BoltAI vs Elephas

BoltAI

• Mac users who want a native app instead of a browser tab
• People who prefer a one-time license to a monthly subscription
• Users with API keys for several providers or local models in Ollama

Elephas

• Consultants, lawyers and accountants working with client files under NDA
• Building a searchable knowledge base from your own documents and notes
• Mac users who want AI writing help inside every app

BoltAI

• The price covers the app only: you need your own API keys, and each AI provider bills usage separately.
• It runs on macOS 13 or later. Windows is listed as coming soon, and the iPhone, iPad and Android apps are in beta with sign-up through a form.
• Updates, Cloud Sync and mobile access last one year per purchase. After that the app keeps working locally, but sync and mobile pause until you renew.
• Teams and companies are required to buy the Team license, which starts at 5 seats at $99 per seat.

Elephas

• The full app is for Mac only (macOS 13 or later), with a companion app for iPhone and iPad. Windows is on a waitlist.
• The built-in AI runs on monthly credits: 20 on Free, 100 on Standard, 500 on Professional and 1,000 on Pro+. Your own API keys remove the limit.
• Super Brain, integrations and iPhone and iPad access start at Professional, and the full redaction inspector is in Pro+.
• The Mac App Store version lacks Super Command and the text-writing features because of sandbox restrictions.

BoltAI

Your own keys and local models

Connects with your API keys to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Mistral, Azure OpenAI, Amazon Bedrock and others, and to local models through Ollama and LM Studio. No AI credits are bundled.

Instant Chat and ShotSolve

A global shortcut opens a chat overlay on top of any app, and ShotSolve sends a screenshot to a vision model for an explanation, a fix or a summary.

Instant Dictation and AI Workflows

Push-to-talk dictation works in any text field with cloud or local models, and AI Workflows run one-click actions and in-place text transforms inside other apps.

Agents, projects and prompt library

Reusable agents carry their own instructions, knowledge and tools. Projects share context across chats, chats can be forked, and saved prompts are inserted with a shortcut.

MCP tools and code execution

Connects to local and remote MCP servers with individual tools switched on or off, and supports web search, code execution and Claude skills for Office documents and PDFs.

Local storage with optional Cloud Sync

Chats are kept in a local SQLite database and API keys can be encrypted with a passphrase. Optional Cloud Sync shares chats, agents and projects with other devices.

Elephas

Super Brain

Workspaces built from your PDFs, Word and Excel files, notes and transcripts, one per client or project. Files are indexed locally on the Mac and answers cite the source documents.

Sensitive data redaction

Detects and redacts 28 types of sensitive data, such as names, emails, account numbers and passport numbers, on the device before content reaches a cloud model.

Offline mode

Runs AI entirely on the Mac with local models so nothing leaves the device. Built-in cloud AI with zero data retention and your own API keys are the alternatives.

Super Command

One keyboard shortcut brings Elephas into any Mac app to summarize, rewrite, translate or fix the grammar of selected text, or to run custom commands called Snippets.

Built-in AI or your own keys

The built-in engine runs on OpenAI and Anthropic models. You can also add API keys from more than 15 providers, including OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Groq and DeepSeek, for unlimited usage.

iPhone and iPad access

Professional and Pro+ subscribers can open the Super Brains built on the Mac from an iPhone or iPad signed in to the same Apple account.

BoltAI

• Essential$79

  one-time, 1 device, one year of updates

  For students and hobbyists: every app feature on 1 Mac, with 512 MB of cloud storage for sync and no mobile device.

• Pro$99

  one-time, 2 desktop devices + 1 mobile, one year of updates

  For freelancers and professionals: every app feature, 1 GB of cloud storage and 1 mobile device. Shown as a bundle valued at $200.

• Pro+$199

  one-time, 3 desktop devices + 2 mobile, one year of updates

  For use across more devices: every app feature, 5 GB of cloud storage and 2 mobile devices at once.

• Team Perpetual$99

  per seat, one-time, 5-seat minimum

  One device per seat with 10 GB of shared team storage, the mobile app during its beta and priority support. Optional renewal is $79 per seat per year.

Elephas

• Free$0

  20 credits a month for the built-in Elephas AI engine.

• Standard$15.83

  per month on the yearly plan; $19 billed monthly

  100 credits a month: AI chat and writing across the Mac, basic document and note workflows, and automatic protection of sensitive data.

• Professional$32.50

  per month on the yearly plan; $39 billed monthly

  500 credits a month, plus Super Brain, integrations with Apple Notes, Notion and Obsidian, iPhone and iPad access and a basic view of redactions.

• Pro+$40.83

  per month on the yearly plan; $49 billed monthly

  1,000 credits a month, plus the full redaction inspector, advanced redaction settings, optional offline AI workflows and an onboarding call.

BoltAI

• Lifetime license

  Perpetual license from $79

  Every license is a one-time purchase that keeps working after its year of updates ends: Essential is $79, Pro $99 and Pro+ $199, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

• Education

  50% off for students and educators

  Emailing BoltAI from a university address gets a discount code for 50% off, which makes the Essential license $39.50. The 40% renewal discount still applies afterwards.

• Other savings

  40% off renewals for individual licenses

  Individual licenses can renew updates and sync for another year at 60% of the original list price, and the discount does not expire. Team licenses get no renewal discount.

Elephas

• Annual discount

  Save about 17% with yearly billing

  On the yearly plan Standard drops from $19 to $15.83 a month, Professional from $39 to $32.50 and Pro+ from $49 to $40.83.