Local Code Brings a Free, Open-Source AI Assistant to Mac That Can Run Models On-Device
Because local models keep prompts and files on the machine, the tool gives Mac users a privacy-focused option alongside optional cloud models billed by provider.
Draw Things' developers have released Local Code, a free, open-source Mac app that runs AI models directly on the machine, so prompts and files stay local when a local model is used. It can build presentations, generate images and videos, analyse spreadsheets and handle Word and PowerPoint files, and includes a browser the assistant can drive for web tasks. With permission it can read Mail, Messages and Notes and edit Calendar and Photos, with Apple's App Sandbox limiting its wider system access. Qwen and DeepSeek models are offered, with Qwen 3.8 27B listed at a 16GB memory minimum and DeepSeek downloads ranging from about 89GB to 376GB. Cloud models are optional but send prompts and files to the chosen provider, billed through the user's own API key or prepaid credits from $9.99. Following a public beta that started September 12, a direct Mac download is available now, with a Mac App Store version promised soon.
Why it matters
For Mac users who handle sensitive mail, messages, notes or documents, the main change is choice: they can keep work on their own computer, with permission-based access to Mail, Messages, Notes, Calendar and Photos, or send prompts to a cloud provider when they want to. The app is free and open source, and its memory requirements and large model downloads set a practical limit on which machines can run the local option well. Cloud use is a separate decision with its own costs and data handling, so the privacy benefit depends on which mode a user picks.
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