Vehla is a macOS-only command center app built by Kaila Consulting Inc. in Canada. Pressing a single hotkey opens a command palette that goes beyond searching apps and files: from the same place you can run AI text generation, summarization, and translation, tile windows, browse clipboard history, dictate, and open notes or a kanban board. Two things set it apart ─ AI actions can run entirely on your Mac as on-device inference, and the app is sold as a one-time purchase rather than a subscription. It is aimed at people who have accumulated several single-purpose utilities (a launcher, an AI chat client, a clipboard manager) and want to replace them with one app.
Key Features
- On-device AI (built-in MLX runtime): Vehla ships with an MLX runtime for Apple Silicon, so text generation, summarization, and translation can run without a network connection. Local models are capped at 2B parameters on the free plan; Pro supports larger models and importing your own MLX models
- Cloud AI via BYOK: You can connect OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, and others using API keys you supply yourself. Keys are stored in the macOS Keychain, and requests go directly from your Mac to each provider without passing through Vehla’s servers
- Window management and clipboard history: SnapWheel handles keyboard-driven window placement, and clipboard history is retained. Text extraction from images in that history (OCR) is also processed on device
- Dictation (Flow) and local search (Recall): Flow provides locally running dictation for voice input, while Recall indexes things such as what you have seen on screen so you can search for them later
- Works as an MCP client: You can add MCP servers (HTTP/SSE or local stdio) from inside the palette, which lets AI actions reach your own tools and data
- Workspaces and extensions: Notes, canvas, kanban, a color picker, QR codes, and network port lookup are built into the app. You can also load third-party extensions written in SwiftUI/AppKit into the palette
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Command palette, basic window management, 50-item clipboard history, 5 notes and 3 snippets, local models (up to 2B), and up to 50 AI sessions/actions per month |
| Pro | $29.99 one-time (usable on 2 Macs, free updates for life) | All workspaces and integrations, advanced AI actions, Recall, Flow, MCP, larger local models and custom MLX imports |
A 7-day Premium trial is available with no card required. There is no monthly or annual subscription.
Pricing is current as of September 2026. Please check the official site for the latest pricing.
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- You can draft, summarize, and translate on your own machine even on a flaky network or when the text should not leave your organization
- At $29.99 for up to two Macs, you stop paying a monthly fee for launching and clipboard management
- Because everything opens from one hotkey, you no longer relearn a separate shortcut for each utility
- When you do use cloud AI, the key stays with you, so usage and billing are visible in your own provider account
⚠️ Cons
- It requires macOS 15.0 or later on Apple Silicon; Intel Macs and older versions of macOS are not supported
- The free plan caps AI actions at 50 per month and clipboard history at 50 items, so daily use tends to assume Pro
- The extension catalog is still small, so you cannot count on someone having already built the extension you want, as you often can with Raycast
- The app has been available for a relatively short time, so its long-term support track record is still being built
Comparison with Similar Services
| Service | How Vehla differs |
|---|---|
| Raycast | Raycast has the largest extension ecosystem and offers hosted AI through a subscription. Vehla instead chose on-device execution and a one-time purchase |
| Alfred | Alfred has a long track record for deep automation through Workflows. Vehla bundles AI, window management, clipboard, and more into a single app from the start |
| SuperCmd | SuperCmd also takes a bring-your-own-key approach, but Vehla ships its own on-device MLX runtime as standard |
Who Is It For
- Mac users running separate apps for launching, clipboard management, and AI chat who want to cut the number down
- People who want to summarize or translate drafts and internal documents without sending them to the cloud
- Power users who want to switch between OpenAI, Anthropic, and others with their own API keys
- Anyone reluctant to add another monthly charge who prefers tools that end with a single payment
Summary
On-device AI and a one-time license are what define Vehla’s position among macOS launchers. Processing that finishes locally means less dependence on a network connection and on monthly billing, but the app runs only on macOS 15 or later with Apple Silicon, and its extension ecosystem does not yet match Raycast or Alfred. The sensible move is to use the 7-day trial to confirm that it really can replace the utilities you already rely on.