Collection
Private AI apps for Mac and iPhone that run offline, with Draw Things, Locally AI, Whisper Notes, OwlOCR, Cotypist and Merlin Bird ID
Most AI apps send what you type, say or photograph to a server. These 6 do the work on your own device, so they keep running in airplane mode and your content stays with you.
6 apps5 free to startMac, iPhone, iPad
What gets an app in: An app gets in when its AI runs on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, so the core job works without an internet connection.
- 1
Merlin Bird IDNames birds from a photo or a recording of their song, and the bird packs you download for your region work with no signal.Free - 2
Draw ThingsGenerates and edits AI images on the device with FLUX.1 and SDXL, and it needs no internet for local creation.Free to start - 3
Locally AIChats with open models such as Llama and Gemma on your phone or Mac, with no account and no data collected.Free - 4
Whisper NotesTurns voice memos and meeting recordings into labeled transcripts without uploading the audio.$6.99 once - 5
OwlOCRCopies text out of screenshots, scans and PDFs using on-device recognition, and the free tier covers everyday use.Free to start - 6
CotypistSuggests your next words inline in Mac apps, from a model that runs on your Mac, with a free tier of 100 accepted words a day.Free to start
The full story: this list comes from 6 Private AI Apps for Mac and iPhone That Work in Airplane Mode on The Useful Tech, where each app gets a longer write-up. That story was sponsored by Whisper Notes. Sponsors never pay for a place on this site, so the apps here are in our own order.
