Stable, notarized, supported
Cotabby is beta software (latest v0.4.2-beta) supported through GitHub issues. Shadowtype ships as a notarized, signed release with a real support inbox — and a 14-day refund if it isn’t for you.
Comparison · Shadowtype vs Cotabby
Shadowtype vs Cotabby:
Shadowtype vs Cotabby:
a finished product, or an open-source beta.
Both are on-device autocomplete apps for Mac — a local LLM predicts your next words as ghost text in any text field, and Tab accepts. Cotabby is free and fully open source, which is genuinely great if that’s what you want. Shadowtype’s case is different: a stable, notarized, supported release with a 14-day refund and a 5-Mac license — a polished product rather than a beta community project.
The honest comparison
Side by side
Where they tie, we say so — both are private, local, offline, and account-free. Cotabby wins on price and openness; Shadowtype wins on being a polished, supported, notarized release with optional (not required) screen access.
| Capability | Shadowtype | Cotabby |
|---|---|---|
| System-wide inline ghost-text completion | Yes | Yes |
| On-device LLM · offline · no account | Yes | Yes |
| Tab-to-accept word / whole line | Yes | Yes |
| Open source (AGPL-3.0) | No | Yes |
| Custom GGUF model import | Curated catalog | Yes |
| Apple Foundation Models engine | No | Yes (macOS 26+) |
| Per-app instructions & personalization | Yes | Length presets only |
| Selection rewrite (⌥⌘K, on-device) | Yes | Completion only |
| Screen Recording permission | Optional | Required |
| Release maturity | Stable · notarized | Beta (v0.4.2) |
| Support | Dedicated email | GitHub issues |
| Pricing model | $79 once Founders from $39 | Free · AGPL |
| Requirements | macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon | macOS 15+ · Apple Silicon |
Why people pick Shadowtype
Same local autocomplete. A finished product.
Screen access is optional
Cotabby requires Accessibility, Input Monitoring and Screen Recording for its visual context. Shadowtype needs only Accessibility and Input Monitoring; screen-aware OCR context is opt-in, so you can run it without ever granting Screen Recording.
Personalization & selection rewrite
Beyond completion, Shadowtype adds per-app instructions, a personalization style profile, and on-device selection rewrite with ⌥⌘K. Cotabby focuses on ghost-text completion with length presets.
Questions
Shadowtype vs Cotabby FAQ
Should I just use Cotabby since it’s free?
If you want free, open-source software and you’re comfortable with beta releases and GitHub-issue support, Cotabby is a great choice — we mean that. Shadowtype is for people who’d rather pay once for a polished, notarized, supported product with a 14-day refund and a 5-Mac license.
Is Cotabby on-device and private too?
Yes. Cotabby runs local GGUF models via llama.cpp (and optionally Apple’s Foundation Models on macOS 26+), works offline after download, uses no account or servers, and states it has no telemetry. On the local-and-private axis it’s very similar to Shadowtype.
Can I import my own GGUF model into Shadowtype?
Shadowtype ships a curated catalog of tuned Gemma and Qwen GGUF models rather than arbitrary custom-model import. If importing any GGUF you like is a hard requirement, Cotabby supports that and Shadowtype doesn’t.
What permissions and macOS version do they need?
Cotabby requires Accessibility, Input Monitoring, and Screen Recording, and runs on macOS 15+. Shadowtype requires Accessibility and Input Monitoring (Screen Recording is optional) and runs on macOS 14+. Both want Apple Silicon.
Ready when you are
Try the polished local autocomplete.
Download Shadowtype free, accept your first word with Tab, and upgrade once — a finished product, backed by real support.
- Pay once
- Notarized release
- No account
- Dedicated support
- 14-day refund