Willow is a local-first desktop AI agent you own — not another cloud chat you rent. It runs on your Mac, drives browser + desktop, and finishes multi-step tasks while data stays on-device. €299 lifetime, no subscription. BYOK/BYOM (or Ollama offline). Local memory + Markdown vault. Real computer control, not just suggestions. Built for builders who want an agent that belongs to them.
No reviews yetBe the first to leave a review for Willow
Maker
📌
Hey Product Hunt 👋
Maker here. I built Willow because I got tired of renting AI — monthly plans, cloud lock-in, and chat tools that only suggest instead of actually doing the work.
Willow is a local-first desktop AI agent for Mac:
runs on your machine, not someone else’s cloud
drives browser + desktop (click, type, fill forms, multi-step tasks)
BYOK / BYOM — your Anthropic/OpenAI/Gemini keys, or Ollama offline
memory + Markdown vault stay on-device
€299 lifetime — no subscription
What’s different: ownership + real computer control. Not another chat wrapper.
Would love your feedback, especially:
What should an agent do on your desktop that chat still can’t?
Lifetime vs subscription — does that matter to you for AI tools?
Privacy-first agents: must-have or nice-to-have?
Happy to answer anything — bugs, roadmap, Windows/Linux, pricing, demos.
Thanks for being here on day one 🙏
— Ali
Report
the "real computer control, not just suggestions" part is what would make me hesitate, not the local vs cloud question. an agent that can actually click and type on my desktop is a much bigger blast radius than one that drafts a suggestion I approve. is there a confirm-before-action step for anything destructive (deleting files, submitting forms, sending money), or does it just act once it decides on a plan?
Report
Maker
@galdayan Willow doesn’t free-run destructive actions. Deletes are hard-blocked. Payments, form submits, sends, and other irreversible steps need explicit confirmation first — it can prepare them, not silently execute them. Read/observe is freer; blast-radius actions stay gated.
Curious where you’d draw the line: confirm every click, or only destructive/irreversible ones?
Report
@ali_parnan only destructive/irreversible ones, confirming every click would defeat the point of having an agent do the work for you. the trick is going to be defining the boundary honestly though - a "form submit" can be as low stakes as a newsletter signup or as high stakes as a job application or a payment form, and those probably shouldn't get treated the same way
Report
Maker
@galdayan you should try willow , you will like it :) i can handle alot
Report
@ali_parnan haha fair enough, the confirmation-boundary answer above already sold me more than the pitch did honestly. will give the desktop agent a spin once I have a form-heavy workflow to throw at it
Report
€299 lifetime with real computer control is a bold bet against subscription fatigue, but lifetime pricing on something that needs ongoing updates to keep working with new OS versions/model APIs makes me nervous long term - how are you planning to fund that without a recurring revenue stream once the initial sales dry up?
Report
Maker
@omri_ben_shoham1 The lifetime license is only available during the early launch phase. It's our way of rewarding the first people who believe in Willow.
Those early users will always receive updates as promised. Over time, new customers will move to a subscription model, which will fund ongoing development while honoring our commitment to lifetime license holders.
Report
Local models are a neat idea, but aren't there free easy ways to get Ollama to run on a Mac? What is better about using WIllow?
Report
Maker
@mjohnson42 You’re right: Ollama on Mac is easy and free.
Different layer though:
Ollama serves the model.
Willow is the personal agent that uses the model to control browser + desktop, keep memory on-device, and run multi-step work.
Think “engine” vs “car.” Willow happily runs on Ollama (or your API keys).
Report
At first glance, it seems very interesting and practical. It's great that it's not stored in the cloud and I have control over the data. I would like to know if I can also control it from my mobile phone.
the "real computer control, not just suggestions" part is what would make me hesitate, not the local vs cloud question. an agent that can actually click and type on my desktop is a much bigger blast radius than one that drafts a suggestion I approve. is there a confirm-before-action step for anything destructive (deleting files, submitting forms, sending money), or does it just act once it decides on a plan?
@galdayan Willow doesn’t free-run destructive actions. Deletes are hard-blocked. Payments, form submits, sends, and other irreversible steps need explicit confirmation first — it can prepare them, not silently execute them. Read/observe is freer; blast-radius actions stay gated.
Curious where you’d draw the line: confirm every click, or only destructive/irreversible ones?
@ali_parnan only destructive/irreversible ones, confirming every click would defeat the point of having an agent do the work for you. the trick is going to be defining the boundary honestly though - a "form submit" can be as low stakes as a newsletter signup or as high stakes as a job application or a payment form, and those probably shouldn't get treated the same way
@galdayan you should try willow , you will like it :) i can handle alot
@ali_parnan haha fair enough, the confirmation-boundary answer above already sold me more than the pitch did honestly. will give the desktop agent a spin once I have a form-heavy workflow to throw at it
€299 lifetime with real computer control is a bold bet against subscription fatigue, but lifetime pricing on something that needs ongoing updates to keep working with new OS versions/model APIs makes me nervous long term - how are you planning to fund that without a recurring revenue stream once the initial sales dry up?
@omri_ben_shoham1 The lifetime license is only available during the early launch phase. It's our way of rewarding the first people who believe in Willow.
Those early users will always receive updates as promised. Over time, new customers will move to a subscription model, which will fund ongoing development while honoring our commitment to lifetime license holders.
Local models are a neat idea, but aren't there free easy ways to get Ollama to run on a Mac? What is better about using WIllow?
@mjohnson42 You’re right: Ollama on Mac is easy and free. Different layer though: Ollama serves the model. Willow is the personal agent that uses the model to control browser + desktop, keep memory on-device, and run multi-step work. Think “engine” vs “car.” Willow happily runs on Ollama (or your API keys).
At first glance, it seems very interesting and practical. It's great that it's not stored in the cloud and I have control over the data. I would like to know if I can also control it from my mobile phone.