The short version
- Software is the Bench app in your browser. Your people log in there.
- The harness is the setup on a Mac you own. The agents run there.
- The first Mac comes with your first agent. Setup is a one-time $525 charge.
- When that Mac is full, you add another one.
Two parts
It's fair to mix these up on the first call. Most software you've bought lives in a browser tab and nowhere else. Bench has a browser app too. We call it Software. Your people log in, see the board, approve work, take a payment. That part looks like every other tool you own.
The agents are the other part. They need a computer that stays on, and that computer is yours, in your office. We set it up so the agents can reach your files and your tools, and that setup is the harness. Browser for people. Mac for agents.
The first Mac
Buy one Mac that stays on. A Mac mini is the right answer for most contractors. An iMac works if someone sits at that desk all day and it never sleeps. A Mac Studio is for when you're running a lot of agents or you have a mountain of job photos. Get 48GB of RAM on the Mini. The RAM is soldered in, so you can't add it later, and 32GB is the floor. Plug it into ethernet, leave it on, and put a small UPS behind it so a power blink doesn't take the agents down.
When it fills up
The first harness is included with your first agent; you buy the Mac separately. Setup is $525 per harness. Each additional computer running a harness and agents is a Gateway at $299 a month. A Node is a $99 monthly network or storage device without a harness or agents, and has no harness setup fee. Connect any number or mix of your own AI provider plans at no extra charge. You pay provider subscriptions separately.
Everyone else
You and the office keep the computer you already use. Sales and estimators keep their phones. The install crew uses their phones too. The only machine that has to stay on is the one the agents live on.
Questions
Do I buy Software or a computer?
Both. Software is the app your people log into. The harness is the setup on a Mac you buy and own so the agents have somewhere to run.
Is the first harness a monthly charge?
No. The first harness is included with the first agent. Setup is $525 per harness. Each additional computer running a harness is a Gateway at $299 a month. Nodes are $99 monthly network or storage devices without a harness or agents.
Does every person need a Mac?
No. Most people keep the computer or phone they already have and work in the browser. Only the one Mac the agents live on has to stay on.
What happens if that Mac sleeps?
The agents stop until it wakes up. That's why the first box is a Mac mini on ethernet, not a laptop.
Keep going
Every Bench word above is on Glossary / FAQs, in plain English.