Fenn
Private AI search for everything on your Mac — offline.
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.
- 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
- 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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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 agoAcross the latest 8 updates: 6 feature updates and 2 news mentions.
Why Fenn Will Always Use Open-Source Models
Fenn commits to open-source models over proprietary for user privacy and control.
Search Anything You Saw on Your Mac
Fenn enables searching across screen captures and visuals on Mac.
Use LM Studio With Your Mac Files
Fenn integrates with LM Studio to run local AI models on Mac files.
Search Inside Sketch Files
Fenn adds search capability within Sketch design files.
Search Inside Figma Files
Fenn now indexes and searches content inside Figma files.
The Alarming Claude Privacy Problem
Fenn highlights privacy concerns with Claude AI, contrasting its own on-device approach.
Search Gmail Archives on Mac
Fenn enables offline search of Gmail archives on Mac.
Capture on iPhone. Find on Mac.
Fenn syncs iPhone captures to Mac for unified search.
Viability Score
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.
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
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
- Find a specific slide from a past video call by searching a keyword from the presentation.
- Organize all screenshots of a project into an auto-updating smart folder.
- Rename hundreds of design files based on their visual content using AI.
- Extract invoice data from scanned PDFs into a CSV file for accounting.
- Recall a verbal instruction from a recorded meeting without scrubbing through audio.
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.
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
Integrations
Resources & Guides
- Resourceusefenn.com
Search Anything You Saw On Your Mac · Fenn
Helpful link from usefenn.com
- Resourceusefenn.com
Use Lm Studio With Your Mac Files · Fenn
Helpful link from usefenn.com
- Resourceusefenn.com
Search Inside Sketch Files · Fenn
Helpful link from usefenn.com
- Resourceusefenn.com
Search Inside Figma Files · Fenn
Helpful link from usefenn.com
- Resourceusefenn.com
Search Gmail Archives On Mac · Fenn
Helpful link from usefenn.com
- Resourceusefenn.com
Capture On Iphone Find On Mac · Fenn
Helpful link from usefenn.com
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