I installed a small LLM on my Mac laptop — here's why I can't go back

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Ah, autocomplete. It’s the bane of many users, constantly ducking up when you’re in the flow of writing out your next missive.

As someone who writes a lot (and even that’s probably underselling it), I’m used to the clacking of a keyboard being a near-permanent sound in my day, but one app has brought autocomplete functionality to my Mac - and now I’m not sure I can go back. Here’s why you should give Cotypist a look.

No, really, Cotypist works

(Image credit: Future)

My interest in AI tools is much more focused on local models and tools to get work done, rather than using them to build something I would otherwise need specific skills for, but Cotypist feels the closest to using an Apple first-party typing assistant.

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As you’re typing, Cotypist will suggest what your next word should be. Hit tab, and it autofills the word. That sounds like a minor boon for productivity, but it doesn’t take long to build up some speed while tapping away and hitting Tab every now and again to nudge your sentence along.

The model is installed locally, so everything happens instantaneously. The app recommends running a Gemma 4 model when you install it, which takes up 3.2GB. There are smaller and larger models, though, running from 0.8GB all the way to a whopping 15.7GB.

That gives you plenty of options, as well as the option to check typing statistics and set bespoke shortcuts. You can also turn it off in specific applications or domains.

I’m using it to help me fill in words with a button press, but it can just as easily be used to code or create prompts.

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Privacy concerns?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Before using Cotypist, I wanted to confirm it wasn’t “phoning home,” and ran it through network traffic monitor Little Snitch on my Mac.

And, true to the developer’s promises, there’s nothing going off your device. Processing is done locally, so my writing isn’t leaving my MacBook (and neither does whatever you’re working on).

To clarify, there’s no part of me that would ever use generative AI to write copy for me — it’s a professional death sentence, in many ways, and even my emails are handled by me and only me.

Bottom line

Having Cotypist help me fire off sentences more quickly than I otherwise would have been able to is a colossal boon to my productivity. Better yet, it runs on any Apple Silicon Mac and it’s free, and unlike something like Grammarly, it doesn’t override your own personal writing style.

The app is still in beta, but it’s already in a really solid place. It’s free for now, but pricing is expected to change in the future. For now, though, it’s very easy to recommend.

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Contributing writer

Lloyd Coombes is a freelance tech and fitness writer. He's an expert in all things Apple as well as in computer and gaming tech, with previous works published on TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Live Science and more. You'll find him regularly testing the latest MacBook or iPhone, but he spends most of his time writing about video games as Gaming Editor for the Daily Star. He also covers board games and virtual reality, just to round out the nerdy pursuits.

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