Free for Mac

Long videos.
Short summaries.

Just The Gist turns YouTube videos, podcasts and lectures into clean transcripts and sharp summaries — transcribed and summarized entirely on your Mac. Cloud AI optional.

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Free · No account, no API key · 100% local by default · macOS 14 or later · Apple Silicon

Everything you need.
Nothing you have to pay for.

Hours in, minutes out

A 2-hour podcast becomes a 4-minute read, with the key moments called out.

On-device transcription

Whisper runs locally on Apple Silicon. Your audio never leaves your Mac.

Local AI included

A local model downloads on first launch and summarizes on-device — no account, no key. Claude, OpenAI or OpenRouter optional.

Drop any file

YouTube links, plus mp3, m4a, wav, mp4 and mov straight from Finder.

Clickable timestamps

Every key moment links back to the exact second in the source.

Properly Mac

Native SwiftUI, signed and notarized, quiet automatic updates.

100% local by default.

Whisper transcribes on your Mac — in around 100 languages — and the built-in local model writes the summary right there too. Nothing leaves your machine unless you choose a cloud provider; then only the finished text goes out, and only to be summarized.

Release notes, not spam

New features and models worth switching to. About one email a month, unsubscribe anytime.

Questions & answers

Is it really free?

Yes — free download, no subscription, no locked features, and nothing to sign up for. On first launch the app downloads a local model and summarizes right on your Mac. Cloud models — OpenRouter, Claude, OpenAI — are optional. Donations are what keep development going.

Do I need an API key?

No. Out of the box the app summarizes with a local model running on your Mac — no account, no key, no credit card. Want a bigger model? Connect OpenRouter's free tier in a single browser round-trip, or paste a Claude or OpenAI key. There's also Magic Copy: the app hands you the transcript and prompt, ready to paste into claude.ai or ChatGPT.

Can I use my own local model — Ollama or LM Studio?

Yes. The built-in model already runs locally, and the app also talks to any OpenAI-compatible server — so a bigger model running through Ollama or LM Studio works out of the box.

Is my audio uploaded anywhere?

No. Transcription runs on your Mac using Whisper, and the default local model summarizes there too — nothing leaves your machine. Only if you choose a cloud provider is the finished text transcript sent, and only for summarizing.

What can I summarize?

YouTube links, and any local audio or video file: mp3, m4a, wav, mp4, mov. Podcasts, lectures, meeting recordings, conference talks — if it has speech, it can be gisted.

Does it work in other languages?

Yes — and the transcript and summary don’t have to match. Whisper transcribes dozens of languages, and you pick the summary language yourself: drop in an English lecture and read the gist in Spanish, or summarize a German podcast in English. Any combination works.

What Mac do I need?

An Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or newer) running macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Intel Macs aren’t supported — on-device transcription and the built-in local model are built for M-series chips.

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