Pay once, not every month
A $79 one-time license (less during the Founders beta) versus $72–108 every year, forever. Over three years that’s a few hundred dollars of difference for the same on-device completion.
Comparison · Shadowtype vs Cotypist
Shadowtype vs Cotypist:
Shadowtype vs Cotypist:
own it once, or rent it forever.
Both are excellent on-device autocomplete apps for Mac — a local LLM predicts your next words as ghost text in any text field, and Tab accepts. They’re genuinely close on capability. The real fork is the business model: Shadowtype is a one-time purchase with zero telemetry; Cotypist is a monthly subscription.
The honest comparison
Side by side
Where they tie, we say so. Both are private, local, and account-free — that’s the floor. Shadowtype wins on ownership, telemetry, and device count.
| Capability | Shadowtype | Cotypist |
|---|---|---|
| System-wide inline ghost-text completion | Yes | Yes |
| On-device LLM · offline · no account | Yes | Yes |
| Tab-to-accept word / whole line | Yes | Yes |
| Model choice (Gemma / Qwen GGUF) | Yes | Yes |
| Per-app instructions & personalization | Yes | Pro tier only |
| Selection rewrite (⌥⌘K, on-device) | Yes | Completion only |
| Telemetry / analytics backend | None | On by default (opt-out) |
| Macs per license | Up to 5 | 1 → 3 |
| Free tier | 100 words/day | 100 words/day |
| Pricing model | $79 once | $6–9 / month |
| Requirements | macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon | macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon |
Why people pick Shadowtype
Same local autocomplete. Better ownership.
Zero telemetry — not opt-out
Cotypist sends anonymous usage and crash data by default; you can turn it off. Shadowtype has no analytics backend to turn off in the first place. Nothing to trust, because nothing is sent.
Five Macs, one license
Laptop, desktop, the work Mac — up to five of your machines on a single purchase. Cotypist caps you at one Mac (Plus) or three (Pro).
Questions
Shadowtype vs Cotypist FAQ
Is Cotypist on-device too?
Yes. Cotypist runs a local model and works offline with no account, just like Shadowtype. On the privacy-and-local axis they’re very similar — the difference is the subscription versus a one-time license, plus telemetry and device count.
Will Shadowtype cost me more over time?
No — that’s the point. Shadowtype is a single payment with free updates. Cotypist’s $72–108/year keeps recurring for as long as you use it.
Can I try Shadowtype before paying?
Yes. The free tier gives you system-wide ghost text, Tab-to-accept, emoji, and lighter/mid models forever (capped at 100 accepted words/day) — and Pro has a 14-day refund window.
Do they support the same Macs?
Both require Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or later. Intel Macs are not supported by either.
Ready when you are
Try the local autocomplete you actually own.
Download Shadowtype free, accept your first word with Tab, and upgrade once — never monthly.
- Pay once
- No subscription
- No account
- Zero telemetry
- 14-day refund