The best Alter alternatives for Mac
Alter (alterhq.com) alternatives for Mac: Koi, Raycast AI, BoltAI, HeyClicky, VoiceOS and Apple's Writing Tools. Prices, local models and who rewrites what.
What changed
What is Elephas now? Two different apps
If you knew Elephas as the Mac AI writing assistant with Super Brain, it has changed under you. Elephas now sells a new, separate desktop app that does one job: answering questions from your own documents, with the source for every answer. It isn't an update to the old app. It has its own account and plans, and Elephas's page for existing customers spells out the difference:
- The new Elephas: Brains made from your documents, answers with sources, no writing tools and no integrations. Mac only, macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon, with Windows coming soon and no mobile app.
- The earlier app: Brains plus integrations with other apps, on Mac, iPhone and iPad. The copy bought on Elephas's website also has the writing tools.
- The earlier app keeps working and gets maintenance updates, but it's no longer sold on the website. The App Store version is still for sale, and doesn't include the writing tools.
- Nothing carries over: no import of your Brains yet, and an old subscription or licence doesn't apply to the new app.
We make Koi, the first pick below, so read this with that in mind. Prices and features for every app come from their own sites and App Store pages, checked October 21, 2026, in USD.
Pricing
How much does Elephas cost?
The new Elephas has a 7-day trial with no card, then Personal at $19 a month or $180 a year, Professional at $29 a month or $288 a year (twice the included AI and three computers), and Team at $29 a person a month (Elephas pricing). Each plan includes some Elephas AI, and you can use your own API key or a model that runs on your computer instead. Its site says that with the on-computer model, nothing is sent anywhere, and that with cloud AI it hides names, email addresses and phone numbers before a question leaves your computer, best in English.
The earlier app on the App Store, now listed as Elephas: Secure AI for Docs, is free to download, with Standard at $19 a month, Pro at $39 and Pro Plus at $49, and needs macOS 13 or later.
Why switch
Why people look for an Elephas alternative
- The writing tools are gone from what's on sale. The new app has none, and the App Store version doesn't include them.
- Starting over. Your Brains don't import into the new app yet, and your old plan doesn't carry over.
- Apple silicon only. The new app needs macOS 14 on an Apple silicon Mac.
- No iPhone or iPad. The new app has no mobile app.
- You wanted an assistant for everything on your Mac, not only your documents. The new Elephas says it doesn't send emails, browse the web or automate apps.
Stay on Elephas if
- Your earlier app with the writing tools still does what you need. It keeps working, and you don't have to switch.
- You need answers from a pile of contracts, policies or research, with the file and page cited. That's exactly what the new Elephas does.
- You want a model that runs on your computer, or your own API key, for document questions.
- Your team shares Brains. The Team plan has them, with roles and encrypted sync.
The picks
6 Elephas alternatives for Mac in 2026
1. Koi
Best for: Writing help in every app by voice, plus answers from your own notes and calls
Koi brings back the part of Elephas many people miss: help with writing, wherever you write. Select text in any app and tap Fn + ⌘, then say “fix the grammar”, “make it shorter” or “reply that I'll be late”. Koi rewrites it in place, highlights the changed words, and ⌘Z takes it back. Inside its own documents it does more: writes where your cursor is, adds a summary, turns lines into headings or lists.
For the Super Brain side, Koi answers from what you keep in it. Ask “what did Sam say about pricing?” and it searches your pages, dictations, recorded calls and chats on your Mac and answers from the best few. Say “explain this file” with a PDF or Word file in front of you and it makes a page about it; “translate this letter” saves a translated copy beside it. Koi also has dictation that runs on your Mac and an editor for your documents, all kept as files on the Mac.
What it doesn't do: index a folder of your files into a Brain, cite file and page, run its AI on your Mac, or take your own key. No iPhone or iPad. Pro is $20 a month, or $192 a year, after a 3-day trial that needs a card; Lifetime is paid once, from $59. It runs on macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.
2. Apple Writing Tools
Best for: Rewriting and proofreading, built into newer Macs
Select text, Control-click it and choose Writing Tools, then Show Writing Tools. It rewrites as Friendly, Professional or Concise, proofreads, makes a change you describe, or summarizes. It works in most apps where you type.
It's built in, but needs a Mac with Apple Intelligence in a supported language and region. Features that use Apple's servers have daily limits, and Apple says expanded access will cost a fee later. It doesn't answer from your documents.
3. BoltAI
Best for: Inline AI in any app, bought once, with your own keys
BoltAI edits text inline in any app, opens an overlay on a global shortcut, and keeps projects, reusable agents and a prompt library. It takes MCP servers, runs local models through Ollama or LM Studio, and keeps chats on your Mac.
It's bought once, from $79 with a year of updates, and you pay your AI providers yourself (BoltAI pricing). macOS 13 or later, Intel or Apple silicon, with iPhone and iPad in beta. See BoltAI alternatives.
4. Alter
Best for: Many models and actions, free with your own keys
Alter lives in the notch, takes voice and dictation, uses your screen and apps as context, and runs 80+ built-in actions or your own, putting results back where you were. It works with your own keys or local models.
Free with your own keys; Pro is $240 a year and Lifetime $720 (Alter pricing). One active device at a time. See Alter alternatives.
