If you asked me a year ago whether running AI locally was worth the hassle, I would have said “not unless you are technical and comfortable with command line tools”
Now? It is incredibly easy and everyone should have a local modal downloaded and ready to leverage at least as a backup.
Most people don’t realize that there is an alternative to having your conversations sent through the internet to ChatGPT or Claude. You can keep everything private & local when leveraging the power of AI.
Local AI means the conversation never leaves your computer.
Why This Actually Matters
Let’s imagine you’re a consultant working on a competitive analysis. You want to use AI to help synthesize insights from confidential client documents. With cloud-based AI, you’re essentially sharing that information with OpenAI, Anthropic, or whoever runs the service.
With local AI:
- Your data stays on your machine
- No internet connection required (yes, you can use it on a plane)
- No usage limits or monthly fees
- Complete control over your conversation history
The trade-off? Local models aren’t quite as capable as GPT-5 or Claude. But they’re getting remarkably close—and for many tasks, they’re more than good enough.
Where to Start: My Recommendations
Here’s what I’ve learned:
If you want the simplest experience: RecurseChat ($10, Mac only)
This is my top pick for most people. You pay once, download it, and you’re running AI on your Mac in minutes. No configuration headaches. No technical knowledge required.
What makes it special:
- Clean, familiar chat interface
- Automatically downloads and manages models for you
- Updates regularly with new model options
- Just works—which is rarer than you’d think in this space
The catch: Mac only, and you’ll want a relatively recent Mac (M1 chip or newer works best).
If you want free and cross-platform: LM Studio
This is the tool I recommend to Windows users or anyone who wants more control without paying.
Why it’s good:
- Works on Mac, Windows, and Linux
- Large library of models to choose from
- Active community and regular updates
- Surprisingly user-friendly for a free tool
The learning curve: You’ll need to understand a bit about model selection and settings, but the interface guides you reasonably well.
If you want AI on your smartphone: Private LLM ($5, iOS/Mac)
Most people don’t realize you can run AI models on your iPhone or iPad. Private LLM makes this possible—and it’s genuinely useful.
When I use it:
- Drafting sensitive emails on the go
- Working offline during travel
- Quick brainstorming without switching apps
- Situations where I want AI assistance but don’t want cloud dependency
Reality check: Phone models are less powerful than what you’d run on a laptop, but they’re still surprisingly capable for many tasks.
The Full List of Options
Here’s what else is out there:
gpt4all (Free, all platforms)
- Another solid free option
- Good for beginners
- Windows, Mac, and Linux
- Similar to LM Studio but with a different interface
OpenWebUI (Free, all platforms)
- Most powerful and customizable
- Requires more technical setup
- Best for developers or power users
- Can connect to multiple AI backends
Enclave AI (Free with upgrades, Mac/iOS)
- Newer option gaining traction
- Good balance of local and cloud features
- Works well on mobile
- Free tier is quite usable
What You Need to Know Before Starting
Hardware matters: Local AI runs better on newer computers with more RAM. You can run smaller models on older machines, but performance varies significantly.
Model selection is key: Different models excel at different tasks. You’ll want to experiment. Start with general-purpose models like Llama or Mistral variants.
It’s not replacing cloud AI: Think of local AI as a complement to ChatGPT or Claude, not a replacement. I use both depending on the situation.
My Personal Setup
I keep RecurseChat on my Mac for quick, private conversations—especially when working with client data or exploring ideas I’m not ready to share with the internet.
For more complex tasks or when I need the absolute best performance, I still use ChatGPT or Claude.
The key is having options and understanding when each makes sense.
Try This: Your First 15 Minutes
- Choose one tool based on your platform and budget
- Download and install it (most are 2-5 minutes)
- Start with a simple prompt: “Explain quantum computing to a 10-year-old”
- Try something more relevant to your work: Ask it to help brainstorm ideas for a current project
- Test the privacy aspect: Try a prompt you wouldn’t feel comfortable sending to a cloud service
- One of the keys to leveraging AI effectively is becoming more comfortable engaging in dialog. It helps to know that the data never leaves your computer.
The future is local AI that has the context, secure access, and personalization to help you faster and more efficiently.
