Novastart
: How to use it, features, and the business problems it solves

What is Novastart?

Novastart is an "infinite canvas OS" that replaces the desktop itself with an endlessly large canvas. It is developed and operated by Marketplace Distributors LLC in Manhattan Beach, California.

On an ordinary desktop, every window you open lands on top of the last one, and you dig through tabs and switchers to find what you need. In Novastart, each app you open is placed beside the previous window, never on top of it. Zoom out and you see everything; zoom in and you can keep working right there.

On top of that, the area the company emphasizes most is AI agents. Each agent gets its own cursor and keyboard and operates real apps on the same canvas in plain sight, without taking over the user's cursor. Canvases can also be shared with a team, with everyone working at the same time using their own cursors.

An "infinite canvas" where windows never overlap

Novastart's screen is a single board you can zoom in and out of. Thirty-seven web apps such as Gmail, Excel, WhatsApp and Notion open as real windows signed in with your own accounts; any other site opens in the bundled Chrome, and ONLYOFFICE and Linux/X11 apps can be placed on the canvas too. No plugins or imports are needed: the idea is to lay out the apps you already use. Web services such as ChatGPT and Claude can sit alongside as Chrome windows.

• Move between the big picture and detail with zoom: zoom from 5% to 1000% toward the pointer. Windows keep running when zoomed out; they are not screenshots
• Tidy up quickly: windows snap flush within 10 px when brought close, and you can move several at once with box selection or Ctrl-click. Align and distribute, pack into a grid, and open a twin of the same page beside a window
• Keep your whole workspace: apps, positions and Chrome URLs are restored the next time you open it. Moves, resizes, closed apps and even followed links can be undone up to 100 steps per canvas
• Give each thing its own room: three levels — workspace, folder, canvas — let you separate work, household finances, an apartment search and so on. A workspace can be saved as one .novastart file and shared

AI agents work from "their own seat"

A normal computer has only one pointer, so handing operations to an AI agent means either losing your cursor or letting it work out of sight. In Novastart each agent gets its own "seat" — a mouse and keyboard — and a coloured cursor labelled AI moves in a separate window. Meanwhile, you keep working in the neighbouring window with your own cursor.

1. Give it the job: describe what you want, and one lead agent takes ownership and writes a plan you can edit
2. It recruits helpers: the lead splits the job and assigns it to up to 10 helpers, one per window. Up to 16 agents can run on one canvas
3. Watch every click: you see the agents' cursors, clicks and typing as they happen
4. Done means checked: before a job counts as complete, a separate checker reads a fresh screenshot to confirm the goal was met

You can step in at any time. Pause freezes the agents, helpers included; Take back returns a window to you with a single click; and Steer lets you type a note to change direction without restarting. One official example shows helpers splitting up four hotel pages to check availability, asking the user whether to book, and then completing the booking.

Agents have four modes: "Agent", which actually clicks and types; "Plan", which drafts steps for you to edit first; "Ask", which answers from a screenshot and never clicks; and "Observe", which watches your window and suggests work. Preferences survive a reboot, and every run is logged on your own machine with its steps, clicks and screenshots.

Agents run on OpenAI's computer-use models. For developers, the "Open Virtual Input SDK" for building your own agents is available in Python, JavaScript and Rust.

Sharing one canvas with your team

On the Team plan you share the canvas itself instead of sharing your screen. Invited members' cursors move on your screen in the colours they chose, and everyone can click and type at the same time. A member can even operate an app running on another member's machine; window contents stream directly between machines with no server in the middle.

You share a canvas or a folder, invite people by email and assign roles (only members can view, only editors can write). If two people move the same window at once, a CRDT keeps both changes. There is chat on the OS, and the canvas stays as the team left it after everyone leaves.

How to use it

1. Choose how to install To try it on the computer you have, choose the "app"; for everyday use on a dedicated PC, choose "Novastart OS". If you use Ubuntu, a package adds Novastart while keeping your current desktop. Before installing, you can also see how the canvas looks in the in-browser demo on the official "Try it out" page (meant for a wide laptop or desktop screen).
2. Install the app (Windows / Intel Mac) Download and open it, and Novastart starts inside a window. Because it is a whole computer running inside yours, it responds a little more slowly than the OS. The first start takes longer than later ones.
3. Install it as an OS (x86 PC) Download the ISO, write it to a USB drive with Rufus (recommended) or Balena Etcher, boot from the USB via the boot menu and follow the installer. It takes about 8 to 15 minutes. The install replaces what is on the PC, so use a PC you can dedicate to Novastart.
4. Lay out your apps and work Open apps such as Gmail and Excel on the canvas, arrange them, and separate folders and canvases by purpose.
5. Hand jobs to agents Write what you want an agent to do, check the plan, then let it run. Pause or steer as needed.

