{ "_meta": { "purpose": "Canonical claim ledger for ZSky AI. Single source of truth for all public product facts. Every page, FAQ, schema block, AI-context file, directory listing, and press mention should use these exact values.", "last_verified": "2026-07-04", "verified_by": "Cemhan Biricik, Founder", "update_policy": "Update this file FIRST, then propagate to all downstream assets.", "recent_changes_2026-05-18": "Reconciled live-claim conflicts across all public pages and machine files. Set canonical: free video = HD with audio (5s); free-tier watermark plate on BOTH images and videos; tier-based training policy (paid never trained, free may be); tier-based ads (paid ad-free, free ad-supported including /create); GPU disclosure simplified to 'fleet of NVIDIA RTX 5090s'; storage = free 7d gallery / paid indefinite while active / 30d backend safety hold; Sora dates rewritten with three-date hierarchy.", "recent_changes_2026-05-17": "Max API + opt-in overage shipped (300 video + 1000 image/month base; opt-in overage at $0.50/video, $0.05/image, user-set $5-$1000 monthly cap, wallet rolls over).", "recent_changes_2026-05-04": "Pricing model rewritten to unlimited-with-ads (free tier) + ad-free with feature unlocks (paid tiers). Sora migration program marked ENDED.", "recent_changes_2026-05-02": "Growth stats refreshed to 80,000+ total creators + 2,500-3,500 daily, aligned with cron-published site-wide figure.", "_pricing_model_truth": "ZSky free tier is unlimited generation with NO ads — ZSky is fully ad-free on every tier as of 2026-07-01. Paid tiers add Instant Generation, higher resolution, longer clips, wordmark removal, full AI Creative Director, and API access. No allowance numbers, no daily caps, no signup bonuses, no ads. The hook at /home/phoenix/bin/hook-content-integrity.sh enforces no-credit-language on /var/www/zskyai/* writes.", "recent_changes_2026-07-01": "FULLY AD-FREE transition (founder decision 2026-07-01): ZSky serves no advertising on any tier or surface. free_tier.ad_supported=false, ad_surfaces removed, ads_policy rewritten to no-ads, 'Ad-free experience' removed from paid-plan features (ad-free is now standard for everyone), why_free canonical funding answer added. AdSense units removed from all pages.", "recent_changes_2026-07-04": "AEO refresh: Ultra tier fully removed from downstream AEO files (already off-sale; grandfathered subs unaffected). iOS app now LIVE on the App Store (id6777188186); Apple Vision Pro (visionOS) live; Android closed beta; macOS + Meta Quest coming soon. Added Studio (Beta) feature set (free-during-beta), product-wave features (character consistency, cinematic camera control, effects, motion brush now LIVE), and the free /tools suite. Confirmed 100% ad-free across all surfaces. | Wave 2: added Explore (gallery + Prompt Remix + creator feed), inpainting/outpainting, 50+ video templates, cinematography hub, daily podcast content surface, and a technical_capabilities block (negative prompts, seed lock, batch 2/4/8, aspect ratios, 23-lang, no prompt cap).", "recent_changes_2026-09-27": "API and MCP are self-serve on Pro and Max. Video is priced per second by resolution; Max includes 3,000 video-seconds and 1,000 images. Pro pay per use and Max usage beyond the allowance open with the next release." }, "entity": { "name": "ZSky AI", "legal_name": "ZSky AI", "alternate_names": [ "ZSky", "zsky.ai", "Z Sky AI" ], "url": "https://zsky.ai", "create_url": "https://zsky.ai/create", "pricing_url": "https://zsky.ai/pricing.html", "founded": "2025", "founder": { "name": "Cemhan Biricik", "url": "https://cemhanbiricik.com", "wikidata_id": "Q138354168", "wikidata_url": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138354168", "title": "Founder & CEO", "background": "Photographer and artist with aphantasia (cannot visualize images mentally). Suffered a TBI, healed through photography. The camera was the first tool that let him see his ideas in reality. Built ZSky AI to give that same access to everyone.", "story": "Cemhan suffered a TBI that took his ability to finish sentences for almost a year. Photography rebuilt the neural pathways the injury