8 alternativesPinchbar: Free to start

The best Pinchbar alternatives

For most people the best alternative to Pinchbar is PopClip, and the best free one is ChatGPT.

Best alternativePopClip app iconPopClipPick this if you want search, translate or plain-text paste right above any text you select.$12 once

Compare at a glance

Pinchbar is highlighted, so you can see what you give up and what you gain.

AppPriceHow you payMaciPhoneiPadApp StoreDeveloperSetappRating
Pinchbar app iconPinchbarFree to startFree, with paid upgradesToo few ratings
PopClip app iconPopClip$12 oncePay onceToo few ratings
ChatGPT app iconChatGPTFree to startFree, with paid upgrades4.8
Claude app iconClaudeFree to startFree, with paid upgrades4.7
LM Studio app iconLM StudioFreeFreeToo few ratings
Draw Things app iconDraw ThingsFree to startFree, with paid upgrades4.4
Gemini app iconGeminiFree to startFree, with paid upgrades4.7
Locally AI app iconLocally AIFreeFree4.7
Ollama app iconOllamaFree, open sourceFreeToo few ratings

Swipe the table sideways to see more

The alternatives, in order

  1. 1PopClip app icon

    PopClip

    $12 onceBest alternative

    Pick this if you want search, translate or plain-text paste right above any text you select.

    A tiny bar of actions above any text you select, so searching, translating or pasting plain text takes 1 click.

  2. 2ChatGPT app icon

    ChatGPT

    Free to startBest free4.8

    Pick it if you want 1 assistant you can type to, talk to or show photos on every device.

    The AI assistant to start with if you want to type, talk and show photos to 1 app on both iPhone and Mac.

  3. 3Claude app icon

    Claude

    Free to start4.7

    Pick this if you write or code for a living and want an AI that reasons through problems with you.

    A thoughtful AI partner for writing, research and code, with a free plan that already searches the web and reads your files.

  4. Pick it if you have an Apple silicon Mac with more than 8 GB of RAM and want AI that stays offline.

    A free way to run open AI models like Qwen and DeepSeek on your own Mac, fully offline and private.

  5. 5Draw Things app icon

    Draw Things

    Free to start4.4

    Pick it if you want to generate and edit AI images on your own device, with control over models and settings.

    A free offline AI image generator for iPhone, iPad and Mac with inpainting, ControlNet and LoRA training.

  6. 6Gemini app icon

    Gemini

    Free to start4.7

    Pick it if your email, files and calendar already sit in Gmail, Google Drive and Google Calendar.

    The AI assistant to pick if your email, files and calendar already live with Google, with a free Mac app on top.

  7. 7Locally AI app icon

    Locally AI

    Free4.7

    Pick it if you want an AI chat you can use offline, with no account and nothing leaving your device.

    A free AI chat app that runs open models on your iPhone, iPad or Mac with no account and no data collected.

  8. 8Ollama app icon

    Ollama

    Free, open source

    Pick it if you want private AI on your Mac or need a local model for apps and coding tools.

    The open-source engine for running AI models on your own Mac, with optional cloud models when you need speed.

Pinchbar app icon

When Pinchbar is still the right pick

You paste text into ChatGPT several times a day just to clean up a sentence.

Pinchbar prices and verdictFree to start