Updated October 2026
The best AI assistants for Mac in 2026
Mac AI assistants now range from chat apps to agents that edit your files, use your apps and run on a schedule. The useful questions are: can it take actions or only chat, can it run models on your Mac, what does it cost, and which Macs does it support? Every entry below was checked against the developer's own site in October 2026.
At a glance
| App | Open source | Price | Local models | Takes actions | Mac requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CoWork OS | Yes (MIT) | Free | Yes (Ollama, MLX) | Yes: files, browser, apps, schedules | macOS 13+, Apple Silicon |
| Claude desktop + Cowork | No | Free app; Cowork needs a paid plan (Pro from $20/month) | No | Yes, with Cowork | macOS 13+, Intel or Apple Silicon |
| Raycast AI | No | AI needs Pro (from $8/month) | Yes (Ollama) | Yes, through AI Extensions | macOS Tahoe, Apple Silicon |
| Osaurus | Yes (MIT) | Free; Workspaces $20/month | Yes (MLX, Apple Foundation Models) | Yes: files, shell, browser, Apple apps | macOS 15.5+, Apple Silicon |
| Jan | Yes (Apache 2.0) | Free | Yes (llama.cpp) | Partly: MCP and a preview agent | macOS 13.6+; Apple Silicon for local models |
| LM Studio | Not stated | Free; paid tiers from $20/month | Yes (llama.cpp, MLX) | Yes, with its Bionic agent | macOS 14+, Apple Silicon |
| Msty Studio | Not stated | Free; Aurum $149/year | Yes (Ollama, llama.cpp, MLX) | Partly: agent mode and MCP tools | Not stated |
| Apple Intelligence (Siri AI) | No | Free today | On-device plus Private Cloud Compute | Yes, in Apple apps and Shortcuts | M1 or later; Siri AI in beta in macOS 27 |
| Elephas | Not stated | From $15/month billed yearly | Yes | No; answers questions from your documents | macOS 14+, Apple Silicon |
Prices are from each developer's pricing page at the time of review and can change.
The apps
1. CoWork OS: an open-source agent that does the work
A free, MIT-licensed desktop app that goes beyond chat: it creates and edits documents and spreadsheets, researches, uses the browser and, when needed, other Mac apps through computer use. It runs scheduled tasks, keeps local memory and answers from WhatsApp, Telegram or Slack. Use a cloud model or run one locally with Ollama or MLX. Each task runs under an access profile, so changes can wait for your approval. Also available for Windows.
Best for: people who want an agent that acts across files, apps and chat channels with any model.
2. Claude desktop and Cowork
Anthropic's Mac app "works with your files and apps to get things done". The app is available on every Claude plan, but Cowork, which can read, edit and create files in folders you choose, needs a paid plan. Computer use is in research preview. Claude models only. claude.com/download
Best for: people who want Claude in a polished, managed app. See Claude Cowork alternatives.
3. Raycast AI
AI built into the Raycast launcher, using "the tools you already rely on". AI is not in the free plan; Pro starts at $8 a month with AI credits, and it can use local models through Ollama. Requires macOS Tahoe and Apple Silicon. raycast.com/pro
Best for: keyboard-first users who already live in Raycast.
4. Osaurus
An MIT-licensed native Mac app for "agents, memory, tools, and identity that live on your Mac", running models with MLX or Apple's on-device Foundation Models. It has sandboxed file, git and shell tools, browser use and Apple app tools, and works as both an MCP client and server. Needs macOS 15.5 or later on Apple Silicon. osaurus.ai
Best for: Apple Silicon owners who want a Mac-native local agent.
5. Jan
"An open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs 100% offline on your computer", Apache 2.0 licensed and free. It runs local models with llama.cpp and adds agentic features through MCP, with an agent and a Cowork mode in preview. Local inference needs Apple Silicon. jan.ai
Best for: private, offline chat with local models.
6. LM Studio
A local-model app that now includes Bionic, "LM Studio's agent for open models", for coding, automations and computer control. The free tier runs models with llama.cpp and MLX; paid tiers start at $20 a month. Requires macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon. lmstudio.ai
Best for: people who want to try many open models and an agent in one app.
7. Msty Studio
A "privacy-first workspace" for chatting with models, organising knowledge and reusing prompts, with local engines (Ollama, llama.cpp, MLX), an agent mode and MCP tools. Free, with a paid Aurum plan. msty.ai
Best for: people who want one workspace for many local and cloud models.
8. Apple Intelligence and Siri AI
Built into macOS on Macs with M1 or later. Siri AI "can take actions in apps like Messages, Music, Reminders, and more", using on-device models and Private Cloud Compute. It is free today; Apple says expanded access may carry a fee later. Siri AI is in beta in macOS 27, in English to start. apple.com
Best for: quick actions in Apple's own apps with nothing to install.
9. Elephas
A document question-answering app that "answers questions from your own contracts, client files, and reports, and shows the source for every answer", with local models available. It explicitly does not run agents that act for you. From $15 a month billed yearly; macOS 14 on Apple Silicon. elephas.app
Best for: grounded answers from your own documents.
How to choose
- You want an assistant that does tasks for you: CoWork OS, Claude with Cowork, Osaurus or LM Studio's Bionic agent.
- You want everything private and offline: an app with local models: CoWork OS, Osaurus, Jan, LM Studio or Msty.
- You want it free and open source: CoWork OS, Osaurus or Jan.
- You only need quick answers or commands: Raycast AI or Apple Intelligence.
- You have an Intel Mac: most local-model apps need Apple Silicon. Claude's desktop app supports Intel; check each app's requirements.
We did not include the ChatGPT Mac app because we could not verify its current details from OpenAI's site at the time of review.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI assistant for Mac?
It depends on what you want it to do. CoWork OS and Claude with Cowork take actions on your files and apps; Osaurus, Jan and LM Studio focus on local models; Raycast AI and Apple Intelligence are best for quick commands.
Is there a free AI assistant for Mac that runs locally?
Yes. CoWork OS, Osaurus and Jan are free and open source and can run models on your Mac. LM Studio and Msty also have free tiers with local models.
Which Mac AI assistants can take actions, not just chat?
CoWork OS, Claude with Cowork, Osaurus, LM Studio’s Bionic agent, Raycast AI extensions and Apple’s Siri AI can all take actions. Elephas explicitly does not.
Do Mac AI assistants work on Intel Macs?
Many do not run local models on Intel. Claude’s desktop app supports Intel and Apple Silicon; CoWork OS, Osaurus, LM Studio, Raycast and Elephas require Apple Silicon.
CoWork OS itself is free and open source. Model providers, gateways, connected services, and account plans may charge separately and apply their own eligibility and usage rules.
Last reviewed 2026-10-20 against official documentation. Features, plans and prices change; check the linked sources before deciding. CoWork OS is not affiliated with Apple or any other app listed here.