Gerty

About Gerty

Gerty is a private AI assistant that runs entirely on a Mac. It measures the machine's hardware, selects open models suited to specific tasks (chat, writing, code, image understanding, and image generation), downloads them, and configures them as a single assistant. The tool operates locally without an account, telemetry, or cloud dependency.

Review

Gerty tackles the friction of running local AI models by automating model selection and setup. Instead of asking users to browse model repositories or configure terminals, it profiles the Mac and assembles a working set of models behind the scenes. The result is a locally-running assistant that can access documents, mail, calendar, and reminders, and that shows every change before applying it.

Key Features

• Automatic hardware measurement and model selection: Gerty checks the Mac's memory and picks what it determines are the strongest open models for each job category, then downloads and assembles them into one assistant.
• Document and data integration: Users can point Gerty at a folder of documents (including scans), ask questions, and see which file and page the answer came from. It also searches mail, drafts replies in the user's writing style, and reads or adds calendar events, reminders, notes, and Shortcuts.
• Local voice input: A voice interface runs locally and can be activated from the menu bar notch.
• Local API endpoint: Developers can point tools like Claude Code, Codex, or aider at Gerty's local API instead of a cloud service.
• Change preview and undo: Any action that modifies something on the system is shown to the user first and can be undone.

Pricing and Value

Gerty is sold for a one-time payment of CHF 49, covering up to three Macs. A 7-day free trial requires no sign-up, and a 14-day refund window is available. The app itself is about 340 MB; model downloads vary by package. On a 16 GB Mac, the Gerty Max bundle downloads roughly 18 GB of models. The tool displays the download size before anything is fetched.

Pros

• Removes the need to manually research, select, and configure open models for different tasks on Apple Silicon hardware.
• Works offline with no account, no telemetry, and no cloud processing, keeping sensitive documents and queries on the device.
• Integrates with local system data-mail, calendar, notes, reminders, Shortcuts, and file folders-without requiring data uploads.
• Exposes a local API that other developer tools can use, extending its utility beyond the built-in interface.
• One-time pricing with a trial and refund window, rather than a recurring subscription.

Cons

• Requires Apple Silicon and macOS 26, which excludes Intel Macs and older operating system versions.
• The largest cloud models still outperform local models on the hardest reasoning tasks, as the maker notes.
• Not well suited for users who need maximum reasoning performance on complex problems or who prefer to hand-pick and fine-tune individual models themselves.

Gerty fits users who want a locally-running assistant that handles model selection and setup without manual configuration, and who regularly work with private documents, mail, and calendar data they'd rather not send to cloud services. It's less appropriate for those on Intel hardware, those running macOS versions below 26, or those whose work demands the strongest available reasoning models regardless of where they run. The tool's local API also makes it a practical back-end for developers who already use CLI coding assistants and want to route requests through on-device models.