RecurseChat

RecurseChat offers several key features that enhance the AI chat experience on Mac:

• Local First: Run AI models directly on your Mac, with no internet connection needed and no servers involved.
• Floating Chat: Summon the AI chat window from any app using the keyboard shortcut ⌘+⇧+Enter. The chat stays on top of all windows for quick access.
• Chat with Files: Interact with PDFs, markdown, and text files using local RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) with on-device embedding and vector search. Your files never leave your machine.
• Model Flexibility: Use GGUF models, Hugging Face models, OpenAI-compatible endpoints, or cloud providers like Claude and ChatGPT. Import your ChatGPT history to continue conversations with local AI.

RecurseChat is designed for users who value privacy and want a seamless AI chat experience on their Mac. It is suitable for:

• Privacy-conscious individuals: Those who prefer to keep their conversations and files local, without relying on cloud services.
• Offline productivity: Users who need AI assistance while traveling or in environments with limited internet connectivity.
• Power users: People who want to experiment with different AI models, including local GGUF models and cloud providers, all from a single app.
• File-based research: Users who need to query information from PDFs, markdown, and text files without uploading them to external services.

RecurseChat is available as a one-time purchase with no subscription required. The app is offered on the Mac App Store, and users can try it for free before buying. There is no data collection, and the price point has been praised by users as being exactly right.