Alternatives to RecurseChat
A macOS chat app for local AI models, with optional Claude and ChatGPT support. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
RecurseChat
A macOS chat app for local AI models, with optional Claude and ChatGPT support.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as RecurseChat.
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 freemium desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux with built-in Hugging Face downloads and an OpenAI-compatible server, while RecurseChat is paid and Mac only.
Jan
An open-source ChatGPT replacement that runs entirely offline, and can also front cloud providers when you want them.
Jan is free and Apache 2.0 licensed, runs offline on Windows, macOS and Linux, and fronts cloud providers too, though it is still pre-1.0.
Msty
Desktop workspace for chatting with local and hosted AI models in one place.
Msty runs local and hosted models on Windows, macOS and Linux without a separate server, with knowledge bases, though advanced workspace features need a paid plan.
GPT4All
A local AI chat app with document chat built in, from Nomic AI. Stable, MIT licensed, but not updated since early 2025.
GPT4All is free, MIT licensed and cross-platform, with LocalDocs for offline file questions, but its latest release dates from February 2025.
BoltAI
A native macOS AI chat app that works with many cloud providers and local models.
BoltAI is another paid native Mac app, focused on many cloud providers plus local Ollama models, with projects, agents and plugins; it requires macOS 13 or later.
Private LLM
An offline AI chat app for iPhone, iPad and Mac that runs open language models on the device.
Private LLM is a paid offline chat app that also covers iPhone and iPad with one purchase, and adds Siri and Shortcuts integration.
Enclave AI
An iPhone, iPad and Mac app for chatting with open-source AI models that run offline on the device.
Enclave AI is free, runs models offline on Mac, iPhone and iPad, and supports local PDF chat and voice chat, though closed source.
Ollamac
A native macOS app for chatting with language models served by a local Ollama installation.
Ollamac is a free, open source native Mac chat window, but needs a separate Ollama install and macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
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.
AnythingLLM
A desktop AI app that answers questions about your own documents, with no account and no API key needed.
Chatbox
A desktop and mobile chat client for AI models, where you supply your own API keys or point it at a local model.
llama.cpp
The C++ engine most local AI apps are built on, running language models on ordinary hardware.
Khoj
Open-source AI second brain that researches across your documents and the web with any model.
