AI · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to Cai
Hi HN, Cai runs actions on your selection via ⌥C, pick an action (AI, shell, GitHub issue, Linear ticket), done. Bundled local model (MLX Community), create custom actions with prompts, scripts and more. Free, MIT. Built after my Raycast extension sat in review queue for 3+ months. Wanted no typing, no app switching, no cloud. Repo: https://github.com/cai-layer/cai Demo: https://youtu.be/LH2MYNQ_wsk
Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.
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Hi Hackers, Excited to share a macOS app I've been working on: https://recurse.chat/ for chatting with local AI. While it's amazing that you can run AI models locally quite easily these days (through llama.cpp / llamafile / ollama / llm CLI etc.), I missed feature complete chat interfaces. Tools like LMStudio are super powerful, but there's a learning curve to it. I'd like to hit a middleground of simplicity and customizability for advanced users. Here's what separates RecurseChat out from similar apps: - UX designed for you to use local AI as a daily driver.…
2024 · recurse.chat · its alternatives →
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Heeey! I built a macOS copilot that has been useful to me, so I open sourced it in case others would find it useful too. It's pretty simple: - Use a keyboard shortcut to take a screenshot of your active macOS window and start recording the microphone. - Speak your question, then press the keyboard shortcut again to send your question + screenshot off to OpenAI Vision - The Vision response is presented in-context/overlayed over the active window, and spoken to you as audio. - The app keeps running in the background, only taking a screenshot/listening when activated by keyboard…
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
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ActionKit▲367Instantly add 1000+ integration actions to your AI agent
2025 · useparagon.com · its alternatives →
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Ollama v0.19▲410Massive local model speedup on Apple Silicon with MLX
Apr 2026 · ollama.com · its alternatives →
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Related: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47653752
Apr 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
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Skillkit▲252It's an open-source project that lets you create, translate, and work with multiple agents at the same time, and more.
Feb 2026 · agenstskills.com · its alternatives →
- 8DA
Write a task in plain English. An AI agent runs it on a simulator on your Mac and tells you if a real user could complete it. Save the successful run as a regression check you can replay later.
Aug 2026 · app.deltix.ai · its alternatives →
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We wrote our inference engine on Rust, it is faster than llama cpp in all of the use cases. Your feedback is very welcomed. Written from scratch with idea that you can add support of any kernel and platform.
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
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Viberia▲146Hey HN, This is my take on the agent harness. Everything on an isometric map. Agents are grouped into "buildings" that run in a sequence or a loop; e.g., the CodeForge has an agent that writes a PRD, another one that implements, and a third that reviews. Everything is customizable, you build your own buildings/teams however you want. It's a Tauri app, really light (about 8x less energy than the closest competitor I benchmarked, so it actually runs from a coffee shop on battery). It's macOS only for now, but ping me if you are willing to test the Windows or Linux version. I've been…
May 2026 · getviberia.com · its alternatives →
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AI Browser▲143Hey HN! I built Browser AI after getting frustrated with the official Playwright MCP server in Claude Code. If you've used it, you know the pain: - 20+ separate tools that Claude has to juggle (click, fill, navigate, wait_for_selector, etc.) - Context window explosions from verbose screenshot data and DOM snapshots - Constant tool selection errors where Claude picks the wrong tool or forgets parameters Browser AI wraps Playwright MCP with a single natural language interface. Instead of Claude managing dozens of tools, you get one: browser_ai.execute. Just tell it what you want in plain…
Nov 2025 · aibrowser.surf · its alternatives →
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I've been building computer-use tools for a while, and I quietly launched this about a month ago (122 Stars on GH). I figured it was worth sharing here. Over the last few months, a lot of computer-use agents have come out: Codex, Claude Code, CUA, and others. Most of them seem to work roughly like this: 1. Take a screenshot 2. Have the model predict pixel coordinates 3. Click x,y 4. Take another screenshot 5. Repeat That works, but it's slow, expensive in tokens, and fragile. If the UI shifts a few pixels, things break. And the model still doesn't know what any element actually is. But the…
May 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
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Openbroca▲94Lightweight AI dictation for Mac that sounds like you
9d ago · openbroca.com · its alternatives →
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Clide ▲93Grid-layout terminal with an AI that drives your shells.