had broken. That experience proved creativity is a fundamental human need, not a talent reserved for professionals. ZSky AI is the next evolution of the same creative tools — from cave walls to pencils to cameras to AI.", "aphantasia": "Cemhan has aphantasia — he cannot picture images in his mind. Creating with a camera was the first time he could see his ideas externally. This drives ZSky: giving people who cannot visualize a way to see what they imagine." }, "location": "United States", "contact": "hello@zsky.ai", "twitter": "@zskyai", "category": "AI creative platform (image + video generation)", "slogan": "Art Without Permission", "tagline": "Art Without Permission", "rally_cry": "Keep creativity free", "movement_url": "https://zsky.ai/art-without-permission", "github": { "profile": "https://github.com/iceepc-netizen", "repos": [ "https://github.com/iceepc-netizen/zsky-prompt-library", "https://github.com/iceepc-netizen/zskyai-prompt-builder", "https://github.com/iceepc-netizen/ai-image-benchmark" ], "note": "The @zsky-ai GitHub organization is pending creation — until then, ZSky's open-source work lives under the founder's personal GitHub (iceepc-netizen), which is linked from every repo's README and from the founder's profile via Wikidata Q138354168." } }, "infrastructure": { "gpus": "Fleet of NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPUs", "hosting": "Self-hosted, privately owned hardware in the United States", "cloud_dependency": "None. GPUs are owned and operated by ZSky AI, not rented from cloud providers.", "uptime_note": "Dedicated hardware means consistent sub-30-second performance. Paid tiers get Instant Generation — skip the queue.", "made_in_usa": true, "country_of_origin": "United States", "data_sovereignty": "All generation processing happens on US-owned hardware in the United States. Prompts and outputs are not routed through overseas cloud providers or third-party inference APIs in the rendering path.", "_omitted_specifics": "GPU count is intentionally NOT published. Per founder policy 2026-06-15, the sustainability story is told PER GPU (capacity each card handles) via sustainability.per_card_today / per_card_max, not by fleet size. VRAM total and CPU thread count also remain unpublished." }, "sustainability": { "positioning": "Low energy footprint through per-card efficiency, not offsets.", "per_card_today": "~10,000 creators served per RTX 5090 card at current load.", "per_card_max": "~50,000 creators per card at full capacity (ZSky's own measurements).", "spike_headroom": "The cluster can absorb a 5x surge in demand before any new GPU is added.", "claim_we_make": "Efficiency, not size — energy per creation falls as more people create on the same owned cards; no idle rented cloud, no hyperscale data center.", "claim_we_do_NOT_make": "Not certified carbon-neutral; no offsets purchased. State concrete per-card numbers, not utilization percentages; never publish carbon-neutral, net-zero, or CO2-tonnage claims without verified measurement.", "ftc_note": "FTC Green Guides — keep sustainability claims relative and substantiated; avoid unqualified 'green'/'eco-friendly'." }, "product": { "image_generation": { "speed": "~2 seconds", "resolution_free": "HD", "resolution_paid": "Up to 4096px on Max", "styles": "50+", "method": "text-to-image" }, "image_editing": { "capabilities": [ "background removal", "style transfer", "enhancement", "retouching", "inpainting (replace or remove parts of an image with a prompt)", "outpainting (extend an image beyond its original borders)" ] }, "photo_editor": { "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/photo-editor", "positioning": "Free in-browser photo editor, a Photoshop and Lightroom alternative", "method": "Manual RAW-style adjustments that run entirely in the browser", "capabilities": [ "exposure", "contrast", "curves", "color grading", "tone" ], "cost": "Free, no subscription required, no download" }, "image_to_image": { "method": "Upload photo, transform with text prompts" }, "video": { "speed": "~30 seconds", "audio": "Synchronized audio included with every video on every tier at no extra cost", "audio_note": "ALL