Frequently asked questions

Last updated: August 5, 2026

What is ZBee?

ZBee™ is a Mac app that answers one question: how much can I safely spend in retirement? It models your accounts, taxes, Social Security, and longevity to estimate a sustainable spending level. It is a measurement and planning tool, not financial advice — see the Disclaimer.

Who makes ZBee — and why should I trust it with my money?

ZBee is built by one independent developer and sold by ZBee LLC, with a real person answering support@zbee.app. You don't have to take our word for anything: the math is published step by step in the methodology, the app is signed and notarized by Apple, and your holdings never leave your Mac — there's no server of customer financial data to breach (see Privacy). The whole app is free to explore on sample data before you pay, and Pro carries a 30-day money-back guarantee. Who builds ZBee — and what happens to your plan if development ever stops — is answered plainly on the About page.

Is ZBee free?

You can use the whole app for free on built-in sample data, so you can try every feature before paying. ZBee Pro unlocks the app on your own data — your real accounts and holdings.

How much does Pro cost?

$99/year. It renews annually and you can cancel any time; your Pro access runs until the end of the period you've paid for.

Is there a free trial?

Yes — you can start a free 30-day trial of ZBee Pro on your own data right from the app (File → Subscription… → Start free trial). No card required: you confirm your email with a 6-digit code, connect your accounts, and see your real numbers. Subscribe any time to keep going; if you don't, the trial simply ends — nothing is charged, because there's no card on file. One free trial per email address.

What do I need to run ZBee?

A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later), running a recent version of macOS. ZBee runs entirely on your Mac. Intel Macs are not supported — the app is a native Apple silicon build, so it will download but won't open on an Intel Mac.

Is there an iPhone, iPad, or Windows version?

ZBee for Mac (Apple silicon) is where you connect your accounts: it reads what you actually hold and works through state income tax, Medicare surcharges, and required withdrawals, year by year. A free ZBee app for iPhone and iPad is on the App Store: a quick, private estimate of your safe yearly spend after federal tax, running entirely on your phone — no account, and nothing passing through our servers. There's no Windows version today; Why only Mac? explains the focus.

How do I install it?

Download the disk image from the download page, open it, and drag ZBee to your Applications folder. ZBee is signed and notarized by Apple, so it opens normally — no security workarounds needed.

How do I activate Pro after I pay?

When you subscribe, checkout opens in your browser. After payment, return to ZBee — it usually activates within a few seconds and switches from sample data to your own. If it doesn't, leave it open a moment while it finishes.

I paid, but ZBee is still in demo mode.

It usually activates on its own within a minute. Leave ZBee open (it keeps checking) or quit and reopen it — once your payment clears it switches to your own data automatically. If it still hasn't activated after a few minutes, email support@zbee.app from the address you paid with and we'll sort it out.

Is there a licence key or activation code to keep?

No — there's nothing to copy, store, or lose. ZBee activates itself right after you purchase, and your billing email is the only thing you ever need to prove the subscription is yours. If ZBee asks you to confirm it, we send a 6-digit code to that address.

Can I use ZBee on more than one Mac?

Yes. Install ZBee on the other Mac, choose Restore purchase, and confirm your billing email with the 6-digit code we send. That Mac is then authorized — and your other Macs keep working, so there's no juggling a licence between machines. The same steps cover replacing a Mac or reinstalling macOS.

How do I cancel?

In ZBee, open File → Subscription… to reach the billing portal and cancel. Your Pro access continues until the end of the period you've already paid for.

Can I get a refund?

Yes — ZBee Pro comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If it's not right for you, email support@zbee.app within 30 days of a charge and we'll refund it in full and cancel your subscription. After 30 days, you can still cancel any time to stop future charges (you keep Pro through the end of the period you've paid for). The free demo also lets you try ZBee before subscribing.

What information leaves my Mac?

Your financial data stays on your Mac. When you connect a brokerage, your holdings flow directly between your Mac and your brokerage — they never pass through or get stored on ZBee's servers. The built-in Privacy & Data screen shows exactly what's stored and what leaves; the Privacy Policy has the full detail.

Does ZBee see my brokerage password or my holdings?

No. Connecting a brokerage goes through a regulated financial-data provider, so ZBee never receives your login, and the connection is read-only. Your holdings are never stored on ZBee's servers.

How do I delete my data?

Open Privacy & Data → Delete account & data. That erases ZBee's data on your Mac and, for Pro users, disconnects your brokerage, cancels your subscription, and deletes your records from our server.

Is ZBee financial advice?

No. ZBee shows estimates based on the information you provide and general assumptions; it is not investment, tax, or financial advice. Verify anything important with a licensed professional — see the Disclaimer.

Does ZBee plan for a surviving spouse?

Yes. ZBee models survivorship — the single-filer tax brackets and the lost Social Security benefit that make a surviving spouse's years the tightest — and turns longevity into a planning horizon you can reason about, instead of a number you pull from the air.

I'm retiring before I claim Social Security. Will the gap years read as trouble?

No — ZBee counts the income you haven't claimed yet. Retire at 63 and claim at 70, and those seven years draw hard on savings; a tool that measures spending against your portfolio alone reads that as danger and trims, as though the lean stretch were permanent and the benefit were never coming. ZBee measures against what the whole plan can pay out: your benefit is part of the plan from the first year, a bridge reads as a bridge, and your spending steps up when the income actually starts. That's also why the opening number is built to hold — it's measured against the plan, not against a portfolio that is supposed to shrink, so it isn't quietly walked back as the years pass.

Does ZBee do Roth conversions, tax-loss harvesting, or other tax strategies?

No — and that's deliberate. ZBee measures what your current situation supports; it doesn't recommend restructuring it. Roth conversions, asset-location moves, and tax-loss harvesting are tax-repositioning strategies that depend on facts ZBee doesn't hold (your estate goals, future tax law, risk tolerance) and are the kind of advice a CPA or CFP is licensed to give. Where ZBee does help is weighing decisions you control — when to retire, when to claim Social Security, how much to leave behind — on the Trade-offs screen, which shows how each choice moves your safe spend without telling you which to pick.

How do I get help?

ZBee has a built-in help assistant — the ZBee Bot. Click the bee in the bottom-right corner and ask how anything in the app works in plain language; it answers from ZBee's help and points you to the right topic. It's free for everyone, only the question you type is sent (never your holdings, balances, or numbers), and it helps you use the app — it doesn't give financial advice. For anything it can't answer, email support@zbee.app.