Ally
PKM for the AI age with on-device transcription
Overview
Ally is a personal knowledge management app designed for the AI age, combining on-device voice transcription with a flexible node-based organization system. Built natively with SwiftUI and optimized for Apple Silicon, Ally leverages frontier-accuracy speech-to-text models like NVIDIA's Parakeet v3 via Core ML for fast, private transcription at approximately 15x speed. The app features a unique node system where nodes are simultaneously markdown documents, folders, and chats, eliminating the friction of deciding where to store information. Ally's Shared Context feature keeps markdown documents and AI synchronized, allowing seamless switching between editing and AI-powered assistance. With bot-free recording that captures system audio and microphone directly, automatic speaker identification, and optional iCloud sync across iPhone and Mac, Ally serves remote workers, consultants, students, journalists, and anyone who values privacy in their knowledge workflow.
Pricing: Free | Monthly: $1.99 | Annual: $14.99
Minimum macOS: 14.6 (Sonoma)
Architecture: Apple Silicon
Key Features
- On-device transcription using NVIDIA Parakeet v3 via Core ML at ~15x speed
- 100% local processing with no data sent to the cloud
- Flexible node system combining markdown documents, folders, and chats
- Shared Context keeps documents and AI assistant in sync
- Bot-free recording capturing system audio and microphone directly
- Automatic speaker identification and labeling
- Quick capture with global keyboard shortcuts for voice and web clipping
- Markdown editing with AI collaboration built-in
- Optional iCloud sync across iPhone and Mac
- Records in .m4a format with .md transcript output
- Smart organization with timestamps and metadata
- Optional automatic title generation using Apple Intelligence
- Built natively with SwiftUI for minimal resource footprint
- No internet connection required for core functionality
