Mario Simic (Skales)
Mario Simic builds Skales as a local-first AI harness installed like a normal desktop app: the layer between a user and any AI model, providing tools, approval gates, memory, planning and multiple interfaces. It is designed to let people do real work privately on their own computers rather than in a vendor cloud.
At a Glance
- Private individuals and families
- Students, teachers and non-commercial educational institutions
- Non-developer users who want an installable AI worker
- Developers and technical teams
- +2 more
AI Tools by Mario Simic (Skales)
(1)
Skales
AI Agent Harness Desktop App
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Latest News
Skales v12.9.35 – Roles: reduced token spending, including roughly 45% fewer desktop input tokens and more than half fewer on mobile
Skales v12.9.32 – what's new: coding objectives that continue until completion, persistent Code/Flow state, browser panel and fresh-install improvements
Skales v12.9.31 – Reflex: an optional decision model for faster closed questions and tool-step decisions
Skales v12.9.30 – DeepDive: exposes produced images, tool results, reasoning and code in coding runs
Products & Services
A proprietary local-first AI agent/harness for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. It combines chat, background goals, browser and computer use, files, email, calendar, memory, planning, coding, media creation and messaging while keeping core data on the user's devices.
A built-in free, zero-key trial/provider that works without an API key or account and includes tool calling and image understanding.
A bundled llama.cpp-based inference server and curated local model catalog, allowing chat, dictation, read-aloud and images to run on the user's hardware.
A dedicated coding window with command palette, file jump, full-text project search, repository map, hunk-by-hunk change review, Git operations and configurable Plan/Code/Edits/Auto modes.
Market Position
Skales positions itself as a local-first AI harness rather than a chatbot or a single-model wrapper: it combines a swappable multi-provider model layer with a large tool catalog, approval gates, memory, planning, resumable goals and desktop/mobile surfaces. Its published comparison set includes terminal-oriented agents such as OpenClaw and Hermes Agent, and cloud chat products such as ChatGPT; its differentiators are a one-click native install, local/offline operation, BYOK, Skales Local, Skales IQ and a designer-led experience aimed at non-developers.
Leadership
Founders
Mario Simic
Designer-led AI builder in Vienna with 25 years in marketing and design, including UX, branding, web technology and performance marketing. He built Skales solo; he previously founded and operated Gorilla Network (2017–2025), and his first website was in 2001.
Founding Story
Skales began in early 2025 as a bloated Laravel SaaS, but Simic concluded that cloud hosting was the wrong place for a personal AI. He scrapped it and rebuilt the product from scratch as a native, local-first desktop app with an Electron shell, local storage and skills, guided by a designer-first goal of making agent software installable and usable by non-developers.
Business Model
Revenue Model
Free software for private and educational use; companies, businesses and public bodies require a written commercial licence. The product is proprietary and does not sell a hosted seat for personal use; users can bring their own provider keys, while Skales IQ is an included zero-key path. Commercial terms are negotiated in writing.
Pricing Tiers
Private individuals, students, teachers and non-commercial educational institutions may install and use the software free of charge on devices they control.
Any organisation may evaluate the software once for 30 days; the evaluation does not automatically convert into a paid licence.
Commercial use by a company, business or public body, or use in exchange for consideration, requires a written commercial licence from Skales.
Target Markets
- Private individuals and families
- Students, teachers and non-commercial educational institutions
- Non-developer users who want an installable AI worker
- Developers and technical teams
- Small businesses and agencies
- Companies and public bodies requiring a commercial licence
- Personal productivity and autonomous task completion
- Background research, browsing, file handling, email and calendar work
- Software development and repository maintenance
- Design, presentations, documents, image/video/audio and other creative production
- Local/private AI and running models on personal hardware
- WordPress, WooCommerce and website publishing workflows