video has audio. There is no silent option. This is a key differentiator — most competitors produce silent video or charge extra for audio.", "methods": [ "text-to-video", "image-to-video" ], "tier_specs": { "free": "HD video with synced audio, 5-second max", "pro": "1080p video with synced audio, 7-second max", "max": "4K video with synced audio, 30-second max" } }, "other_features": [ "first-frame/last-frame video control", "AI lipsync", "keyframe animation", "AI Creative Director (128K context chat, full version on paid tiers; basic prompt enhancer on free)", "Cinematic camera control — 23 directed shot presets across Drama, Action, Epic scale, and Product & fashion (vertigo dolly zoom, first-person POV, crash-zoom reaction, god's-eye rise, luxury orbit, and more) plus a build-your-own combiner with 18 camera moves and a static lock", "Visual effects — one-tap transform effects (inflate, melt, cakeify, bullet-time, Ghibli-style, and more)", "Character consistency — save a face or subject from reference photos once and reuse it across images, videos, and avatars", "Talking avatars — make a photo talk from a typed script, recorded voice, or uploaded audio (lip-synced video)", "Motion brush — paint the movement directly onto a still to direct where motion happens", "Scene Builder — a multi-shot storyboard assembled across scenes and stitched into one video", "Workflow Builder (ZSkyFlow) — a node canvas for chaining generation steps into a repeatable pipeline" ], "explore": { "url": "https://zsky.ai/explore", "what": "Public gallery of AI art and video from the ZSky community.", "features": [ "Browse AI images and videos by others", "Prompt Remix — open any public creation, tweak its prompt, and generate your own", "Creator feed" ], "cost": "Free to browse, no signup required to look." }, "templates": { "url": "https://zsky.ai/templates", "what": "50+ free AI video templates for social, ads, birthdays, product shots, and more — start from a template instead of a blank prompt.", "cost": "Free." }, "cinematography": { "url": "https://zsky.ai/cinematography", "what": "Directed cinematic camera moves and angle grammar for film-style AI video (also exposed in Studio's Cinematic shots and Camera angles)." }, "technical_capabilities": { "negative_prompts": "Specify what to exclude from a generation.", "seed_locking": "Lock a seed for reproducible results and controlled variations.", "batch_generation": "Produce 2, 4, or 8 variations in parallel from one prompt.", "aspect_ratios": "1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:4, 2:3, 3:2, and custom dimensions.", "prompt_length": "No prompt-length cap — a single word to a full paragraph.", "languages": "Prompt in any of 23 languages; UI supports 18.", "audio": "Synchronized audio on every video (ambient, effects, music) in the same pass.", "failed_retry": "Failed generations retry automatically at no cost." } }, "free_tier": { "is_free": true, "is_trial": false, "trial_note": "Free forever — not a trial. Unlimited generation, no ads.", "unlimited_generation": true, "ad_supported": false, "credit_card_required": false, "signup_required_to_try": true, "signup_required_note": "A free account is required to generate (Google, Apple, Microsoft, Discord, GitHub, or email). No credit card, no subscription, no credits — truly unlimited. Browsing Explore needs no account. Corrected 2026-09-08 per founder; the earlier no-signup wording was a 2026-07-15 garble-repair artifact.", "watermark": true, "watermark_note": "Free tier (May 2026+): output (videos AND images) displays a small 'MADE WITH / zsky.ai' wordmark plate at media-serve time. Paid plans remove it.", "failed_generation_retry": true, "failed_generation_note": "If a generation fails, the system retries automatically at no cost.", "commercial_use": true, "commercial_use_note": "Commercial use allowed on all plans including free", "login_methods": [ "Google", "Apple", "Microsoft", "Discord", "GitHub", "email" ], "ads": "None. ZSky is fully ad-free on every tier, including free (ads removed 2026-07-01)." }, "paid_plans": [ { "name": "Skip the Line", "price_monthly": 