Private on-device AI for macOS
Private, On-Device AI for Your Notes
AI superpowers on your most confidential knowledge - without sending a single line to a cloud. Metis runs Apple's on-device Foundation Models, so it can summarize, rewrite, suggest links, and even answer questions across your whole vault, all locally on your Mac. No API keys, no per-seat fees, no data leaving the device.
$14.99 one-time · no subscription · 7-day free trial
Runs locally on your Mac
Private by design
No per-seat subscription
What the on-device AI can do
Summarize
Condense a long note into the key points in a click - skim before you read in full.
Writing assist
On a selection: continue, rewrite, fix grammar, make concise, or expand - in your editor, on your terms.
Suggest tags & links
The model proposes relevant tags and [[links]] from your own content; you confirm what sticks.
Ask Vault
Agentic Q&A that retrieves across your notes and answers with citations - "what did we decide about pricing?" grounded in your knowledge.
Review digest
A daily/weekly digest highlights what changed and what is orphaned, so your knowledge base stays healthy.
Gated & optional
Every AI feature is gated and optional - the app is fully usable without it, and AI never mutates files without your confirmation.
Why on-device is the only honest 'private AI'
Most 'AI notes' apps send your text to a cloud model - often with your own paid API key. For confidential notes (clients, health, finances, company strategy) that is a non-starter. Metis runs the model on your Mac via Apple Intelligence, so your notes are processed locally and never transmitted. Private is the default, not a toggle you have to trust.
Because it is on-device, there is also no usage meter and no per-seat AI subscription - the AI is simply included in the one-time price.
- Runs on Apple's on-device Foundation Models
- No API key, no cloud calls, no usage fees
- Works offline; confidential notes stay confidential
Grounded in your own knowledge
Ask Vault is retrieval-augmented over your notes: it finds the relevant ones (semantic search, also on-device) and answers with citations you can open. Combined with summaries and writing assist, the AI acts on what you actually wrote - not a generic web model guessing.
On-device AI requires a Mac with Apple Intelligence (macOS 26). On macOS 15 the rest of Metis works fully; the AI features are simply hidden.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the AI really private?
Yes. Metis uses Apple's on-device Foundation Models, so summaries, writing assist, and Ask Vault run locally on your Mac. Your notes are never uploaded to a cloud.
Do I need an API key or subscription for the AI?
No. The AI is on-device and included in the one-time price - there is no API key to configure and no per-seat AI fee.
What can the AI do?
Summarize notes, writing assist on a selection (continue, rewrite, fix grammar, make concise, expand), suggest tags and links, answer questions across your vault with citations (Ask Vault), and produce a review digest.
What hardware do I need?
A Mac with Apple Intelligence, running macOS 26, for the AI features. Metis itself runs on macOS 15+; without Apple Intelligence the AI features are hidden and everything else works.
Does the AI change my files on its own?
No. AI features are gated and propose changes you confirm; the model never silently mutates your notes.