My laptop only has 8GB RAM, so I’m trying to be realistic with local AI.
I don’t need a giant model or a perfect Chatgpt replacement. I mostly want something lightweight for quick questions, rewriting short bits of text, and maybe helping organize ideas while I’m offline.
For people running local AI on machines with limited RAM, which app has been the easiest to keep lightweight?
I’m on a MacBook with 16GB RAM and trying to figure out the best local AI setup that won’t feel painful to use.
Main things I want are normal chat, summarizing notes, working with PDFs, and maybe light coding help. I’m not expecting huge models or instant responses, just something that feels usable day to day.
I’ve tried LM Studio a bit because the setup is simple, but I’m not sure which models make the most sense for 16GB RAM.
For people running local AI on a similar MacBook, what app and model combo are you using?
A lot of local AI projects sound useful until you see Docker in the setup instructions.
I know Docker is normal for a lot of people, but I’m trying to keep this simple. I just want to install an app, download a model, and use it without dealing with containers.
I tried a Docker-based RAG tool before and it worked eventually, but I didn’t enjoy maintaining it.
What local AI apps are good without Docker?
Mostly looking for normal desktop apps or simple installers that still run fully local.
I’ve been using AI more for my business, mostly summarizing notes, drafting replies, reviewing docs, and turning rough ideas into something usable.
The part I’m not fully comfortable with is uploading private business documents into cloud tools. Some of the files have client info, pricing, internal notes, proposals, and other things I’d rather keep on my own device.
Is anyone here using an offline chat app or local AI assistant for business documents?
I’m not looking for some huge enterprise setup. Just something simple enough for a non-technical person to use regularly.
What has actually worked for you?
For me it was over-planning everything. I’d spend so much time organizing tasks, making perfect lists, setting up systems, and then have zero energy left to actually do the work. It felt productive because everything looked clean, but nothing was moving.
I feel like this doesn’t get called out enough so what’s a mistake you kept making that looked productive on the surface but wasn't?