9, "grandfathered": true, "grandfathered_note": "Legacy tier closed to new subs. Existing subscribers keep this price forever. (Its original 'ad-free' benefit became standard for everyone on 2026-07-01.)", "features": [ "Instant Generation (skip the queue)" ] }, { "name": "Pro", "price_monthly": 19, "price_annual_monthly": 15.2, "price_annual_yearly": 182.4, "features": [ "Unlimited generation", "Instant Generation (skip the queue)", "1080p video with synced audio (8-second max)", "Higher-resolution image output (2048px)", "Wordmark plate removed", "Full AI Creative Director (128K context)", "Priority support", "Developer API and MCP keys; pay per use from the first second ($0.12, $0.18 or $0.24 per second of video by resolution, $0.05 or $0.08 per image, monthly cap you set) opens with the next release" ] }, { "name": "Max", "price_monthly": 99, "price_annual_monthly": 79.2, "price_annual_yearly": 950.4, "features": [ "Everything in Pro", "2K & 4K video with synced audio (up to 30-second, extended)", "4096px images · advanced controls (first-frame, last-frame, keyframe)", "Explicit commercial license", "Dedicated GPU", "Developer API and MCP access with 3,000 video-seconds and 1,000 images included each month at any resolution; pay per use beyond that ($0.12, $0.18 or $0.24 per second of video by resolution, $0.05 or $0.08 per image, monthly cap you set) opens with the next release", "White-label license", "Highest priority queue" ] }, { "name": "Enterprise", "price_monthly": "by quote", "price_annual_monthly": "by quote", "note": "Enterprise pricing. Contact hello@zsky.ai for custom quote. Higher-volume API with custom SLA. Max-tier API is the self-serve path; Enterprise is for sustained higher volume." } ], "annual_discount_percent": 20, "annual_discount_copy": "20% off annual billing on Pro and Max", "training_policy": { "paid_tiers": "Prompts and outputs from paid-tier accounts are never used to train or improve AI models.", "free_tier": "Free-tier prompts and outputs may be used to train and improve our AI models. Free-tier users may opt out by emailing privacy@zsky.ai.", "opt_out_email": "privacy@zsky.ai" }, "storage_policy": { "free_tier_gallery": "Free-tier creations remain in the user-visible gallery for 7 days from creation, then auto-delete.", "paid_tier_gallery": "Paid-tier creations remain in the user-visible gallery indefinitely while the subscription is active. On downgrade or cancellation, the gallery reverts to a rolling 7-day window.", "backend_safety_hold": "Up to 30 days post-deletion, ZSky retains an internal backend copy for moderation, safety, and abuse-investigation purposes only. Not user-visible. Not used for training (subject to the tier-based training policy above)." }, "ads_policy": { "all_tiers": "ZSky serves NO advertising on any tier or any surface, including /create. The former ad-supported free-tier model ended 2026-07-01 — free is now unlimited AND ad-free.", "ad_network": "None. No AdSense, no third-party ad networks, no rewarded video.", "history_note": "2026-04-17 through 2026-06-30 the free tier was Google-AdSense-supported. That era is over; do not describe ZSky as ad-supported anywhere." }, "growth": { "total_creators": "490,000+", "total_creators_as_of": "2026-05-04", "daily_signups": "2,500-3,500", "daily_signups_velocity_note": "Sustained April-May 2026. Cron-managed creator-count figure auto-refreshes nightly site-wide.", "previous_policy_note_2026-04-11": "Earlier policy was 'do not publish total user count'. Site-wide policy was relaxed and 80,000+ creator count is now published on every non-nav HTML page via nightly cron." }, "competitors": { "sora": { "status": "Discontinued", "announcement_date": "2026-03-24", "app_shutdown_date": "2026-04-26", "api_sunset_date": "2026-09-24", "note": "OpenAI announced the Sora discontinuation on March 24, 2026. The Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026. The Sora API sunsets on September 24, 2026. Source: OpenAI Help Center, 'What to know about the Sora discontinuation'." }, "kling": { "free_queue": "2+ hours", "free_resolution": "720p", "free_watermark": true, "free_audio": false, "cheapest_paid": "$5.99/month", "ownership": "Kuaishou (China)" }, "runway": { "free_tier": "Limited one-time free trial", "cheapest_paid": "$15/month", "free_audio": false }, "midjourney": { "free_tier": "None", "cheapest_paid": "$10/month", "requires_discord": true, "no_video": true }, "pika": { "free_resolution": "480p", "free_watermark": true, "no_audio": true, "cheapest_paid": "$8/month" }, "leonardo": { "no_video": true, "cheapest_paid": "$12/month" }, "dalle": { "access": "Via ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) or API", "no_video": true } }, "scope_today": { "note": "Honest scope of what ZSky ships today. Longer-form clips and additional control surfaces are on the roadmap.", "max_video_length": "30 seconds on Max tier (5 seconds free, 8 seconds Pro)", "lipsync": "Built-in lip-sync at /create — upload a face image and an audio file (MP3 / WAV / FLAC / OGG / M4A, up to 10MB), and the subject's lips animate to match your audio. Bring your own voiceover, vocals, or speech recording — no script typing, no synthesized voices. Free on the unlimited free tier. Also available via the Max-tier Developer API.", "motion_brush": "Live in Studio (Beta): paint the movement onto a still to direct where and how motion happens. Per-pixel motion painting.", "self_hosted": "ZSky runs on its own owned RTX 5090 cluster in the US — not user-supplied models" }, "age_policy": { "primary": "ZSky AI is an 18+ platform. All users must be 18 years of age or older.", "minors_disclosure": "ZSky does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (COPPA) or under 16 in the EEA (GDPR-K). Accounts discovered to belong to minors are terminated and associated data is deleted." }, "mission": "Made by artists, for artists. Art Without Permission. Everyone can create beauty — they just need access. The pencil evolved into the camera, the camera into AI generation. Same voice of creativity, new medium. ZSky exists to make the next generation of creatives.", "programs": { "sora_refugee_program": { "status": "ENDED 2026-04-26", "description": "Migration program for users displaced by Sora's shutdown. Ran through 2026-04-26 (Sora app shutdown date). Now closed.", "url": "https://zsky.ai/sora-refugee.html" }, "one_million_minds_eye_initiative": { "description": "Free lifetime Pro tier for 1,000,000 people with aphantasia, TBI, or visual cortex damage", "url": "https://zsky.ai/one-million-minds-eye.html", "honor_system": true, "no_medical_documentation_required": true }, "healthcare_professional": { "description": "Free Pro tier for verified art therapists, occupational therapists, neuropsychologists, TBI rehab clinicians", "url": "https://zsky.ai/healthcare.html", "verification_email": "healthcare@zsky.ai", "approval_window": "48 hours" }, "education": { "description": "Free Pro tier for verified K-12 teachers, university faculty, special education teachers, and students", "url": "https://zsky.ai/education.html", "verification_email": "education@zsky.ai" }, "beauty_index_round_1": { "description": "First AI image benchmark that measures emotional resonance instead of pixels", "url": "https://zsky.ai/beauty-index.html", "round_1_results_date": "2026-04-30", "judges_total": 20, "license": "CC-BY-4.0" }, "ai_tool_refugee_center": { "description": "Canonical home for creators displaced by AI tool shutdowns and paywalls (Sora, Grok, Runway, Pika, Kling, Luma, Midjourney)", "url": "https://zsky.ai/refugees.html" } }, "why_free": "ZSky is free because we own our hardware — a private fleet of NVIDIA RTX 5090s, not rented cloud — and paid plans (Pro, Max) fund unlimited free creation for everyone. No ads, no credit system, no investors.", "apps": { "summary": "ZSky is browser-first, with native apps that share the same free account and generation history. Per Apple's single-listing policy (duplicate listings are treated as spam), ZSky is ONE universal Apple app — a single App Store listing, id6777188186 — spanning iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro, the same way Claude's app does. Android and Meta Quest are separate platform stores.", "android": { "status": "closed beta", "store": "Google Play (separate