Fenn

Private on-device AI that searches inside everything on your Mac

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Screenshot of Fenn, Private on-device AI that searches inside everything on your Mac

What is Fenn?

Fenn is a private, on-device AI layer for macOS that searches inside documents, images, audio, video, and screen history, then adds AI renaming, auto-organizing folders, duplicate cleanup, CSV extraction, and confidential chat over your local files.

Fenn is a macOS application that indexes the contents of your files and makes them searchable in plain language. Instead of matching file names, it looks inside PDFs, Word and PowerPoint documents, spreadsheets, design files from Adobe and Figma, photos and RAW images, audio, video, and source code. The pitch is simple: if it lives on your Mac, Fenn can read it and return the exact page, timestamp, or frame where the term or concept appears. Beyond search, Fenn bundles a set of file management tools. It can rename files automatically based on what is inside them, build auto-organizing folders that stay current as new matching files arrive, detect and remove duplicates, and convert documents, invoices, images, or recordings into structured CSV output. A file anonymizer detects sensitive information and masks it before you hand a document to an outside service such as ChatGPT. A private chat layer lets you ask questions across your files, summarize them, compare versions, and get citations pointing back to the source material. The feature set that sets Fenn apart from ordinary desktop search is screen memory. It can recall meetings, chats, shared screens, and dashboards that were never saved as files, which turns the app into a personal record of what you saw and heard on the machine. There is also an iPhone companion app, and a semantic mode that finds related content even when your search words do not appear verbatim. Everything is processed locally. Fenn states that files never leave the Mac, that nothing is uploaded, and that it works offline, which makes it a reasonable fit for legal, design, finance, and research work where handing documents to a cloud AI is not an option. The target user is a Mac power user with a large or messy file collection, not someone who needs cross-platform sync or a team knowledge base. Pricing runs from an annual Flex licence to one-time lifetime and team options.

How do you use Fenn?

  1. 1Download and install Fenn on your Mac
    Grab the Apple Silicon build from the download page and install it. Confirm you are on a supported Mac before starting, since the app targets Apple Silicon hardware.
  2. 2Point Fenn at the folders you want indexed
    Choose which locations Fenn should read, such as Documents, Downloads, or a project archive. The index is built locally and the app works offline once it is in place.
  3. 3Run your first content search
    Search in plain language for a phrase, topic, or moment rather than a file name. Fenn returns matching pages, timestamps, and frames from documents, media, and screen history.
  4. 4Set up auto-organizing folders
    Define criteria for a folder and let Fenn keep it populated with matching files as new ones arrive. This replaces manual sorting for recurring categories like invoices or client assets.
  5. 5Chat with a file or a set of files
    Open the private chat, select the documents you want to work with, and ask for summaries, comparisons, or extracted details. Answers carry citations back to the source.
  6. 6Anonymize before sharing externally
    When a file has to go to an outside AI tool, run the anonymizer first so sensitive details are detected and masked before the document leaves your control.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Indexes content rather than file names, so you can search inside PDFs, video, audio, and design filesAI
  • Full local processing with no uploads, which suits confidential and regulated workAI
  • Combines search with real file management: AI renaming, auto-organizing folders, duplicate removalAI
  • Chat answers cite back to the source file, page, or timestampAI
  • One-time lifetime and team licences are available alongside the annual planAI

Cons

  • macOS only and limited to Apple Silicon, so Intel Macs and Windows or Linux users are excludedAI
  • No stated free tier or trial on the site, so the cost is committed before you can test the index on your own driveAI
  • Screen memory recording raises privacy questions of its own, even with local processingAI
  • Smallest paid tier covers a single Mac, which limits use across a laptop and desktop without upgradingAI
  • The index consumes disk space, and the site does not publish a figure for how muchAI

How much does Fenn cost?

Pricing

Flex is $9 per month billed as one annual payment, described as 6+ months free, for use on one Mac. A Lifetime licence costs $249 one time with a year of updates, and a Teams licence costs $999 one time for five Macs. Cancel anytime applies to the annual plan.

Learn more

Support

The site publishes an FAQ covering data handling, file types, index size, Mac requirements, external drives, update periods, and refunds, and invites users to reach out with further questions. No dedicated help centre is listed.

Integrations

Fenn reads Apple Notes, Apple Mail, Notion, Bear and Craft content directly, and supports design files from InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop and Figma. Its anonymizer is built for preparing files for external tools like ChatGPT.

Features

On-device indexing across 100+ file types, semantic and keyword search, screen memory search, agentic search across files, face recognition, and search by content similarity. File management covers AI renaming, auto-organizing folders, duplicate detection, and CSV extraction. Also includes private chat with citations, a file anonymizer, audio and video transcription, and an iPhone companion app.

Frequently asked questions about Fenn

  • How much does Fenn cost?
    Flex is $9 per month billed as one annual payment, described as 6+ months free, for use on one Mac. A Lifetime licence costs $249 one time with a year of updates, and a Teams licence costs $999 one time for five Macs. Cancel anytime applies to the annual plan.
  • How do you use Fenn?
    The walkthrough on this page covers 6 steps: 1. Download and install Fenn on your Mac 2. Point Fenn at the folders you want indexed 3. Run your first content search 4. Set up auto-organizing folders 5. Chat with a file or a set of files 6. Anonymize before sharing externally.
  • What platforms does Fenn support?
    Fenn is available on MacOS and iOS.
  • What does Fenn integrate with?
    Fenn reads Apple Notes, Apple Mail, Notion, Bear and Craft content directly, and supports design files from InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop and Figma. Its anonymizer is built for preparing files for external tools like ChatGPT.
  • What are the limitations of Fenn?
    macOS only and limited to Apple Silicon, so Intel Macs and Windows or Linux users are excluded. No stated free tier or trial on the site, so the cost is committed before you can test the index on your own drive. Screen memory recording raises privacy questions of its own, even with local processing.

Status

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Added10/21/2026

Platforms

MacOSiOS

Pricing

PaidSubscription

Categories

AI SearchFile OrganizerImage ExtractorImage ReaderChatImage EditingProductivityResearch