- Who it helps
- Apple Silicon Mac users evaluating voice input and personal task assistance.
- Availability
- Version 0.9.8 is dated October 24 and requires macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon. The site lists a one-Mac lifetime license at $89.90; cloud model charges are separate.
Check which part stays local
The product describes local dictation and optional local inference. Cloud model choices send context to the selected provider. Anonymous usage counters have an opt-out, so local speech processing alone does not establish an entirely offline workflow.
Read the current version’s requirements
The October 24 notes add local model choices spanning different memory capacities. October 23 changes move permission and API-key requests into clearer setup steps. Model size and screenshot support vary by selection.
What you can do
- Check the selected model, memory requirement and permission explanations before trying a harmless reminder or short dictation sample. Open reference ↗
Where the evidence stops
The app was not installed. Screen actions, offline operation, privacy guarantees and the vendor’s cost estimates were not independently tested.
Sources read. Public evidence checked October 24, 2026 UTC. No third-party software, model inference or complete product workflow was executed.
Sources & further reading
Web · official
sideOS Mac assistant ↗
The product page distinguishes on-device dictation and optional local models from cloud-provider requests and separate billing.
sideOS · page checked 2026-10-24
Web · official
sideOS release history ↗
Native reading establishes version 0.9.8 on October 24 and dated setup and reliability changes back to August.
sideOS · page checked 2026-10-24
Coverage note: Primary material was inspected. Independent execution and matching original YouTube, X and Reddit discussion remain incomplete; unavailable engagement counts are omitted.
The record over time (1)
Dated source checks and published explanations. An observation date can differ from the original release date.
- · Added to Current
sideOS combines dictation, reminders and screen-aware assistance in a Mac application, with local and cloud model choices.