Elephas vs Msty

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

Msty

• Individuals who want local and hosted models in one desktop app
• Privacy-sensitive work where data should stay on the device
• Buyers who prefer a one-time lifetime license to a subscription

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.

Msty

• Msty's terms limit the Free tier to personal, non-commercial use; work that earns revenue requires an Aurum or Enterprise license.
• The browser version, Msty Studio Web, needs an Aurum license, and several Free-plan features, including Knowledge Stacks and MCP tools, are marked Limited.
• Data does not sync between devices, an Aurum license covers 2 desktop devices, and Enterprise & Teams plans start at 5 user seats.
• Msty states that formal SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certification are not yet complete.

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.

Msty

Local and online models in one hub

Runs local models through Ollama, llama.cpp and MLX and connects hosted providers, so both kinds sit in the same organized model list.

Split Chats

Runs models side by side on the same conversation so you can compare tone, depth and accuracy without losing context.

Agent Mode

Carries out multi-step, tool-aware tasks instead of single prompts. MCP tools are connected through the Toolbox, which is limited on the Free plan.

Knowledge Stacks

Grounds answers in your own documents and notes with organized, source-aware retrieval. The feature is marked Limited on the Free plan.

Personas and Crew Conversations

Personas are reusable assistants built in Persona Studio, and Crew Conversations put several of them in one thread to work on a task together.

Data kept on your device

Studio stores data locally and does not sync it between devices; Studio Web keeps its data in the browser's local storage. Msty says it sends no product telemetry.

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.

Msty

• Free$0

  Core Studio Desktop features for personal, non-commercial use: chat with local and online models, persona and crew conversations, Agent Mode and Knowledge Stacks.

• Aurum$149

  per user / year, billed yearly

  A commercial license for one user on up to 2 desktop devices. Adds Msty Studio Web, Azure and Bedrock providers, Studio Assistants, Shadow Personas, Turnstiles and Insights.

• Aurum Lifetime$349

  per user, one-time payment

  The Aurum feature set with lifetime access and updates, for one user on up to 2 desktop devices. Msty's terms say it is protected from later price increases.

• Enterprise & TeamsCustom

  Minimum of 5 user seats, with SSO, user and team management, role-based access control, an audit log and shared team resources.

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.

Msty

• Lifetime license

  Aurum Lifetime for a one-time payment

  Aurum Lifetime costs $349 per user once and includes lifetime updates and access, against $149 per user per year for the Aurum subscription.

• Other savings

  Enterprise bundle across Msty products

  Msty offers a single enterprise agreement that combines Studio, Go, Nexus and Stack, priced by seat count and deployment shape instead of as separate product plans.