Local AI on Apple Silicon

All Articles

40 articles

  1. Claude Sonnet 5 on Mac: Agents, Coding, 1M Context and API Costs Explained

    Claude Sonnet 5 explained: official model ID, 1M context, 128K output, adaptive thinking, pricing, Claude Code, OpenRouter naming and why it does not run locally on Mac.

  2. Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image on Mac: Nano Banana Lite Explained

    Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image, also called Nano Banana Lite, is Google's fast and cost-efficient image model for text-to-image and image editing. Learn pricing, limits, Mac workflows and why it is not a local Ollama model.

  3. ChatGPT 5.6 Explained: GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra and Luna

    OpenAI has introduced GPT-5.6 as a limited preview. Here is what Sol, Terra and Luna do, how much they cost, and why the launch is controversial.

  4. Sakana Fugu Ultra: An AI Orchestrator, Not a Model You Can Download

    Sakana Fugu Ultra is not a local LLM but a cloud orchestrator that coordinates multiple models. What that means for Mac users, EU availability, and pricing.

  5. macOS 27 Golden Gate compatibility: Does it run on your Mac? Intel support ends

    macOS 27 Golden Gate drops every Intel Mac. Check the complete compatible Mac list, learn what M1 and M2 owners still receive, and understand the M3 plus 12GB Siri AI feature limit.

  6. GLM-5.2 OpenRouter Pricing: 1M Context & Mac Limits

    GLM-5.2 OpenRouter pricing, API setup, 1M context and the practical Mac verdict: this is a cloud model, not a normal local download.

  7. Kimi K2.7 Code on Mac: Can You Run It Locally?

    Can Kimi K2.7 Code run locally on a Mac? The Ollama cloud command, 256K context, API access and why this is not an offline Apple Silicon model.

  8. Claude Fable 5 Is Back: Status, Pricing and Mac Alternatives

    Anthropic is redeploying Claude Fable 5 after US export controls were lifted. Current status for Claude Code, the API, cloud providers, pricing, data retention and local Mac alternatives.

  9. Nex N2 Pro on Mac: What 397B MoE Means in Practice

    Nex N2 Pro is an open-weight 397B MoE agent model. Here is what 17B active parameters mean, how much memory it really needs, and why a normal Mac is not its target platform.

  10. Gemma 4 12B on Mac: Does Google's New Model Really Work with 16 GB?

    Gemma 4 12B can run locally from 16 GB and brings 256K context plus image and audio understanding. What actually works on Mac.

  11. NVIDIA Nemotron 3 Ultra on Mac: Cloud Model with an Ollama Interface

    NVIDIA Nemotron 3 Ultra explained: 550B MoE, agent workflows and why it only runs through the cloud on Mac.

  12. MiniMax M3 on Mac: Can You Run It Locally? Pricing, API & 1M Context

    Can MiniMax M3 run locally on a Mac? No. Here is what its 1M context, OpenRouter API, pricing and cloud-only workflow mean for Mac users.

  13. StepFun Step 3.7 Flash on Mac: 198B MoE, 256K Context and the Local Reality

    StepFun Step 3.7 Flash explained: 198B MoE, 11B active parameters, 256K context, API pricing, benchmark signals, Mac memory limits and why normal Macs are not enough.

  14. Claude Opus 4.8 Fast Mode on Mac: Is the Upgrade Worth It?

    Claude Opus 4.8 for Mac developers: standard and Fast Mode pricing, 1M context, adaptive thinking, migration notes and a clear upgrade verdict.

  15. Xiaomi MiMo-V2.5-Pro API: Pricing, API Key & Mac Reality

    Xiaomi MiMo-V2.5-Pro API pricing, Token Plan, setup and the key Mac answer: it is a cloud model, not a normal local Apple Silicon download.

  16. MiniMax M2.7 on Mac: 10% Off and Cloud AI

    MiniMax M2.7 explained: cloud AI for coding agents, benchmarks, Token Plan, 10% referral note, Ollama Cloud and local Mac alternatives.

  17. Can Gemini 3.5 Flash Run Locally in Ollama?

    Gemini 3.5 Flash does not run locally in Ollama, LM Studio or MLX. What actually works on Mac and which local models fit instead.

  18. Qwen3.7-Max OpenRouter Pricing: 1M Context, API Setup & Mac Limits

    Qwen3.7-Max OpenRouter pricing, 1M context, API setup and the answer Mac users need: it is a cloud model, not a local Ollama or MLX download.

  19. Can Gemini 3.5 Flash Run Locally on Mac? Ollama, MLX & Pricing

    Can Gemini 3.5 Flash run in Ollama or MLX on a Mac? No. See the API setup, 1M context, privacy and current pricing.

