Best private AI tools for macOS in 2026

Updated January 2026

If you handle confidential work, you want AI that stays on your Mac. This guide focuses on private, on-device tools that run well on Apple Silicon and solve real workflows, searching inside PDFs, slides, screenshots, and recordings, running local models for drafting and analysis, generating images offline, and transcribing audio without uploads.

If you only pick one principle, pick this: start with retrieval. The fastest “AI” is often the tool that takes you straight to the exact page, slide, sentence, or timestamp you need.

What “private and on-device” means in this guide

A tool qualifies for this list when it supports these basics in normal use:

• Runs locally on Apple Silicon for core tasks

• Works offline for at least the primary workflow

• Gives clear controls for what is indexed, cached, or stored

• Does not upload your files by default

• Has reasonable battery and memory behavior on modern macOS

Note: Some tools may offer optional cloud features. This list focuses on tools that are useful while keeping your content on-device by default.

How we evaluated tools

We scored each tool on practical criteria:

• Data locality: files stay on your Mac by default

• Real workflows: PDFs, slides, screenshots, recordings, and videos

• Precision: can you open at the exact page, slide, frame, or timestamp

• Performance on Apple Silicon and overall reliability

The shortlist by job to be done

1) Find the exact place inside your files (Best File Search Engine for MacOS)

Fenn

Fenn is a private AI file search agent for macOS that finds results inside your content and opens the exact moment, a PDF page, a slide number, a sentence, an image match, or an audio or video timestamp, with context snippets so you can verify before opening.

• Best for: finding the exact page, frame, or sentence across many files (not just finding the file)

• What it searches: PDFs, documents, slides, screenshots, images, audio, and video

• What makes it different: opens at the exact location inside the file with context

2) Run language models locally (drafting, code, analysis without cloud)

LM Studio

LM Studio is a Mac desktop app that makes it easy to download and run open models locally with a clean UI. It is a good fit for private drafting, summarizing, and code help when you want your prompts and outputs to stay on your machine.

• Best for: a simple local LLM setup with a friendly interface

• Strength: model management and an easy chat workflow

• Watch for: model size vs RAM, pick models that match your Mac

Ollama

Ollama is a straightforward way to run open models locally, especially if you like Terminal workflows or want a local model available as a background service. It is popular with technical users because it is quick to install and easy to script.

• Best for: developers who want local models from Terminal or automation

• Strength: fast setup and a simple “pull and run” approach

• Watch for: you still need to choose models that fit your hardware

3) Generate images offline (keep prompts and assets local)

Draw Things

Draw Things runs diffusion image generation locally on Apple Silicon. It is useful for private ideation, comps, and explorations where prompts and reference images cannot leave your Mac.

• Best for: offline image generation on Apple Silicon

• Strength: privacy for sensitive visual work

• Watch for: generation speed depends on model choice and settings

4) Transcribe on your Mac (meetings, interviews, voice notes)

MacWhisper

MacWhisper is a popular macOS app for local transcription using Whisper models. It is a strong choice when recordings are confidential and you need transcripts without uploads.

• Best for: fast local transcription for meetings and interviews

• Strength: good balance of speed and accuracy with the right model

• Watch for: larger models improve accuracy but require more compute

5) Turn scans into searchable documents (local OCR)

ABBYY FineReader PDF for Mac

ABBYY FineReader is a mature OCR and PDF tool that can convert scans and photos into searchable PDFs locally. If you work with scanned contracts, printed forms, or archived PDFs, OCR is often the missing step that makes private search actually work.

• Best for: converting scanned PDFs into searchable documents locally

• Strength: reliable OCR and PDF tooling

• Watch for: review OCR output on messy scans

Prizmo

Prizmo is a Mac-focused OCR tool for scanning and extracting text from images and PDFs. It is useful for quick “turn this scan into text” workflows and exporting clean searchable documents into your folder system.

• Best for: quick OCR on-device for images and PDFs

• Strength: simple scanning and export workflow

• Watch for: like any OCR, quality depends on image clarity

How to set up each tool on macOS

Fenn setup

1. Add the folders you actually work in (client work, research, Desktop, Downloads).

2. Let the index build so content becomes searchable.

3. Use the keyboard shortcut and search in Keyword, Semantic, or Hybrid mode.

4. Open results at the exact page, slide, frame, or timestamp.

LM Studio setup

1. Install on your Mac.

2. Download a model that fits your hardware and memory.

3. Run prompts locally and keep drafts offline.

Ollama setup

1. Install and pull a model from the catalog.

2. Run from Terminal or keep it available as a local service.

3. Use it in your private workflows without cloud calls.

Draw Things setup

1. Install and download a compatible diffusion model.

2. Generate images offline.

3. Save outputs directly into your project folders.

MacWhisper setup

1. Choose a Whisper model size based on speed vs accuracy.

2. Transcribe recordings locally.

3. Store transcripts alongside your source files for easy retrieval later.

ABBYY FineReader / Prizmo setup

1. Import scans or photos.

2. Run OCR on-device and review the text output.

3. Export searchable PDFs back into your working folders.

Keep exploring

Spotlight limitations and deep content search: https://www.usefenn.com/blog/spotlight-mac-ultimate-guide
Find text inside images and screenshots on Mac: https://www.usefenn.com/blog/find-text-in-images-screenshots-mac
MLX focused model runners for Apple Silicon: https://www.usefenn.com/blog/best-local-ai-mlx-apps-mac-2025