Sentence assistant for macOS · Free

Say it better.

Say It Better fixes your grammar and shows you better ways to say the same thing, in a second or two. Pick one, copy it, keep writing.

No prompting No AI chat Runs locally on your Mac

Download for macOS Use it on the web

Free · macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon & Intel · v1.0

One extra step on first launch: macOS will say it can’t verify the app. Click Done, not Move to Bin, then allow it in Settings.

01 The round-trip

Skip the chat round-trip.

Polishing one sentence shouldn't mean leaving what you're writing.

The usual way Nine steps, about 45 seconds.
  1. Write
  2. Copy
  3. Open ChatGPT
  4. Paste
  5. Prompt
  6. Wait
  7. Copy
  8. Switch back
  9. Paste
With Say It Better Three steps, about 2 seconds.
  1. Write
  2. Choose
  3. Copy

02 Why it's different

A sentence assistant, not a chatbot.

You already know what you want to say. Say It Better helps you say it better, without interrupting you.

Choices, not a verdict

Don't let AI decide what you meant. Say It Better fixes your sentence and lays out several alternatives side by side — clearer, shorter, friendlier, more professional. You choose how you sound.

No prompts. No chat.

An AI writing assistant you don't have to talk to. Type the sentence; the suggestions are already there.

Local-first, for a reason

Your writing includes work email, private notes and half-formed thoughts. By default the Mac app uses your Mac's built-in AI, so it doesn't need a trip to the cloud. Prefer OpenAI or Claude? Switch anytime.

A utility, not a destination

You shouldn't spend time in Say It Better. Open the panel when you want choices, use the menu bar for quick fixes, or let autocomplete help without leaving your app.

03 Autocomplete

And when you don't want to stop at all.

Say It Better can also autocomplete right where you're typing, in any app. Press Tab to take a word.

  • Mail
  • Notes
  • Slack
  • Safari
  • Chrome
  • Messages
  • and more

Five keys. That's the whole manual.

  • ⇥ TabAccept next wordTake the prediction one word at a time.
  • ⌥⇥ TabAccept everythingTake the whole suggestion at once.
  • →Accept a wordAt the end of a line, → works like Tab.
  • escDismissOr simply keep typing — matching letters are absorbed.
  • ⌘1Copy a suggestion⌘1–⌘9 copy suggestions in the panel.

05 Privacy

Your words stay on your Mac. Unless you say otherwise.

On the Mac, the built-in AI is Apple Intelligence: it runs on your Mac, so nothing is sent anywhere. No Apple Intelligence? Use a local model with Ollama, or connect OpenAI or Claude with your own key. You can switch anytime.

  • Built-in AI (Apple Intelligence) or Ollama: fully on-device
  • OpenAI (sign in to pick up your key) or Anthropic’s Claude
  • Any OpenAI-compatible server: Groq, LM Studio, OpenRouter…
  • Clipboard and screen context are off unless you turn them on; OCR runs locally

In the web app

  • Built-in AI: runs on the Say It Better server. Your text is sent securely, then discarded. Never saved or seen by anyone.
  • On this device: runs in your browser. Nothing leaves your device.
  • Your draft and settings are saved only in your browser.

Everything runs on your Mac. 0 bytes leave your machine.

06 How it works

Up and running in about a minute.

  1. 1

    Install

    1. Open SayItBetter.dmg from your Downloads.
    2. Drag the Say It Better icon onto the Applications folder in that window.
    3. Open it: press ⌘ Space, type Say It Better, press Return.
  2. 2Required

    Allow it to open

    1. macOS says “Apple could not verify…”. Click Done, not Move to Bin.
    2. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security and scroll to the bottom.
    3. Click Open Anyway and confirm with your password or Touch ID. It opens.

    Only the first time — it's not notarized by Apple yet.

  3. 3

    Optional: autocomplete everywhere

    The panel and menu bar work right away, no permissions needed. Want grey suggestions as you type in Mail, Slack and other apps? Turn on autocomplete — during setup or anytime in Settings — and allow Accessibility and Input Monitoring.

  4. 4

    Pick local or cloud

    It uses your Mac's built-in AI right away. No Apple Intelligence? Use a local model with Ollama, or sign in with OpenAI. Then just write.

07 FAQ

Questions, answered.

Does it need Accessibility and Input Monitoring?

Only if you turn on autocomplete — the panel and menu bar need no permissions, and autocomplete is off until you switch it on. To show a prediction at your caret, Say It Better has to know which text field is focused, what's in it, and where the caret is — macOS only exposes that through the Accessibility permission. Input Monitoring lets it notice Tab, ⌥ Tab and → so it can accept a suggestion instead of inserting a tab. Both are needed for autocomplete; Screen Recording is optional and only used if you enable on-screen context.

Does my text leave my Mac?

Not with the built-in AI or Ollama: the model runs on your Mac and nothing is sent over the network. If you switch to OpenAI, Anthropic, or another server, the text you're writing — plus clipboard or screen context, if you've turned those on — is sent to that provider using your own key. Screen text is read with on-device OCR either way.

Which models work?

Locally, any chat model you've pulled in Ollama — smaller, fast models feel best for autocomplete. In the cloud, OpenAI and Anthropic models via your API key, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint such as Groq, LM Studio, or OpenRouter.

macOS says “Apple could not verify Say It Better…” What do I do?

That's expected: Say It Better isn't notarized by Apple yet. 1. Click Done (not Move to Bin). 2. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security and scroll to the bottom. 3. Click Open Anyway and confirm with your password or Touch ID. You only do this once. (On macOS 15 and later, right-click → Open no longer skips it.)

Does it work in every app?

It works in most apps that use standard macOS text fields — Mail, Notes, Messages, Slack, browsers and more. Some apps with fully custom editors don't report their caret position to macOS; there, the panel still works on the current line.

What do I need to run it?

macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Apple Silicon is recommended, especially for local models. The built-in AI needs Apple Intelligence (macOS 26); otherwise install Ollama and pull a model. Say It Better itself is free.

Just write.

Say It Better handles the phrasing.

Download for macOS

v1.0 · macOS 14 Sonoma or later · No Mac? Use it in your browser — phone or PC

One extra step on first launch: macOS will say it can’t verify the app. Click Done, not Move to Bin, then allow it in Settings.

Downloading · one more step

Before you open it

Say It Better isn't notarized by Apple yet, so macOS shows a warning the first time. Follow these 4 steps — you only do this once.

  1. 1
    Open SayItBetter.dmg from your Downloads and drag the Say It Better icon onto the Applications folder.
  2. 2
    Open it: press ⌘ Space, type Say It Better, press Return.
  3. 3
    macOS says “Apple could not verify…”. Click Done, not Move to Bin.
  4. 4
    Open System Settings › Privacy & Security, scroll to the bottom, click Open Anyway and confirm with your password or Touch ID. It opens — you're done.
Open Privacy & Security