# Best local LLM for your Mac (MacBook, Mac mini, Mac Studio)

URL: https://insidethemachine.ai/best/local-llm-for-mac
Data: machines 2026-10-15, models 2026-10-15. On a Mac the memory is shared with the graphics chip, so about 75% of it can hold a model. More memory = bigger models. More bandwidth = faster answers.

| machine | memory GB | usable GB | bandwidth GB/s | models that fit | best fit | needs GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air 13"/15" (M5) | 16 | 12 | 153 | 38 | K2 Horizon 7B | 8.6 |
| MacBook Air 13"/15" (M5) | 24 | 18 | 153 | 45 | K2 Horizon 7B | 8.6 |
| MacBook Air 13"/15" (M5) | 32 | 24 | 153 | 62 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| MacBook Pro 14" (M5) | 16 | 12 | 153 | 38 | K2 Horizon 7B | 8.6 |
| MacBook Pro 14" (M5) | 24 | 18 | 153 | 45 | K2 Horizon 7B | 8.6 |
| MacBook Pro 14" (M5) | 32 | 24 | 153 | 62 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| MacBook Pro 14"/16" (M5 Pro) | 24 | 18 | 307 | 45 | K2 Horizon 7B | 8.6 |
| MacBook Pro 14"/16" (M5 Pro) | 48 | 36 | 307 | 76 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| MacBook Pro 14"/16" (M5 Pro) | 64 | 48 | 307 | 77 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| MacBook Pro 14"/16" (M5 Max) | 36 | 27 | 614 | 67 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| MacBook Pro 14"/16" (M5 Max) | 48 | 36 | 614 | 76 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| MacBook Pro 14"/16" (M5 Max) | 64 | 48 | 614 | 77 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| MacBook Pro 14"/16" (M5 Max) | 128 | 96 | 614 | 90 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| Mac mini (M6) | 16 | 12 | 153 | 38 | K2 Horizon 7B | 8.6 |
| Mac mini (M6) | 24 | 18 | 153 | 45 | K2 Horizon 7B | 8.6 |
| Mac mini (M6) | 32 | 24 | 153 | 62 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| Mac mini (M5 Pro) | 24 | 18 | 307 | 45 | K2 Horizon 7B | 8.6 |
| Mac mini (M5 Pro) | 48 | 36 | 307 | 76 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| Mac mini (M5 Pro) | 64 | 48 | 307 | 77 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| Mac Studio (M5 Max) | 36 | 27 | 614 | 67 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| Mac Studio (M5 Max) | 48 | 36 | 614 | 76 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| Mac Studio (M5 Max) | 64 | 48 | 614 | 77 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| Mac Studio (M5 Max) | 128 | 96 | 614 | 90 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| Mac Studio (M5 Ultra) | 96 | 72 | 1200 | 83 | Qwen3.8 27B | 22.7 |
| Mac Studio (M5 Ultra) | 256 | 192 | 1200 | 95 | Qwen3.8-Flash-Next (125B-A6B) | 140 |
| Mac Studio (M5 Ultra) | 512 | 384 | 1200 | 102 | GLM-5.3-Flash | 233 |

## Published speeds (decode tokens/sec, not our tests)

- MacBook Pro 14" (M5): gpt-oss-20b 48.7 tok/s (oMLX v0.3.8, MXFP4 (MLX), M5 10-core GPU, 32GB) source: https://omlx.ai/benchmarks/performance/xns0rgnb (2026-10-15)
- MacBook Pro 14"/16" (M5 Pro): gpt-oss-20b 76.6 tok/s (oMLX v0.6.2, MXFP4-Q8 (MLX), M5 Pro 20-core GPU, 48GB) source: https://omlx.ai/benchmarks/performance/h03e0nvx (2026-10-15)
- MacBook Pro 14"/16" (M5 Max): gpt-oss-120b 79.1 tok/s (Ollama 0.34.1, MXFP4 (GGUF), 16" MBP M5 Max 40c, 128GB (Joel Ramat via bestllmfor.com, 2026-09-16)) source: https://llamaperf.com/model/gpt-oss (2026-10-15)
- MacBook Pro 14"/16" (M5 Max): gpt-oss-20b 113.4 tok/s (Ollama 0.34.1, MXFP4 (GGUF), 16" MBP M5 Max 40c, 128GB) source: https://llamaperf.com/model/gpt-oss (2026-10-15)
- MacBook Pro 14"/16" (M5 Max): Qwen3.8 27B 36.6 tok/s (Ollama 0.34.1, GGUF Q4 (17 GB), 16" MBP M5 Max 40c, 128GB) source: https://llamaperf.com/model/gpt-oss (2026-10-15)
- MacBook Pro 14"/16" (M5 Max): Qwen3.8 27B 68 tok/s (Ollama 0.34.1 (MLX), MLX (18 GB), 16" MBP M5 Max 40c, 128GB) source: https://llamaperf.com/model/gpt-oss (2026-10-15)
- MacBook Pro 14"/16" (M5 Max): Qwen3.6 35B-A3B 167.2 tok/s (Ollama 0.34.1 (MLX), MLX (23 GB), 16" MBP M5 Max 40c, 128GB) source: https://llamaperf.com/model/gpt-oss (2026-10-15)
- MacBook Pro 14"/16" (M5 Max): Gemma 4 12B 58.1 tok/s (Ollama 0.34.1, GGUF Q4 (7.6 GB), 16" MBP M5 Max 40c, 128GB) source: https://llamaperf.com/model/gpt-oss (2026-10-15)
- Mac mini (M5 Pro): gpt-oss-20b 76.6 tok/s (oMLX v0.6.2, MXFP4-Q8 (MLX), M5 Pro 20-core GPU, 48GB (chip-level result; device not stated)) source: https://omlx.ai/benchmarks/performance/h03e0nvx (2026-10-15)
- Mac Studio (M5 Max): gpt-oss-120b 78.2 tok/s (oMLX v0.3.9, MXFP4-Q8 (MLX), M5 Max 40c, 128GB) source: https://omlx.ai/benchmarks/dgadv0k9 (2026-10-15)
- Mac Studio (M5 Max): gpt-oss-120b 70.5 tok/s (oMLX v0.3.9, MXFP4-Q8 (MLX), M5 Max 40c, 128GB) source: https://omlx.ai/benchmarks/dgadv0k9 (2026-10-15)
- Mac Studio (M5 Ultra): gpt-oss-120b 108.6 tok/s (oMLX v0.7.0, MXFP4 (MLX), M5 Ultra 80c, 256GB) source: https://omlx.ai/benchmarks/performance/bcoqxlcv (2026-10-15)
- Mac Studio (M5 Ultra): gpt-oss-120b 110.1 tok/s (oMLX v0.7.0, MXFP4 (MLX), M5 Ultra 80c, 256GB) source: https://omlx.ai/benchmarks/performance/bcoqxlcv (2026-10-15)

## Questions

**What is the best local LLM for the smallest Mac?**
With 16 GB (MacBook Air 13"/15" (M5)), the best fit is K2 Horizon 7B (needs 8.6 GB). 38 models fit.

**Which Mac runs the smartest local model?**
Mac Studio (M5 Ultra) with 512 GB runs GLM-5.3-Flash (AA 41.8, about 73% of Claude Opus 5.5).

**What matters more, memory or speed?**
Memory decides which models fit at all. Bandwidth (GB/s) decides how fast they answer. Pick memory first, then the fastest machine you can afford with that memory.