---
title: "Pace vs Agent! (macOS26)"
description: "An evidence-based comparison of Pace and Agent! (macOS26): on-device-first default vs 18-provider breadth + hotword."
canonical: https://heypace.app/compared/agent-macos26/
last-updated: 2026-08-27
---
# Pace vs Agent! (macOS26)

An evidence-based comparison of Pace and Agent! (macOS26): on-device-first default vs 18-provider breadth + hotword.

## Product posture

- **Product:** [Agent! (macOS26)](https://github.com/macOS26/agent)
- **Maintainer:** macOS26 / Todd Bruss
- **License:** MIT; open source under MIT
- **Runtime posture:** hybrid
- **Speech-to-text:** SFSpeechRecognizer hotword
- **Reasoner:** 18 providers (Claude / GPT / Gemini / Grok / … / Apple FM / Ollama / vLLM / LM Studio)
- **Text-to-speech:** Local
- **Screen-aware:** Yes

## What the competing product does well

- Hotword-anchored dictation — say "Agent!" from across the room, hands-free.
- 18 LLM providers wired in, BYO key, free forever on Apple Intelligence.
- Apple AI as a real tool-calling agent — multi-step local tool calls, falls through to cloud only on failure.

## Where Pace differs

Pace is push-to-talk only (no hotword) and ships a tighter on-device default. Agent! wins on hands-free wake and provider breadth; Pace wins on trust surfaces, memory design, and the on-device-first posture being the default rather than one of 18 options.

This comparison does not claim ratings, market rank, or user-review scores.