Frequently asked questions

Phluxel is a desktop cellular-automata studio for Windows. You paint a pixel grid, write a tiny rule in the Phlux language (or pick one of the built-in templates), watch it evolve in real time on the GPU, and export the result as a seamless animated loop — GIF, PNG sequence, and on Pro also MP4 and APNG.

Not to start. The Starter Gallery (90 scenes) and 128 rule templates get you animating with a single click. When you're curious, Phlux rules are usually one short, readable line — and the editor has a cheat sheet, autocomplete and inline hints.

Windows only — Windows 10 (1809+) and Windows 11, 64-bit. Phluxel targets a single platform so every feature, including the Monaco-powered script editor, is fully supported and tuned for it.

Minimum: a 64-bit dual-core CPU, an OpenGL 3.3 GPU, 4 GB RAM and ~300 MB of disk. Recommended: a quad-core CPU, a dedicated GPU (for the GPU engine and large grids), and 8 GB+ RAM.

No. Phluxel is a one-time purchase with a perpetual license — buy it once and it's yours, including future updates within the same major version. There's also a genuinely free edition to start with.

Free includes every creative feature — drawing, rules, GPU simulation, timeline, import, user functions, GIF/PNG export. The differences are output-side: Free exports carry a "MADE WITH PHLUXEL" watermark, are capped at 1024 px / 300 frames, grids at 128×128, and are licensed for personal, non-commercial use. Pro removes the watermark and all caps, adds MP4/APNG and sprite-sheet export, and grants commercial rights.

Yes — no account, no trial timer, no feature unlocks that expire. Use it as long as you like for personal, non-commercial work. Sharing watermarked exports on personal, non-monetized social media or portfolios is welcome.

Yes. Everything you make is yours. The Pro edition grants a full commercial license so you can sell your loops, use them in games, videos, or client work. The Free edition is for personal, non-commercial projects and watermarks its exports — monetized or client work needs Pro.

A Pro license is a personal, single-user license for up to 2 of your own devices (for example your desktop and your laptop). It can't be shared between different people. (Steam copies follow Steam's own account rules instead — install on as many of your own machines as you like.) Need more devices, or licenses for a team or classroom? See the next question.

Yes. A Pro license is personal and covers two of your own devices, so buying for other people works differently: tell us how many seats you need and we will issue named licenses together and quote the order. We can invoice a company or institution, work from a purchase order, and put your business number and tax details on the paperwork. Schools and universities can license a classroom or lab the same way. Start with the quote request form or email help@phluxel.com — tell us the seat count and the country you are invoicing from and that is usually enough to quote.

No — your license is a key, not an installation. Uninstalling Phluxel removes everything (settings and the stored license key included), so after reinstalling just enter your key again (Help ▸ License) — the key validates instantly and locally. Keep the email that delivered your key; if you've lost it, email help@phluxel.com from your purchase address and we'll re-send it.

Unlocking is offline — keys carry a cryptographic signature, so entering one never needs a server, an account, or an internet connection, and Phluxel always runs without one. It does send small anonymous pings (a usage heartbeat on every edition, and — on Pro — a hashed-key activation check that helps detect key sharing); these carry no personal data, name, or project content. See the Privacy Policy for exactly what's sent.

See the Refund Policy. In short: if a refund is granted, the associated license key is revoked and the app reverts to the Free edition — everything you created stays yours.

Pro is $19.99 USD, one time, and it is the same price everywhere — Steam (from October 1, 2026), itch.io and Gumroad. There is no early-bird tier and no discount code; the price you see is the price. Stores may run their own seasonal sales from time to time.

Whichever you prefer — you get the same app either way. Steam handles updates and ownership through your Steam account, so there is no license key to enter and nothing to re-activate after a reinstall. itch.io and Gumroad email you a license key, which you paste into Help ▸ License; that copy updates itself in-app.

Yes — same build, same features, same price. The only differences come from the platform: the Steam copy is Pro automatically (your purchase is the license, so there is no key to enter), and Steam handles updates instead of the in-app updater.

Yes — email help@phluxel.com from the address you purchased with and we will send you a Steam key at no cost. You do not need one to keep using what you bought: your existing copy stays fully licensed and keeps updating on its own.

Not at launch — Phluxel releases at its normal $19.99 with no launch discount. It may take part in Steam seasonal sales later on. Wishlisting it means Steam emails you if that happens: wishlist Phluxel.

Still images: PNG, JPG, BMP. Animation: GIF and PNG sequence on every edition; MP4 (H.264) and APNG (full-color, lossless, transparent) on Pro. Ping-pong looping, region/scale options and a "from start" clean-loop mode are built in.

Global rules are compiled to GLSL shaders and run as ping-pong render textures for real-time playback — including toroidal wrap. Per-cell rules, user functions and scatter run on a precise CPU interpreter, and Phluxel switches between them automatically.

Your projects, fields and exports never leave your machine, and there's no behavioral analytics or ad tracking. Network calls are limited to: an update check at startup (so fixes reach you fast), a tiny anonymous usage heartbeat at most once a day — edition, version, UI language and a random counting ID (no name, no hardware fingerprint, not linked to your license) — so we know roughly how many people use Phluxel, Help ▸ Send Feedback (you-triggered, sending only what's shown on screen), and — on Pro only — a minimal automatic license activation check that sends just a hash of your license key and a random install ID (no name, no email, no project content) so we can detect key sharing. Full detail is in the Privacy Policy.

Use Help ▸ Send Feedback inside the app — it sends your report (with your Phluxel version and OS attached) straight to us — or use the feedback form here on the site. Please describe what you did, what you expected, and what happened instead.

Send it via Help ▸ Send Feedback in the app, or the feedback form. We read everything.

The full user manual — getting started, tools, the Phlux language reference, import/export — lives at phluxel.com/docs. The same pages open from the app's Help menu.