Alternatives to Ollamac
A native macOS app for chatting with language models served by a local Ollama installation. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Ollamac
A native macOS app for chatting with language models served by a local Ollama installation.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Ollamac.
BoltAI
A native macOS AI chat app that works with many cloud providers and local models.
BoltAI is a paid, closed source native Mac app with system-wide shortcuts that combines Ollama models with many cloud providers.
LM Studio
A polished desktop app for downloading, running and chatting with local language models, with an OpenAI-compatible server built in.
LM Studio is a closed source desktop app that runs models itself through MLX and llama.cpp, without needing Ollama installed.
Jan
An open-source ChatGPT replacement that runs entirely offline, and can also front cloud providers when you want them.
Jan is an Apache-2.0 app for Windows, macOS and Linux that runs models offline itself and can also front cloud providers.
Chatbox
A desktop and mobile chat client for AI models, where you supply your own API keys or point it at a local model.
Chatbox is a GPL-3.0 client for desktop and mobile that supports Ollama plus OpenAI, Claude and other providers with your own keys.
Msty
Desktop workspace for chatting with local and hosted AI models in one place.
Msty is a closed source freemium desktop workspace that runs local models without a separate server and adds knowledge bases.
Page Assist
An open-source browser extension that adds a sidebar and web UI for chatting with local AI models.
Page Assist moves Ollama chat into a browser extension sidebar, working on any platform with a browser.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Ollamac as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Ollama App
A cross-platform chat client for talking to language models running on an Ollama server.
Ollamac is a native macOS Ollama client requiring macOS 14, covering the Mac platform that Ollama App does not list.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Ollama
The simplest way to pull down an open language model and run it on your own machine, from one command or a desktop app.
Private LLM
An offline AI chat app for iPhone, iPad and Mac that runs open language models on the device.
LLMFarm
An iOS and macOS app for running large language models offline on the device using GGML.
Alpaca
A GNOME desktop app for managing and chatting with local AI models through Ollama.
