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AI · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Runwhile, Your Mac, from anywhere.

Supervise, automate, and control your Mac from anywhere.

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Prices are shown for the 2 we have checked on their own sites, 2 of them free or with a free tier.

  1. 1

    Run AI agents on your Mac with scoped access

    Aug 2026 · plow.co · its alternatives →

  2. 2
    Beam.winfree tier, from $7/mo▲371

    Run AI agents on one Mac and use its windows on another

    3d ago · beam.win · its alternatives →

  3. 3
    Donely ▲220

    Hey HN, I'm Harsha, founder of Donely (https://donely.ai). What is Donely? Donely is an AI agent that lives on your Mac. It sees your screen, detects tasks in real-time, and autonomously executes them using your apps—think Jarvis for macOS. It monitors your workflow, answers questions with full context, and completes tasks with one-click approvals. The New Feature: Remote Computer Use Today we're shipping remote access. You can now control your Donely-powered Mac from anywhere through our web app. Whether you're traveling or away from your desk, you can kick off automation tasks on…

    Mar 2026 · donely.ai · its alternatives →

  4. 4

    Stay focused and beat procrastination on your Mac.

    2018 · effortless.app · its alternatives →

  5. 5
    Mindly ▲177

    Capture anything in seconds with automatic organization

    2025 · mindly-ai.com · its alternatives →

  6. 6
    Awakado▲79

    Keep your Mac awake while your AI agents work

    19d ago · awakado.noodledragon.studio · its alternatives →

  7. 7
    Focu▲170

    Mindful productivity app for MacOS

    2024 · focu.app · its alternatives →

  8. 8
    Caret▲211

    We've been heads-down building this for a few weeks and want real feedback before we open it up. Caret runs in the background and completes your thoughts across every app: email, terminal, notes, wherever. Hit Tab and it finishes the sentence. We're onboarding the first users ourselves, one by one. So if you're interested, one of the three of us will get on a call with you to set you up and understand how you work. Looking for 20 people.

    Apr 2026 · trycaret.com · its alternatives →

  9. 9

    Hi HN, Francesco from Cua here. I hacked this project together last weekend, inspired by the Codex Computer-Use release and lessons learned from deploying GUI-operating agents for our customers. The main problem: when a UI automation process controls a desktop app today, it usually takes over the human’s session. Your cursor moves, keyboard focus gets stolen, windows jump to the front, and you have to stop working until the agent is done. That is why we have historically avoided encouraging users to run these processes directly on their host machine, instead relying on VMs or GUI containers…

    Apr 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  10. 10
    Local▲107

    Super excited to launch our new app Local today. What we’ve learned at Base Compute over the last months is that running AI directly on your laptop or workstation gives you maximum privacy and it’s free, but it’s also a massive headache to configure. So we’ve decided what matters is making the experience completely frictionless for users. Local analyses the hardware of your laptop, optimises the AI for it, and recommends the best models for your specific device. It let’s you do what you’re doing with cloud AI already, just for free and on your own machine: Chatting with PDF’s, Recording and…

    Aug 2026 · basecompute.co · its alternatives →

  11. 11

    Run productive meetings

    2015 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

  12. 12

    Got tired of reaching for the terminal to caffeinate my mac and tweaking system settings Now got a new friend in my menubar Enjoy!

    Aug 2026 · agentsneversleep.app · its alternatives →

  13. 13
    launchk▲68

    Manage launchd agents and daemons from a snappy terminal UI

    2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

  14. 14

    Avoid distracting websites

    2014 · selfcontrolapp.com · its alternatives →

  15. 15
    Runable▲64

    The Best Way To Work With AI

    Mar 2026 · runable.com · its alternatives →

  16. 16
    AppHalt▲103

    Pause unused Mac apps & reclaim speed in one click

    2025 · apphalt.app · its alternatives →

  17. 17
    Clicky▲144

    AI buddy next to your cursor on Mac—sees, guides, helps you!

    Apr 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  18. 18
    Worky▲130

    Effortlessly manage your macOS desktop

    2022 · worky.betweenframes.net · its alternatives →

  19. 19
    Output▲97

    Hey 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 →

  20. 20

    Control your Mac from anywhere in the world

    2017 · its alternatives →

  21. 21
    Dreamless▲104

    Make your Mac disconnect and save battery while doing so

    2024 · its alternatives →

  22. 22

    Stay active and prevent tasks from pausing

    2024 · its alternatives →

  23. 23

    Run Claude Code, Codex, AGY, and Grok Build side by side on your Mac. Every change gets reviewed by a second agent before you accept it.

    19d ago · offrun.dev · its alternatives →

  24. 24
    Off▲107

    Remotely shutdown your PC or Mac.

    2019 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →