Indie developers are proving you can pull off powerful AI without cloud baggage. Five Mac and iOS apps lean into on-device ML and privacy-first design, showing data stays local while the AI still delights.
StenoAI is an open-source Mac app optimized for Apple Silicon Macs and runs entirely on-device, using OpenAI's Whisper for transcription and Llama 3.2 for summarization. No cloud, no subscriptions. [1]
TinySpark is a completely offline AI chat app that runs on your iPhone, with no login and no internet. Release is on November 1st. [2]
SimpleDateOpener analyzes dating profiles entirely on-device: you screenshot, text is extracted, local ML summarizes, and it suggests opener phrases. Privacy-first: no data leaves the device. Pricing: 5 free local interactions and 5 free AI interactions; ads later, with ad-free options planned. [3]
FishSnap AI lets you snap a photo and instantly identifies the fish with fast, local inference. [4]
Crop&Grade ranks your shots offline, using "Crazy-Crop" to explore ratios; supports 1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 4:5, 16:9, and more. Non-destructive exports; fully local processing. One-time $2.99. [5]
Together, these indie tools map a broader shift toward privacy-preserving AI on the device.
References
StenoAI: A free AI Meeting Notes Taker that runs using AI models on your Mac. Self hosted alternative to Fireflies, Granola, Otter & Jamie. Optimised for M series Macs.
StenoAI is a free, open-source Mac app for local meeting transcription and summarization; self-hosted, privacy-first, no cloud.
View sourceJust released my first local AI chat app! ⚡
TinySpark local AI chat app released; on-device, offline, free; iPhone supported, no login, future updates planned App Store November 1st.
View sourceSimpleDateOpener — AI-assisted app that helps you write better first messages on dating apps (Free, Optional IAP)
Indie iOS app SimpleDateOpener uses on-device ML to craft opener suggestions from profiles; free interactions with ads, upcoming subscriptions.
View source🐟 Instantly Identify Any Fish with AI
Promotes FishSnap AI for iPhone that identifies fish from photos, offering fast results and species details via App Store link.
View sourceI built Crop&Grade: offline AI ranks your shots + “Crazy-Crop” explores ratios with before/after scores [one-time $2.99]
Redesigned iPhone app Crop&Grade uses offline AI to pick top crops with Crazy-Crop ratios and before/after scores.
View source