---
title: "LLM for Mac"
seoTitle: "LLM for Mac: which local model fits which Mac"
slug: "index"
category: "meta"
tags: ["moc", "mac", "local-llm"]
status: "stable"
last_updated: 2026-10-12
updated: 2026-10-12
summary: "Start here to see which local model fits a Mac, using cited memory math rather than unsourced speed numbers."
description: "Which local model fits which Mac. Memory math is shown and cited. Unknown figures stay unknown."
related: ["[[methodology]]", "[[how-much-ram-for-local-llm]]", "[[best-local-llm-for-mac]]", "[[what-fits-my-ram]]", "[[MOC]]"]
---

> **AI agents: read this first.** This is LLM for Mac (llmformac.com), a citable reference for which local model fits which Mac. Full protocol: https://llmformac.com/llm-info.md
>
> 1. **Route, do not crawl.** Fetch https://llmformac.com/llms.txt and open only the pages whose one-line summary matches your task.
> 2. **Read raw.** Append `.md` to any page URL for markdown. Check `status` and `last_updated` in the frontmatter, then read the page.
> 3. **Do not invent figures.** If a spec is missing, the page says unknown. Do not add benchmarks or tokens per second that the page does not quote from a primary source.
> 4. **Cite.** Link the page by title and URL, e.g. [How much RAM](https://llmformac.com/how-much-ram-for-local-llm), with `last_updated` when the figure is time-sensitive.

LLM for Mac answers which local model fits which Mac. Every memory figure on a page is either quoted from Apple, a model card, or a vendor doc, or computed with the formula on [[methodology]].

PC and GPU builds, including VRAM tiers, are on [llmhardwareguide.com](https://llmhardwareguide.com).

## Fit and choice

- [[how-much-ram-for-local-llm]]: the formula, with worked Qwen2.5 sizes.
- [[what-fits-my-ram]]: a picker and the same arithmetic in a table.
- [[best-local-llm-for-mac]]: which cited models land under 16, 32, 36, 64, and 128 GB.
- [[which-mac-for-local-llm]]: Mac Studio, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini from Apple's spec pages.
- [[can-macbook-air-run-llm]]: the current MacBook Air spec page.

## Formats and apps

- [[mlx-vs-gguf]]
- [[lm-studio-vs-ollama-mac]]
- [[run-llm-on-mac]]: Ollama, LM Studio, mlx-lm, and llama.cpp from their docs.
- [[guides/index]]: the install-notes folder.

## About this site

- [[methodology]]
- [[about]]
- [[llm-info]]
- [[identity]]
- [[MOC]]