Best Private AI Tools for macOS in 2025
Oct 21, 2025
Best private AI tools for macOS in 2025
If you handle confidential work, you need AI that stays on your Mac. This guide highlights private, on-device tools that run well on Apple Silicon and help you act at the exact place inside your files. Start with retrieval to open the page or slide or timestamp you need.
What private and on-device means
Runs locally on Apple Silicon
Works offline for core tasks
Clear controls for what is indexed or cached
No default uploads of your content
Sensible battery and memory use on modern macOS
How we evaluated tools
Data locality, files stay on your Mac by default
Real workflows, PDFs, slides, screenshots, recordings, and videos
Precision, open at the exact page, slide, frame, or timestamp
Performance on Apple Silicon and a stable user experience
The shortlist by job to be done
Find the exact place in your files
Fenn
Search across PDFs, slides, screenshots, audio, and video. Results include page numbers, slide numbers, and timestamps with context. Open straight to the exact location in your default app. On-device by default for privacy. Ideal when you remember the clause or sentence, not the filename.
Run language models locally
LM Studio
A desktop hub for running open models on Mac with a clean interface. Useful for private drafting, code help, and quick analysis without sending text to a server.
Ollama
A simple way to download and run models on your machine. Handy if you prefer Terminal or want local models available as a background service.
Image generation offline
Draw Things
Runs diffusion models on Apple Silicon. Good for comps and explorations when prompts and assets must remain local.
Transcription on your Mac
MacWhisper
Fast local transcription using Whisper models. Helpful for interviews and meeting notes that cannot leave the laptop.
Set up each tool on macOS
Fenn
Add the folders you actually work in, client work, Desktop, Downloads, research.
Let the index build locally.
Press the keyboard shortcut and search in Semantic, Keyword, or Hybrid mode.
Open directly at the exact page, slide, frame, or timestamp.
LM Studio
Install on your Mac.
Choose a model that fits your hardware and memory.
Run prompts locally, keep content offline.
Ollama
Install and pull a model from the catalog.
Start the local service or use it from Terminal.
Work fully on device.
Draw Things
Install and download a compatible model.
Generate images offline.
Save outputs to local project folders.
MacWhisper
Pick a Whisper model size based on speed and accuracy needs.
Transcribe recordings locally.
Store transcripts with the rest of your project files.
ABBYY FineReader PDF for Mac
Open scans or photos of documents.
Convert to searchable PDFs locally.
Keep results in your indexed folders.
Prizmo
Scan or import images and PDFs.
Run OCR on device, review text.
Export searchable documents to your working folders.
Keep exploring
Spotlight limitations and deep content search, read the guide: 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