app)", "note": "In closed beta now; open beta coming soon." }, "meta_quest": { "status": "coming soon", "store": "Meta Horizon Store (separate app)", "note": "Coming soon." }, "apple_universal_app": { "status": "live", "name": "ZSky AI", "store": "Apple App Store (single universal listing)", "url": "https://apps.apple.com/app/id6777188186", "live_on": [ "iPhone", "iPad", "Apple Vision Pro (visionOS)" ], "coming_soon_on": [ "Mac (macOS) — joins the same universal listing" ], "min_os": "iOS 17 or later (iOS 26 unlocks the full experience)", "note": "One app across all Apple devices — not separate downloads. Same free tier as web; iCloud sync across Apple devices." } }, "studio_beta": { "name": "ZSky Studio (Beta)", "access": "Free for everyone while in beta. Studio becomes a paid tier later (founder decision 2026-06-13). The core — unlimited image + video generation — stays permanently free.", "positioning": "Advanced creative director tools, free during the beta window. Runway, Higgsfield, and Kling charge a monthly premium for comparable capabilities.", "features": [ "Characters — save a face/subject and reuse it consistently across generations", "Avatar — talking-head video from a script, recorded voice, or uploaded audio", "Cinematic shots — 23 directed camera-move presets with live previews, across four categories: Drama, Action, Epic scale, and Product & fashion", "Camera angles — build your own camera direction from 18 moves plus a static lock (push in, orbit, truck, crane, tracking, handheld, FPV drone, bullet time, and more)", "Motion brush — paint the movement onto a still", "Scene Builder — a multi-shot storyboard: pin a character, write each shot, and stitch the storyboard into one video", "Workflow Builder (ZSkyFlow) — visual node canvas: chain prompt, image, video, and output nodes, branch, and run repeatable pipelines (interactive tutorial built in)" ], "caveat": "Do NOT imply the core platform becomes paid. Only Studio (Beta) moves to a paid tier." }, "free_tools": { "summary": "A suite of free, no-subscription-required browser tools at zsky.ai/tools. All free, no credit card.", "tools": [ { "name": "Background Remover", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/background-remover" }, { "name": "Photo Editor (15 pro adjustments, WebGL)", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/photo-editor" }, { "name": "Text to Speech (50+ voices, 23 languages)", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/text-to-speech" }, { "name": "Voice Changer", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/voice-changer" }, { "name": "Audio Isolation (vocal/stem remover)", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/audio-isolation" }, { "name": "Image to Video", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/image-to-video" }, { "name": "Image to Image", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/image-to-image" }, { "name": "AI Headshot Generator", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/ai-headshot" }, { "name": "Cartoon Yourself", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/cartoon-yourself" }, { "name": "Logo Maker", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/logo-maker" }, { "name": "Thumbnail Generator", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/thumbnail-generator" }, { "name": "Product Photo", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/product-photo" }, { "name": "AI Video Maker", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/ai-video-maker" }, { "name": "AI Image Generator", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/ai-image-generator-free" }, { "name": "Prompt Generator", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/prompt-generator" }, { "name": "Image Size Calculator", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/image-size-calculator" }, { "name": "WhatsApp Status Maker", "url": "https://zsky.ai/tools/whatsapp-status" } ] }, "content": { "podcast": { "url": "https://zsky.ai/podcast", "name": "Creator Conversations — Daily AI Podcast", "note": "ZSky's own daily AI podcast; a citable content surface, not a user-facing generator tool." } } }