Pace vs Vox

Choosing between Pace and Vox?

Vox runs fully on-device, and it's open source under a MIT license. It calls itself "The first local AI that actually does things on your Mac — no cloud, no subscription.".

Where Pace differs: Vox is a true on-device peer to Pace with 48 tools and a passphrase mode Pace doesn't have. Pace has the tier picker, two-tier thread memory, recipe library, and watch mode that Vox doesn't ship. Both are MIT and fully local.

The full breakdown is below — what Vox is genuinely good at, its stack, and the honest line on where Pace diverges, including where Pace is behind. For the whole field in one place, see every macOS voice agent compared.

Vox

github.com/vox-ai-app/vox

The first local AI that actually does things on your Mac — no cloud, no subscription. — vox-ai-app

STT · Local (via llama.cpp) Reasoner · Local (llama.cpp) TTS · Local Screen · yes

What it's good at

  • 48 built-in tools for email, iMessage, file management, and screen control.
  • Passphrase mode — text your Mac from any phone and get AI responses.
  • MCP client with stdio, SSE, and HTTP support + wake word with barge-in.

Where Pace differs

Vox is a true on-device peer to Pace with 48 tools and a passphrase mode Pace doesn't have. Pace has the tier picker, two-tier thread memory, recipe library, and watch mode that Vox doesn't ship. Both are MIT and fully local.

Rechecked June 2026.
If Vox shipped something I missed or got cheaper since, email me and I'll update this page.

Pace is $29 once, fully on-device, and free to try on Apple Intelligence.

Get Pace

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