Fluid
Fluid is a private assistant designed for Mac by Meta Llama 3, offering the functionality of AI tools like ChatGPT whilst focusing on offli...
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What is Fluid?
Fluid is a private AI assistant for Mac designed to run fully offline on Apple Silicon Macs with macOS 14 or later. It lets you ask questions from anywhere with a keyboard shortcut, using a ChatGPT-like experience while keeping conversations on your device.
The app emphasizes privacy and local processing. According to the site, your chats are made on your Mac and never leave it, and voice input is also handled locally without sending your voice anywhere. It is framed as a secure, sandboxed, Apple-checked app that does not require an admin password.
Fluid is built for quick, everyday access rather than a complex workflow. You can launch it with Ctrl+Space, interrupt answers with Esc, view recent answers by default, and open full history with Cmd+H. The website also says it auto-updates and is meant to be simple to install and use.
The product appears aimed at privacy-conscious individuals, developers, researchers, and general users who want a local AI assistant on their Mac. The site also promotes a paid Fluid Pro API and a business offering called FluidBox AI for organizations that want private, in-house AI infrastructure.
Fluid pricing
Pricing model: Free
The beta version of the Fluid Mac app is free to download and use. The site says you can create as many Fluid Apps as you like, and the local Mac assistant is currently free in beta. The paid offering is Fluid Pro API at $19/month, which includes access to the private API and can also enable the premium plan in the Mac app. A separate business product, FluidBox AI, starts at €19,999 and is sold as a private, on-premises AI server for companies.
Fluid pros
- Fully offline local AI assistant
- Chats stay on your Mac
- No third-party data sharing
- Voice dictation stays on-device
- Keyboard shortcut access from anywhere
- Quick Ctrl+Space launcher
- Esc can stop generation immediately
- Cmd+H opens chat history
- Auto-updates built in
- Runs in Apple sandbox
- No admin password required
- Apple security-checked and notarized
- One-click installation
- Simple, low-friction setup
- ChatGPT-like experience with privacy focus
- Powered by Meta Llama 3
- Works without internet after install
- Promoted as battery-friendly when idle
- Supports a local voice recognition mode
- Offers a private business server option
Fluid cons
- Mac only
- Apple Silicon required
- Requires macOS 14 or later
- Needs 4.9GB to 8.6GB free disk space
- Not available on the App Store yet
- Open-source status is no
- Auto-updates cannot be disabled
- No cloud/web search feature yet
- Context awareness is only planned
- Memory feature is only planned
- Can be GPU-intensive while generating answers
- Business offering is EU-only for now
- Free local app is limited compared with API
- Voice recognition requires extra setup steps
- No current support for macOS 13
- Pricing is split across app, API, and business product
Frequently asked questions about Fluid
What is Fluid?
Fluid is a private AI assistant for Mac that runs locally on Apple Silicon Macs. It is designed to give you a ChatGPT-like assistant experience while keeping your chats on your device and offline.
What devices and macOS versions does Fluid support?
The site says Fluid is for Macs with Apple Silicon and requires macOS 14 or later. It also notes that the app needs 4.9GB of free space on Macs with 8GB RAM and 8.6GB on Macs with 16GB RAM or more.
How private is Fluid?
Fluid says your chats are made on your Mac and never leave it. It also says voice input is handled locally, so your voice is not sent anywhere, and the app is sandboxed for additional security.
How do I open Fluid quickly?
You can launch Fluid from anywhere by pressing Ctrl+Space. The site also says you can stop an answer with Esc, and open conversation history with Cmd+H.
Does Fluid support voice input?
Yes. The site says you can dictate by pressing the Control key after enabling Voice Recognition in the status bar and granting microphone permission at startup. It describes voice control as local and private.
Is Fluid free?
The beta version of the Fluid Mac app is free. The website separately offers Fluid Pro API for $19/month, and that paid account can also enable the premium plan in the Mac app.
What is Fluid Pro API?
Fluid Pro API is the paid API offering priced at $19/month. The site says it uses private infrastructure in the EU, offers encrypted messages, and includes enough usage for up to 3000 requests per month.
What is FluidBox AI?
FluidBox AI is the business product for companies that want an in-house private AI server. The site says it is installed directly at the company's workspace, is designed for confidentiality, and starts at €19,999.
Can I disable auto-updates or use Fluid on older Macs?
The website says auto-updates cannot be disabled right now. It also says support is currently limited to macOS 14.0, though the team mentions macOS 13 support may be added in the future.
Who is Fluid for?
Fluid is aimed at people who care about privacy while using AI for everyday tasks like research, coding, diet questions, and brainstorming. The site also says it is suitable for developers who want privacy for their codebase, and for businesses that need secure private AI infrastructure.