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Portals is an AI-powered creative desktop workspace currently in early access at version 0.8.0-alpha. This page answers the questions we hear most often from new and returning users.
Yes. Portals is free during the current early access period. The app is pre-revenue, and there is no paid tier at this time. You can sign up and start using the full workspace without a credit card.
Because Portals is in beta, some features — including AI generation and web search — have usage limits to manage infrastructure costs. See the questions below on beta AI limits for details.
Portals connects to a range of AI providers through its unified AI service. The supported providers are:
  • Pollinations — built-in, no API key required; this is the default for all users
  • OpenAI — bring your own API key (supports GPT-4o and other models)
  • OpenAI-compatible — any endpoint that follows the OpenAI API format
  • OpenRouter — paid tier with your own API key
  • OpenRouter Free — free-tier models available through OpenRouter
  • Anthropic — bring your own API key (Claude models)
  • Google Gemini — bring your own API key
  • Ollama — local models running on your own machine
You can configure your preferred provider in the AI settings panel inside the app.
API keys you add for providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or OpenRouter are stored locally on your device. They are not sent to Portals servers. When you make an AI request, your client communicates directly with the chosen provider using your key.
Your login session is also stored locally on your device and is scoped to your account. Portals does not store credentials on its servers.
The Portal Agent is the core AI feature of Portals. It is a chat-based AI assistant embedded directly in the canvas with access to over 40 tools. Through a single prompt, the agent can:
  • Create and position cards, shapes, and connectors on the canvas
  • Search the web and add results — including images — directly to your board
  • Generate interactive applets such as charts, calculators, and visualizations
  • Work across all three modes: Brainstorming, Design, and Compose
For example, you can type “Research sustainable architecture and create a moodboard” and the agent will search the web, find images, create cards, and organize everything on the canvas automatically.
Portals, Figma, and Miro overlap in some surface areas but are built around different ideas.Figma and Miro offer AI features that make suggestions; Portals embeds an agent that executes actions. The Portal Agent can manipulate canvas elements, run web searches, and generate working mini-apps — all without you leaving the workspace.Portals also spans three integrated modes in one tool — an infinite canvas for brainstorming, a vector editor for design, and an AI generation layer for building apps and presentations. Most teams currently use Miro, Figma, and a chat AI separately; Portals is designed to replace that combination.
The Design-to-Build workflow is a good example: design a mockup in Design Mode, click Generate, and the agent builds a working app from a screenshot of your artboard.
Portals is a native Mac desktop app that installs and runs locally. However, most AI features require an active internet connection to reach your configured AI provider. Web search, content integration, and collaboration also require connectivity.Local AI generation is possible if you configure the Ollama provider with a model running on your machine — that path works fully offline.
Collaboration in Portals is workspace-based. Open your workspace settings, enter your teammate’s email address, and click Send invite. They receive an email with a link to join. Once they accept, you can see each other’s cursors and work on the same canvas in real time. See the Collaboration guide for full steps.
Collaboration features are in active development during the 0.8.0-alpha period. If you encounter sync issues, see the troubleshooting guide.
During the beta period, each account has a set number of AI credits. Credits are consumed when you use AI features through the Portal Agent — actions such as chat messages, image generation, app generation, and storyboard generation each cost credits.Separately, web search through the agent also has its own usage limit (500 searches by default).These limits exist to manage infrastructure costs while Portals is pre-revenue. They are not permanent product constraints.
If you reach your beta AI limit, you have two options:
  1. Use the in-app feedback form — open it from the toolbar and request additional credits. The team reviews these requests manually during the early access period.
  2. Connect your own API key — configure a provider such as OpenAI, Anthropic, or OpenRouter in the AI settings panel. When you use your own key, requests go directly to that provider and do not consume your Portals beta credits.
Portals is currently available as a Mac desktop app and as a web version. A Windows release is not available in the 0.8.0-alpha build. Check the in-app update notifications or the feedback channel for announcements about Windows support.