Vinaa is a native Mac AI chat app for cloud and local models with local chat history. Lifetime license at a $40 launch price. Read the full review.
Researched and fact-checked by Bartu Cavusoglu · Updated October 26, 2026
Vinaa is a native AI chat app for Mac that puts cloud and local models in one window. It supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral AI, xAI, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, Ollama and LM Studio, among others. Conversations are stored on the user's Mac, organized into projects and folders, and searchable.
It is built with SwiftUI and AppKit, with Rust where it makes sense, and the company states it is not Electron, Tauri or a web view. It requires macOS 15 or later and runs on Intel and Apple silicon. The developer is an independent maker in New Zealand.
Users choose a cloud or local model, type a question and read the response inside Vinaa. Cloud providers are used through the user's own API keys, which are protected by macOS Keychain, and requests go directly to the chosen provider. Local models run through Ollama or LM Studio.
Related chats are placed in projects and folders and can be reopened later. A conversation can start with one model and continue with another. Chat data stays on the Mac, and optional sync runs through the user's private iCloud account.
The model picker lets users search by name and filter by provider, capability or price, with favorites kept at the top. Projects support nested folders and automatic filing of new chats. Windows and tabs let users keep several projects and conversations open at once, and a project switcher opens with Option+Cmd+O.
Navigation tools include full-text search across every message, Find in Chat with Cmd+F, jumping to any message or Markdown heading, and a sidebar outline. Files can be added by choosing, dragging or pasting. Tools connect through MCP, and the prompt library inserts saved templates with placeholders when the user types /.
Vinaa is a native AI chat app for Mac. It lets users chat with cloud models such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, and local models through Ollama and LM Studio, with chats stored on the Mac.
Vinaa Lifetime costs $40 once for one Mac at the launch price, and the site says it rises to $80 when the beta ends. It includes every future update. Extra Macs cost $30 each.
The beta is free to download and use, according to the pricing page. Users can buy the lifetime license once they know it fits their workflow. A 30-day refund is also offered.
Yes. Vinaa connects directly to providers with the user's own API keys, so users pay those providers for what they use. Local models through Ollama or LM Studio carry no model cost.
Conversations are stored locally on the Mac. Optional sync uses the user's private iCloud account. Vinaa says it does not use prompts, files or responses to train AI models, though selected cloud providers process requests under their own policies.
Yes. Vinaa can import conversations from ChatGPT and Claude, and chats can be exported whenever the user chooses.
Vinaa requires macOS 15 or later and runs on both Intel and Apple silicon Macs. It is built with SwiftUI and AppKit rather than Electron or Tauri.
Yes. Users can search the web and connect their own services over MCP. They can favorite and pin tools, set default tools per project, and let Tool Finder load tools when needed.