Fenn

Fenn

Private AI search for everything on your Mac — offline.

95/100Safe BetFrom $9/month (billed annually)Paid

Fenn is the go-to if you need deep, private, offline search across your entire Mac file system — including design files, video, and audio. Its local-only approach is a genuine differentiator from cloud tools like Dropbox Dash, but the Mac-only limitation and subscription cost may give some users pause.

Best for
  • Privacy-conscious Mac users who want offline semantic search over their entire local file system
  • Designers and creatives managing visual assets (Figma, Sketch, Adobe files) who need content-level search
  • Researchers and analysts who need to find specific text, images, or audio segments without cloud upload
  • Mac users who want to organize, rename, and chat with files using local AI
Not ideal for
  • Windows or Linux users — Fenn is macOS-only and requires Apple Silicon
  • Users needing cloud sync, cross-device search, or team collaboration features
  • Those who prefer free tools — Fenn's free tier is limited to a trial, then paid plans start at $9/month
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IntermediateDesktopNo public APIVerified 1d ago
Pricing
From $9/month (billed annually)
Paid3 plans
Learning curve
Intermediate
Runs on
Desktop
No public API · 8 integrations
Integrates with
FigmaSketchLM StudioApple NotesApple MailNotion+2 more
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In short

Fenn — Private AI search for everything on your Mac — offline. Best for Privacy-conscious Mac users who want offline semantic search over their entire local file system, Designers and creatives managing visual assets (Figma, Sketch, Adobe files) who need content-level search, Researchers and analysts who need to find specific text, images, or audio segments without cloud upload. Plans from $9/mo.

What's new in Fenn

Checked 14 days ago

Across the latest 8 updates: 6 feature updates and 2 news mentions.

Viability Score

95/100
Safe Bet

How likely is Fenn to still be operational in 12 months? Based on 4 signals — momentum (how recently it shipped), wrapper dependency, revenue model, and web presence.

momentum
100
funding runway
80
website health
90
wrapper dependency
100

Last calculated: July 2026

How we score →

Key Features

  • Search inside 50+ file types (PDFs, videos, audio, images, documents, design files)
  • Semantic & keyword search for precise file retrieval
  • Agentic search across files based on content criteria
  • Chat with files privately — ask questions, summarize, compare
  • AI-powered file renaming by content (images, audio, video, PDFs)
  • Auto-organize folders that update dynamically
  • Export file data to CSV from documents, images, videos
  • Face recognition in photos and videos
  • Find & remove duplicate files
  • Audio & video transcription
  • Search visual content from screenshots and screen recordings
  • LM Studio integration for custom local AI models
  • Figma and Sketch file content search
  • Search Gmail archives on Mac (offline)
  • iPhone companion app for syncing captures to Mac

About Fenn

PaidIntermediateNo APIDesktop

Fenn is a macOS desktop app that uses on-device AI to index and search all your local files — including documents, images, audio, video, screenshots, and design files. It processes everything entirely offline, ensuring your data never leaves your Mac. Designed for power users, creatives, and privacy-conscious professionals, Fenn goes beyond simple filename search. It understands the content inside your files, letting you find the exact page, timestamp, or screen you need. You can also chat with your files, auto-organize folders, rename files with AI, and export structured data. New capabilities include searching visual content from screenshots and screen recordings, and integrating with LM Studio to run custom local models. Fenn now supports Figma and Sketch file search, and offers features like face recognition and duplicate file detection. It can also search Gmail archives and sync iPhone captures to your Mac. Unlike cloud-based tools, Fenn runs all AI models locally, works offline, and requires no account or internet connection for indexing. It supports Apple Silicon natively. Fenn offers a Flex subscription ($9/month), lifetime licenses, and team pricing, positioning itself as the most private and capable local search tool for Mac users.

Behind the Verdict

Fenn hits a sweet spot for Mac users who want to search everything without sending data to the cloud. The ability to find exact pages, timestamps, or even screenshots from screen recordings is genuinely useful. The recent integration with LM Studio and support for Figma/Sketch files make it even more powerful for designers. That said, it's Mac-only and Apple Silicon-only, so Windows or Intel Mac users are out of luck. The free tier is limited to a trial, and the $9/month Flex or $299 lifetime price may feel steep if you only do basic file search. Compared to built-in Spotlight, Fenn offers way more — content search in images, audio transcription, and face recognition. If you value privacy and have a large local file library, Fenn is worth the investment. But if you mostly use cloud storage or need cross-platform sync, look elsewhere.

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Use Cases

Limitations

  • Fenn is currently macOS-only and free, but future pricing is undisclosed.
  • It requires Apple Silicon and may have performance constraints on very large libraries.
  • Offline AI models may not be as accurate as cloud-based equivalents for complex queries.

12-month cost

Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.

Annual total
$108
Over 12 months
Effective monthly
$9
Billed monthly

Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.

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