max at $50/month (1,800 credits, about 30 hours). Add-on credit packs are 300 credits for $10 and never expire. No checkout is live yet; nothing can be purchased on the site today. Prices are explicitly described as provisional and may change before checkout launches.
| Plan | Price | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 30 credits per month (about 30 minutes of use). Includes 14 days of Pro access at the start. Requires an early-access invite; no checkout needed. |
| Pro (Provisional) | $20/month | 600 credits per month (about 10 hours of use, roughly half an hour per working day). Checkout not yet live; price is provisional and may change. |
| Max (Provisional) | $50/month | 1,800 credits per month (about 30 hours of use, roughly an hour and a half per working day). Checkout not yet live; price is provisional and may change. |
| Credit Pack (Provisional) | $10 | 300 credits (about 5 hours of use). Purchased credits never expire. Packs open when checkout launches. |
Pricing reflects what we saw at time of review (2026-11). Always confirm current pricing on the tool's own site.
Who should use Lida?
Lida fits someone who spends real time learning software on their own: a freelancer picking up Blender for the first time, an office worker trying to get faster in Excel without booking a training course, or a small-business owner who needs to do their own video editing but keeps getting lost in Premiere. The on-screen, mode-switching approach means you never have to describe your problem in text; Lida sees it directly.
Anyone who needs a tool they can pay for and put into a real workflow today should skip Lida for now. Checkout has not launched, prices are provisional, and the app is invite-only on Windows only. Claude is the better pick for text-heavy tasks like drafting, summarizing, or reasoning through a problem, and ChatGPT's GPT-4o vision features can handle ad-hoc screenshot questions without requiring a dedicated desktop install.
Skip it if: Anyone who needs a production-ready, purchasable tool right now
Lida alternatives
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Frequently asked questions
Can I pay for Lida today?+
No. Checkout has not launched and nothing is charged on the site. You can request early access to the desktop app, and paid plans will open once billing goes live. Prices shown ($20/month for Pro, $50/month for Max) are provisional.
What is a credit and how many do I get?+
One credit equals roughly one minute of Lida working with you in a session. The Free tier gives 30 credits per month; Pro gives 600; Max gives 1,800. Credits are counted server-side from usage the model reports.
Does Lida work on Mac or in a browser?+
No. Lida is currently a Windows-only desktop app in private preview. No Mac, browser, or mobile version has been announced.
What happens if I run out of credits mid-month?+
Lida checks your credit balance before each session starts. With no credits remaining, the session does not start and Lida tells you why. You can wait for your monthly credits to reset or buy a 300-credit pack for $10.
Do unused credits carry over?+
Monthly plan credits roll over for one month only, then expire. Credits bought in a pack never expire and stay on your account until used.
How much does Agent mode cost to run?+
Agent tasks currently consume session time at the same rate as any other mode, about one credit per minute. A cost-quote feature that shows the estimated credit spend before a task begins is listed as coming soon.
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