As artificial intelligence becomes more ubiquitous, Osaurus steps in to offer a personal touch. This open-source software lets users switch between local and cloud-based AI models on their Macs, keeping everything on their own hardware.

The idea for Osaurus came from co-founder Terence Pae’s desire to run an AI assistant locally after customers of his previous app, Dinoki, questioned the need to pay tokens. Now, with Osaurus, users can choose which AI model suits them best and keep other aspects of their AI experience on their own hardware.

Osaurus supports a variety of models including MiniMax M2.5, GPT-OSS, DeepSeek V4 and more, offering an easy-to-use interface for non-developers while addressing security concerns with its sandboxed environment. The app has seen significant adoption since its launch, with over 112,000 downloads.

Pae believes that as the technology advances, local AI models will become more powerful, potentially reducing reliance on data centers in cloud-based systems. However, running these models locally can be resource-intensive, requiring at least 64GB of RAM and up to 128GB for larger models.

With features like voice capabilities and over 20 native plugins, Osaurus aims to make AI more accessible while addressing privacy concerns in business sectors such as legal and healthcare.