  20. Qwen3-ASR + Qwen3-TTS vs. Grok Voice: Local or Cloud?

    Qwen3-ASR, Qwen3-TTS and Grok Voice compared: ASR, TTS, voice agents, privacy and pricing.

  21. Ministral 3 on Mac: 3B, 8B and 14B with Ollama

    Ministral 3 locally on Apple Silicon: Ollama, 3B/8B/14B, vision, tool calling and RAM limits.

  22. Claude Opus 4.7 Fast vs Standard: When the 6x Premium Is Worth It

    Claude Opus 4.7 Fast Mode explained: 6x pricing, up to 2.5x output speed, prompt cache, Claude Code and when Standard is cheaper.

  23. Moondream2 on Mac: 1.7 GB Vision Without Cloud

    Run Moondream2 locally on Apple Silicon: Ollama setup, image analysis, RAM limits, benchmarks, Moondream3 Preview and real limits.

  24. Laguna XS.2 on Mac: Coding Model, Benchmarks and RAM Limits

    Laguna XS.2 from Poolside scores 69.9% on SWE-bench Verified. What runs locally on Mac, which Ollama tags matter and where Qwen3.6 leads.

  25. Perceptron Mk1 on Mac: Video AI Is Cloud-Only

    Perceptron Mk1 explained: video reasoning through an API, structured annotations and local Mac alternatives.

  26. Local Vision LLMs on Mac: Which Models Are Actually Worth It?

    Gemma 3, Qwen2.5-VL, Llama 3.2 Vision, and Moondream compared on Apple Silicon: OCR, screenshots, documents, benchmarks, RAM, and solid prompts.

  27. Small LLMs on Mac: Which Ones Are Worth It?

    Small local LLMs for Apple Silicon: Qwen3, Qwen3.5, Ollama, memory needs and practical settings.

  28. Gemma 3 on Mac: Which Variant Fits Your Setup?

    Gemma 3 on Apple Silicon: Which model for which Mac, Ollama setup, and the truth about vision and 128K context.

  29. Gemma 4 on Mac: Which Variant Fits Your Setup?

    Gemma 4 on Apple Silicon: E2B, E4B, 26B or 31B — which model for which Mac.

  30. DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Flash on Mac: API Costs, 1M Context and Cloud Reality

    DeepSeek V4 Pro and Flash explained for Mac users: 1M context, API pricing, thinking modes, benchmarks, Ollama Cloud and why neither is a normal local Mac model.

  31. Baidu ERNIE 5.1: What the Model Can Do — and Why It Won't Run on Your Mac

    Baidu ERNIE 5.1: AIME26 with tools, LMArena Search, cloud access and why Mac users should not plan it as a local model.

  32. Qwen3.6 on Mac: 27B, 35B-A3B, Vision and Ollama

    Run Qwen3.6 locally on Apple Silicon: 27B vs 35B-A3B, Ollama and MLX tags, vision, benchmarks and realistic RAM limits.

  33. Unified Memory: Why Local LLMs Work on Mac

    Unified Memory explained: why Apple Silicon helps local LLMs, where memory bandwidth matters, and when Mac mini M4, M4 Pro or cloud makes sense.

  34. Best Local LLMs for Mac (2026): 16 GB, 24 GB, 32 GB & 64 GB Picks

    The best local LLMs for Mac in 2026, split by unified memory: practical Qwen3.6, Gemma 4 and Llama 4 choices for 16 GB to 64 GB+ Macs.

  35. Mac mini M4 Pro: Which Models Are Actually Faster?

    Ollama, MLX, llama.cpp on Mac mini M4 Pro: RAM limits and local LLM tests.

  36. Apple Intelligence vs Local AI: Mac Privacy Guide

    Apple Intelligence, PCC, ChatGPT and local AI on Mac: what stays local, when cloud processing happens and when Ollama is more private.

  37. Whisper on Mac: Local Transcription Without Cloud

    Whisper locally on Apple Silicon: mlx-whisper, WhisperKit, privacy and speaker diarization.

  38. Mac mini M4 as an AI Server: Is It Worth It?

    Mac mini M4 as a local AI server: RAM recommendations, Ollama on LAN, security, power cost and cloud comparison.

  39. Ollama on Mac mini M4: local AI setup, memory limits and the cloud trap

    Set up Ollama on Mac mini M4 the right way: installation, model choices for 16/24/32/48/64 GB unified memory, local API, Open WebUI, context length, cloud models and privacy.

  40. Mac mini M4 for Local AI: Which RAM Size to Buy?

    Mac mini M4 for local AI: clear RAM advice, Ollama, LM Studio, model choices, electricity costs, break-even math and privacy.