5. AnythingLLM
Best for: Free, open-source chat with your documents on your computer
If you came to Elephas for questions about your files, AnythingLLM Desktop is the free version of that idea. You add documents to an agent's knowledge, pick a local model or let it suggest one for your hardware, and ask. It also has agent skills, scheduled jobs and a meeting assistant that transcribes on your computer.
It's free, MIT licensed and open source, and runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. Its site says no account or API key is needed. It's a chat window, not a writing tool in your other apps.
6. Msty Studio
Best for: Local and online models with Knowledge Stacks, with a lifetime option
Msty Studio is a desktop workspace for chatting with local and online models, with Knowledge Stacks for your files, MCP tools, an agent mode and reusable prompts. Local models run through Ollama, llama.cpp or MLX.
Free covers the core desktop app. Aurum is $149 a year and Aurum Lifetime $349 once (Msty pricing). Its pricing page marks some features, like RAG and MCP, as limited on Free.
How to
How to ask about a document with Koi
- Open the PDF, Word file or scan in front of you, in Preview, Pages or Finder.
- Tap Fn + ⌘ once and say “explain this file”, or “translate this letter into English”.
- Koi reads the file's words on your Mac and sends only the words, never the file, to its AI.
- An explanation comes back as a page in Koi. A translation is saved as a copy beside the original, in the same layout.
- Later, ask about anything you've kept in Koi, like “what did the landlord say about the deposit?”, and it searches your pages, calls and dictations.
That's one file at a time, not a library. For a folder of contracts with page citations, the new Elephas or AnythingLLM fits better. More on working with files in Koi: study notes from any PDF and flashcards from a PDF.
Comparison
Elephas vs Koi, Writing Tools and the rest
| Best for | Writing in any app | Answers from your files | Local AI | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elephas (new) | Cited answers from documents | No | Yes, with sources | Yes, on-computer model | 7-day trial, then $19 a month |
| Koi | Writing by voice, plus notes and calls | Yes, by voice, ⌘Z to undo | From your Koi pages, calls, dictations, or one open file | Dictation only | 3-day trial, Pro $20 a month, Lifetime from $59 |
| Apple Writing Tools | Quick rewrites, built in | Yes | No | Apple's own models | Built in |
| BoltAI | Inline AI, paid once | Yes, inline | Not on its site | Ollama, LM Studio | From $79 once |
| Alter | Actions from the notch | Yes, results put back in place | Multiple files | Ollama, LM Studio | Free with your keys, Pro $240 a year |
| AnythingLLM | Free document chat | No | Yes | Yes | Free |
| Msty Studio | Local and online models | No | Knowledge Stacks | Ollama, llama.cpp, MLX | Free, Aurum $149 a year |
Privacy
What leaves your Mac with each
The new Elephas keeps documents on your computer, and with its on-computer model nothing is sent. AnythingLLM and Msty can work fully on local models too. Koi is different: its dictation and recordings stay on your Mac, but its AI is online. When you ask Koi to rewrite, the selected text goes with your question; when you ask about a file, its words go, not the file. Our server keeps what each call cost and none of what was said or shown. See the trust page.
Choosing
Which Elephas alternative should you pick?
- Miss the writing help, and want it by voice in every app? Koi.
- Only need quick rewrites and proofreading? Apple Writing Tools.
- Want inline AI, paid once, with your own keys? BoltAI.
- Want many models and actions, free with your keys? Alter.
- Want free document chat on local models? AnythingLLM, or Msty Studio.
More: the best AI assistants for Mac, Raycast AI alternatives, and Koi's plans, where Lifetime is $59 for the first 25 buyers, rising to $199.
Keep exploring
The best BoltAI alternatives for Mac
BoltAI alternatives for Mac: Koi, Raycast AI, Msty Studio, Jan and Alter. Who includes the AI, who takes your own keys or local models, and what each costs.
The best Raycast AI alternatives for Mac
Raycast AI alternatives for Mac: Koi, Alter, BoltAI, HeyClicky, VoiceOS and Siri AI. Who you can talk to, who takes your own keys, and what each costs.
An AI that can see your screen, on your Mac
Koi for Mac is an AI that sees your screen. Tap two keys and ask out loud: it points, draws, rewrites text and clicks, but never pays, sends or deletes.
Support
Frequently asked questions
Elephas launched a new, separate Mac app that only answers questions from your documents, with sources. The earlier app keeps working and gets maintenance updates, but it's no longer sold on Elephas's website, and the App Store version has no writing tools.
No. Elephas says the new app has no writing tools and no integrations: you add documents to Brains and ask questions. Only the earlier app bought on its website has the writing tools.
The new Elephas has a 7-day trial with no card, then Personal at $19 a month or $180 a year, Professional at $29 a month, and Team at $29 a person a month, checked October 21, 2026.
Not yet. Elephas says there's no import from the earlier app today, so you add your files to a new Brain, and an old subscription or licence doesn't apply to the new app.
Koi rewrites selected text in any app when you ask out loud, and answers from your own Koi pages, calls and dictations. It doesn't build a Brain from a folder of files, cite pages, or run its AI on your Mac, which the new Elephas does.