Overview

RecurseChat is a native macOS AI chat application designed for privacy-first, offline-capable conversations with local large language models. It runs GGUF models directly on Apple Silicon without requiring any server setup or technical configuration. Beyond local models, RecurseChat connects to cloud providers including OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint via your own API keys. Its standout features include a system-wide floating chat window accessible via a keyboard shortcut, on-device RAG for chatting with PDFs, markdown, and text files without sending data to the cloud, and the ability to import your entire ChatGPT history to continue conversations locally. With full-text search across thousands of messages, folder organization, and export capabilities, RecurseChat serves as a unified, privacy-respecting AI chat hub for Mac users who want both local and cloud model access in a single native app.

Pricing: $19.99 one-time (free trial available)

Minimum macOS: 14.0 (Sonoma)

Architecture: Apple Silicon

Key Features

Run local GGUF models on Apple Silicon with zero configuration
Download models from Hugging Face or connect to Ollama
Connect to OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, and OpenAI-compatible endpoints with your own API keys
Floating chat window accessible via Cmd+Shift+Enter from any app
On-device RAG for chatting with PDF, markdown, and text files privately
Import ChatGPT chat history and continue conversations locally
Talk with multiple AI models in a single chat session
Full-text search across thousands of chat messages
Folder organization and chat export capabilities
One-time purchase with free App Store updates