Apr 2026 · clide.app · its alternatives →
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Output▲97Hey HN, After months of building, we're excited to share Output — the first AI agent that can truly control your computer. You can speak or type instructions like: “Fill out this job application using the info in this PDF” “Edit this video in DaVinci Resolve” “Schedule a Zoom call and send the invite” Output understands your intent and directly clicks, types, and navigates apps across your system — without relying on scripts, plugins, or integrations. It's like giving your computer a brain. Works on both Mac and Windows No setup or scripting required Handles real apps like Chrome, Excel,…
2025 · theoutput.co · its alternatives →
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CharacterAI has over 20M active users and lets people talk to AI voice clones. I built a local alternative that clones any voice with <10s of audio and can talk fluently in over 10 languages, and runs locally on your Macbook or Mac mini. The voice pipeline currently supports MLX on any M1 through M5 chip. I used Whisper-Turbo for STT, Qwen3.5-9B-4bit for the LLM and Qwen3-TTS-0.6B-4bit for TTS. The repo also has a Websocket Transport to add these voices to devices powered by the ESP32 via secure websockets.
Mar 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
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Companion▲20AI that actually controls your Windows/Mac desktop - clicks, types, automates workflows across any application. Native OS integration, not cloud APIs. Built this because I was tired of AI that could only chat. Free tier (Gemini) + paid tier (Claude) for reliable automation. The AI can automate complex workflows, manage files/emails, control browsers and native apps. Just launched 2 weeks ago. What workflows would you want automated?
2025 · aioscompanion.com · its alternatives →
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I made my first macOS utility app that ships with a bundled Gemma 4 model, specifically the Gemma E4B one. It made my app DMG have 5.3 GB in size, but I think it is a small size for the power that this free local model can provide. It runs fine on CPU, but can also run on Apple Silicon GPU, although I did not notice any performance improvements with GPU (tested on a M5 chip). I think these local lightweight and multimodal models will open multiple possibilities for new software tools where privacy is essential.
May 2026 · snapname.app · its alternatives →
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The fastest local AI engine for Apple Silicon. 4.2x faster than Ollama, 0.08s cached TTFT, 100% tool calling. 17 tool parsers, prompt cache, reasoning separation, cloud routing. Drop-in OpenAI replacement. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Aider. - raullenchai/Rapid-MLX
Apr 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 21
Your Mac can run AI that holds its own against cloud models for the everyday stuff: chatting, making images, reading documents, transcribing voice. The hardware got there a while ago. The software to actually use it locally mostly didn't, so I built Off Grid. Download a model and it all runs on your machine. Ask it something on a flight with no wifi. Summarize a confidential document that never leaves your laptop. Run a hundred image generations in a loop and pay nothing, because it's your own GPU doing the work. Swap your paid dictation app for local Whisper. Talk through a coding problem…
Jun 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
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Hi HN! I'm the author of mere.run a local first inference runtime built around an installable CLI. I believe that whenever possible we should use the stuff we already own (like our Mac laptops, decent machines gathering dust, our gaming PC) and the limited electrical power we have easy access to, like the socket in the wall next to most of us. We shouldn't have to send our data to the cloud hoping some T&C will prevent it from being used in a way that we'd regret. Most of the local AI solutions are technical, involved, and land a curious body in some package hell. People are optimizing for…
Jul 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
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A Raycast extension for creating powerful, contextually-aware AI commands using placeholders, action scripts, selected files, and more. - SKaplanOfficial/Raycast-PromptLab
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 24
We gave the agents a voice. Sorry in advance.
Aug 2026 · fellowgeek.github.io · its alternatives →
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