Kalam
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Terms & License.

The rules of the road for the Kalam desktop application and kalamvoice.com — including the free-to-use license and Pro / Max subscription terms.

Last updated: July 1, 2026

These Terms of Service and End User License Agreement ("Terms") govern your use of the Kalam desktop application ("Software") and the kalamvoice.com website ("Site"), including optional paid subscriptions (Kalam Pro and Kalam Max). By using the Software or Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms in their entirety. If you do not agree, you must not use the Software or Site.

Kalam is proprietary software developed by Ali Farahat / Balacode ("we", "us", "our").

1. Acceptance

By downloading, installing, or using the Software, or by accessing the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Software or Site.

2. License grant (free to use)

We grant you a personal, worldwide, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to install and use the Software, free of charge, for personal and internal business purposes. The Software is licensed, not sold, and we retain all right, title, and interest in it.

You may not:

  • Redistribute, sell, rent, lease, sublicense, or host the Software for third parties.
  • Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Software, except to the extent such restriction is prohibited by applicable law.
  • Remove or alter any proprietary notices, or circumvent license enforcement or feature gating.
  • Use the Software to build a competing dictation or voice-input product.

Earlier versions of Kalam were distributed under the Functional Source License; those versions remain governed by the license they shipped with. All versions distributed from this Site are governed by these Terms.

3. Subscriptions (Pro and Max)

Kalam Pro ($4.99/mo or $49/yr) unlocks AI-powered software features (Polish, unlimited dictation profiles, context awareness, voice editing, auto-activation, multi-device sync). Pro is BYOK — you bring your own API keys for AI usage and pay those providers directly.

Kalam Max ($11.99/mo or $119/yr) includes everything in Pro plus Kalam-hosted speech-to-text and AI processing ("Kalam Cloud") with no API keys required, subject to the fair-use limits in §4.

  • Billing — You authorize us and our payment processor (Stripe) to charge your payment method on the terms shown at checkout. Manage payment methods and invoices through the Stripe Customer Portal.
  • 14-day free trial — Pro features are available for a one-time 14-day trial without payment. After the trial, Pro features lock unless you subscribe.
  • Refunds — Unless required by law or stated at purchase, fees are non-refundable. Contact us for billing disputes.
  • Cancellation — If you cancel, you drop back to Free at the end of the paid period — no data lost. You can re-subscribe anytime.
  • Changes — Features and pricing may change with notice as described on the Site.

4. Kalam Cloud (hosted AI) fair use

Max includes generous monthly allowances (currently 600 minutes of hosted transcription and 2,000,000 AI tokens per license per calendar month, resetting on the 1st UTC). When an allowance is exhausted, hosted AI requests are declined until the next period; local and BYOK options keep working. We may adjust allowances with notice to keep the service sustainable. Automated, shared, or resold use of Kalam Cloud is prohibited.

Audio sent to Kalam Cloud is processed to produce your transcript and is not used to train models. See the Privacy Policy for details.

5. API keys and third-party services

Kalam supports "Bring Your Own Key" (BYOK) for cloud STT/AI providers such as Groq and OpenAI. You are solely responsible for:

  • Obtaining, managing, and securing your API keys.
  • Complying with the terms of service of your chosen provider.
  • Any costs, charges, or overages incurred through your API usage.
  • Any consequences of unauthorized access to your API keys.

Kalam is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or partnered with Groq, OpenAI, or any other third-party provider. See also §9 (Third-Party Services).

6. Acceptable use

  • Obtain consent from all parties before recording or transcribing their speech.
  • Comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
  • Do not use the Software or Kalam Cloud for any unlawful purpose.
  • Do not share, resell, or pool license keys beyond the per-license device allowance.

7. Assumption of risk

Your use of the Software is at your sole risk. You assume full responsibility for:

  • The accuracy and suitability of any transcription output.
  • Compliance with all applicable laws regarding audio recording, consent, and data protection in your jurisdiction.
  • Any consequences arising from dictation into applications or systems (including sending messages, executing commands, or entering data).
  • Selecting, configuring, and bearing the costs of any third-party provider.

8. Not for critical use

The Software is not designed, intended, or warranted for use in any situation where inaccurate transcription could result in death, personal injury, property damage, financial loss, legal liability, or violation of any law or regulation — including medical documentation, legal proceedings, financial filings, safety-critical systems, or any context requiring certified transcription. If you choose to use the Software in such a context, you do so entirely at your own risk.

9. Third-party services

When you use BYOK cloud transcription, audio is transmitted directly from your device to the provider you configure. The Released Parties (as defined in §11) have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, practices, availability, or performance of any third-party service, and are not liable for any loss arising from your use of one. Your use of any third-party service is governed solely by that provider's terms.

10. Disclaimer of warranties

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NONINFRINGEMENT, TITLE, QUIET ENJOYMENT, ACCURACY, OR COMPLETENESS.

Transcription accuracy depends on audio quality, language, accent, background noise, and the model used. You are solely responsible for reviewing, verifying, and validating all transcription output before relying on it for any purpose.

11. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL ALI FARAHAT, BALACODE, OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AFFILIATES, SUCCESSORS, OR ASSIGNS (COLLECTIVELY, THE "RELEASED PARTIES") BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES; LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR ANTICIPATED SAVINGS; BUSINESS INTERRUPTION; COST OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS, THE SOFTWARE, THE SITE, OR ANY THIRD-PARTY SERVICE, HOWEVER CAUSED AND REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

WHERE EXCLUSION IS NOT PERMITTED, THE RELEASED PARTIES' TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT YOU ACTUALLY PAID US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM OR ONE UNITED STATES DOLLAR (USD $1.00), WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Released Parties from and against any and all claims, demands, actions, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to: your use or misuse of the Software or Site; your violation of these Terms or any applicable law; your violation of any third party's rights, including privacy, intellectual property, or consent rights; recording or transcribing any person's speech without proper consent; your use of any third-party provider; or any content you generate using the Software. This obligation survives termination of these Terms.

13. Pre-release software

The Software may be designated as alpha, beta, preview, or pre-release. Pre-release software is experimental, provided for evaluation only, and subject to all disclaimers in these Terms with even greater force. We may change or discontinue pre-release software at any time.

14. Dispute resolution and class action waiver

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ANY DISPUTE WILL BE BROUGHT ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION. Before initiating formal proceedings, you agree to contact us at hello@balacode.io and attempt informal resolution for at least thirty (30) days.

15. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your license and account access for material breach of these Terms (including license-key abuse or unlawful use). You may stop using the Software at any time. Sections that by their nature should survive (7–12, 14) survive termination.

16. Changes to terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

17. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, without regard to conflict of law principles.

18. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held unenforceable, it will be enforced to the maximum extent permissible and the remaining provisions remain in full force.

19. Contact

Email: hello@balacode.io
Teams & volume licensing: Kalam for Teams