System requirements

The only Macs listed in the official guide are Intel models; Apple silicon (M1 and later) Macs are not listed as supported (checked October 2026).

Pricing

There are three plans. They differ in canvas limits and whether team collaboration is included. Every plan opens the same apps, and AI agents are available on all plans (checked October 2026, in US dollars).

Security and data handling

Because this product shows screen contents to an AI, here is where data goes, based on the official Security page and privacy policy.

• Canvases stay on your machine: canvases, folders, apps and their positions are stored on your own PC and are not sent to Novastart's servers unless you share them
• Sharing is machine to machine: windows on a shared canvas stream directly to the other person's PC without a server in the middle. They see only the canvas or folder you shared
• Agents send screenshots to OpenAI: screenshots of the window an agent is working in, plus its instructions, go to the model provider, OpenAI (the company says nothing else on your canvas is sent). Run logs stay on your machine
• Signed updates: Novastart OS updates install automatically, and each update is signed
• No certifications claimed: the company states it does "not claim a certification or an audit we have not completed", and no third-party certification had been published as of October 2026

The company recommends reviewing run logs when agents handle jobs that touch accounts or money.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Windows never overlap, so you can compare and copy between several apps side by side
• You can see exactly what the AI agent is doing and stop it or take a window back at any time
• One job can be split across up to 10 helpers working in parallel
• Instead of screen sharing, the whole team can operate the same apps at once
• There is a free plan, and paid plans start at an affordable $10 a month

Cons

• The interface, website and support are English-only; Japanese is not supported
• The app runs in a virtual environment, so there is some lag, and it needs 8 GB of RAM and about 32 GB of disk
• Apple silicon Macs are not listed as supported
• The OS version replaces what is on the PC, so you need a dedicated machine
• How agent billing works (credits vs. your own OpenAI API key) is unclear across the official pages
• It only launched officially in September 2026, so there are few customer references or outside reviews yet

Reviews and reputation

Novastart launched officially in September 2026, and as of October 2026 we could not find customer company names, named user testimonials or detailed third-party reviews, either on the official site or elsewhere. The top of the official site displays many badges from AI tool directory listings.

The likely deciding factors are how heavy the app version feels and how reliably agents complete their tasks. The company itself acknowledges "a little lag" in the app, so the safest approach is to try the app on the free plan on your own computer before considering the OS version or a paid plan.

How it differs from other AI agents and AI workspaces

Many AI agents work in an invisible cloud environment and return only the result. Novastart takes the opposite approach: it focuses on showing the agent operating your apps on the same screen as you.

If you want to hand off research or document creation entirely and just get the result, Manus or Genspark AI are easier. Novastart suits people who want AI to help with work in the apps they already use while watching it happen, or who want to organise scattered windows on one board.

FAQ

Q. Can I use Novastart for free? Yes. The free plan allows 1 folder, 2 canvases and up to 4 windows per canvas. The apps you can open are the same as on paid plans. AI agents are pay-per-use at $0.02 per use on every plan.

Q. Can I try it without wiping my current computer? Yes. The app for Windows 10/11 and Intel Macs runs Novastart inside a window and leaves your desktop as it is. The Ubuntu package also keeps your current desktop. Only installing it as an OS replaces what is on the PC.

Q. Does it support Japanese? As of October 2026 the interface, official site and support are in English, and Japanese support has not been announced. Apps you open on the canvas, such as Gmail and Excel, follow their own language settings.

Q. What do the AI agents run on? OpenAI's computer-use models. Screenshots of the window being worked on and the instructions are sent to OpenAI. The official pages say both that agents "run with your own OpenAI API key" and that "each use costs $0.02, drawn from credits", so check how billing works before use.

Q. What if an agent clicks the wrong thing? You see every action, so a click on the window returns it to you immediately. You can also pause all agents, helpers included, or steer them with a note. Before completion, a separate checker verifies the result from a screenshot.

Q. How do I use it with a team? On the Team plan ($20 a month), share a canvas or folder, invite people by email and assign roles. Window contents stream directly between machines.

About the company

Novastart is developed and operated by Marketplace Distributors LLC in the United States (319 36th St., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266). The founders are Thomas Fraher (co-founder, CTO) and Nick Fraher (co-founder, go-to-market), who previously built and sold the health and wellness company Aquavoss in November 2025.

According to the official timeline, the concept began in November 2024, a predecessor was released as "Orgaboard" in October 2025, the infinite canvas and team features were completed in March 2026, AI agents were added in June, and the product launched officially as Novastart in September 2026. Inquiries are accepted by email (support@novastart.com) or phone (818-334-4798).

The information on this page is based on what was published on the official website as of October 2026. Features, pricing and supported environments may change, so please check the official website for the latest information.