Ukraine-based software developer MacPaw has entered a strategic partnership with Liquid AI, a startup specializing in efficient AI models, to power its products with locally hosted AI systems. The collaboration aims to eventually offer this technology stack to developers within MacPaw's ecosystem, including its subscription-based SetApp store. As part of the initiative, MacPaw is also preparing SetApp for AI-centric applications by introducing credit-based pricing plans for users.
Building Eney with On-Device Intelligence
MacPaw is currently advancing its AI assistant, Eney, which was unveiled last year. The company plans to develop a locally hosted version of Eney, leveraging Liquid AI's expertise to create an on-device inference system called Elix, along with a local memory system. This move aligns with MacPaw's commitment to enhancing user privacy and enabling offline functionality.
“Before training our models, we select an architecture that is different and tailored to the hardware. That allows us to really have the most efficient version of intelligence that runs directly on the device, with benefits like privacy and security,” said Ramin Hasani, co-founder and CEO of Liquid AI, in a statement to TechCrunch.
Offline Capabilities and Customization
MacPaw's CEO, Oleksandr Kosovan, emphasized that locally hosted AI models will enable users to run assistants and agentic workflows even without an internet connection. This capability is increasingly critical as users demand more control over their data and seamless experiences across devices.
While Apple already provides on-device models to developers, Hasani argued that Liquid AI's models are optimized for superior performance across various capabilities. “We are also building a customization stack around models. This means that with user input, the models can use the data and improve. We want our models to be adaptable and become more intelligent over time,” he added.
Expanding SetApp with AI and Developer Tools
MacPaw is doubling down on AI apps for SetApp, its subscription-based app store, which currently serves over 150,000 paying users. Once the local processing architecture with Liquid AI is finalized, MacPaw intends to make the technology available to third-party developers, allowing them to integrate on-device inference into their applications. Kosovan noted that the platform will also aggregate cloud-based models from providers like Google, positioning it as a one-stop shop for developers seeking AI solutions.
Credit-Based Pricing for AI Features
In a forward-looking move, MacPaw is experimenting with credit-based pricing within SetApp. Users will be allocated credits that can be spent on AI operations, with the cost varying based on the complexity of the task. This model aims to provide flexibility and scalability as AI features become more prevalent in the app ecosystem.
As the AI landscape evolves through 2026, partnerships like this underscore a growing shift toward on-device processing, prioritizing privacy, efficiency, and offline accessibility—a trend that is likely to define the next generation of software development.
via TechCrunch AI