The short answer: Apple Intelligence is free and built into macOS, but its Writing Tools only transform text you select (proofread, rewrite, tone, summarize) and can route to Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers. Shadowtype does what Apple doesn’t: continuous inline ghost-text prediction in any app, with a guarantee that every completion runs 100% on-device with zero network — and it runs on macOS 14, a full OS version before Apple Intelligence’s macOS 15.1 requirement.
Both are good at different jobs — many people run both. Apple Intelligence rewrites for free; Shadowtype predicts your next words as you type, fully offline, with Tab to accept.
Apple Intelligence is free, built-in, and good at what it does. This isn’t about price — it’s about a focused tool that nails continuous inline prediction and guarantees everything stays local. Where Apple is limited or cloud-assisted, we say so plainly.
| Capability | Shadowtype | Apple Intelligence |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous inline ghost-text in any app | Yes | Select-to-rewrite only |
| Short-range inline predictive text | Multi-sentence | Apple apps only |
| Selection rewrite (tone / shorten / proofread) | ⌥⌘K | Writing Tools |
| Local API + MCP server (OpenAI-compatible) | Yes | Not exposed |
| Guaranteed 100% on-device · zero network | Yes | May use Private Cloud Compute |
| Works fully offline | Yes | Cloud tasks need a connection |
| Model choice (Qwen3 / Gemma 3 / MoE GGUF · BYOM) | Yes | Fixed model |
| Per-app instructions & personalization | Yes | Fixed tone presets |
| Minimum macOS version | macOS 14 | macOS 15.1+ |
| Hardware | Apple Silicon | Apple Silicon (M1+) |
| Pricing | Free & open source | Free · built in |
Apple’s inline predictive text finishes the current word in its own apps; Writing Tools only act on text you’ve already selected. Shadowtype predicts whole sentences ahead as ghost text in any field — Slack, your IDE, the browser, anywhere you type.
Apple Intelligence can hand bigger tasks to Private Cloud Compute, and ChatGPT integration leaves the device entirely. Shadowtype sends nothing over the network for completion — it’s on-device by design and works on a plane.
Pick from a catalog (Qwen3 Base, Gemma 3, MoE variants — or bring your own GGUF) and tune tone per app — instead of fixed presets you can’t change. And because Shadowtype runs on macOS 14, you get it a full OS version before Apple Intelligence’s 15.1 requirement.
An OpenAI-compatible HTTP endpoint runs on 127.0.0.1 so your scripts, editors, and agents can call the same on-device model — no key, no cloud. A built-in MCP bridge plugs into Claude Code and other MCP clients, and the BYOM picker loads any GGUF. Apple keeps its on-device models app-bound; Shadowtype hands you the endpoint.
127.0.0.1 with no key required, so your terminal, editor plugins, and AI agents can call /v1/chat/completions against the same on-device model. A built-in MCP server plugs into Claude Code and other MCP clients, and the BYOM picker loads any GGUF you drop in. Apple Intelligence keeps its on-device models locked to Apple’s own apps and Writing Tools — there’s no localhost API or MCP server for your code.Download Shadowtype free, accept your first predicted sentence with Tab, and keep everything on your Mac.