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Comparison

Henchman vs Vellum

Vellum is a personal assistant with long-term memory that's native to Mac and reachable almost anywhere. Henchman is a free Mac app with a crew of characters, and the thinking happens on your Mac.

Coming soon for MacFree for Apple silicon Macs · macOS 15 or later

At a glance

Henchman and Vellum side by side
HenchmanVellum
What it isA Mac app with a crew of AI helpers you can chat with or textOne personal assistant with long-term memory that acts across your files and tools
Where the thinking happensOn your Mac, with open models you addThe assistant runs on your machine by default; you choose cloud models from OpenAI, Anthropic or Gemini, or open models through Ollama
Chat appsTelegram, Discord and Slack direct messagesTelegram, Slack, email and voice, and it can message you first
DevicesMac with Apple siliconMac app, plus iOS, Android and the web; a Windows build is in development
CharactersA crew of named henchmen with faces and personalitiesOne assistant with a personality you shape
SecretsAn encrypted vault on your MacA credentials vault kept apart from what the AI sees, on your machine or in the cloud
ControlYou choose a level for each henchman, from Ask to Full accessRisky actions need your approval until you mark them as trusted
PriceFree, coming soonFree to download and self-host, with code on GitHub under the MIT licence; Vellum Cloud has paid plans

Choose Henchman if

  • You want open models on your Mac without wiring up a model service.
  • You want a crew of characters, each with its own job and personality.
  • You want answers as cards, like a forecast, a map or a price chart.

Choose Vellum if

  • You want the same assistant on your phone, the web and your Mac.
  • You want cloud models, or a hosted assistant that keeps running when your computer is off.
  • You want an assistant that reaches out to you first with check-ins.

Vellum and Henchman are the two apps most alike on paper: both live on a Mac, remember you, keep your secrets in a vault, and answer from your chat apps. They differ on models, characters and how they handle permission.

Vellum is one assistant everywhere

Vellum gives you a single assistant with a personality you shape. It runs on your machine by default, or in Vellum Cloud, and you can reach it from iOS, Android, the web, Telegram, Slack, email and voice. It uses cloud models or open models through Ollama, keeps credentials away from what the AI sees, and asks before risky actions until you trust them. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT licence, and self-hosting has no platform fee.

Henchman is a crew on your Mac

Henchman is a free Mac app built around a crew. You hire henchmen with names, faces and personalities, and the thinking happens on your Mac with open models you add. They show answers as cards, keep your secrets in an encrypted vault, and you choose how much each one can do. You text them from Telegram, Discord or Slack direct messages while your Mac is awake.

Which one fits

If you want one assistant on every device, with cloud models when you need them, Vellum covers more ground. If you want a private crew on your Mac, Henchman is built for that.

Sources

Details about Vellum were last checked on . Products change; check their site for the latest.

Questions

Do both keep my data on my Mac?

Vellum runs on your machine by default and can move to Vellum Cloud. Its thinking happens wherever your chosen model runs, which is often a cloud provider. Henchman thinks only with open models on your Mac.

How do they handle permission?

Vellum asks before risky actions until you trust them. Henchman lets you set a level for each henchman, from Ask to Full access, and new henchmen start at Full access, so set the level you want.

Does Henchman have a phone app like Vellum?

No. You reach your henchmen from your phone through Telegram, Discord or Slack direct messages, while your Mac is awake and Henchman is running.

Permissions and control

Some jobs you want done without a fuss. Others you want to sign off. Henchman lets you set that per henchman, and shows you everything they did.

Read more

Text from your phone

Your crew lives on your Mac, but you don't have to be sitting at it. Send a direct message from Telegram, Discord or Slack and the right henchman picks it up.

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The crew

One assistant trying to be everything gets bland fast. Henchman gives you a crew instead, each with a name, a face, a job and a way of talking you picked.

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Henchman vs OpenClaw

OpenClaw is a popular self-hosted gateway that connects AI agents to almost every chat app. Henchman is a Mac app with a crew of characters and thinking done on your Mac.

Read more

Henchman vs Hermes Agent

Hermes Agent from Nous Research is a capable, highly configurable agent that learns skills and reaches almost any chat app. Henchman is a Mac app with a crew of characters and thinking done on your Mac.

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Henchman vs OpenAI dots

OpenAI's dots are always-on agents in ChatGPT, each with its own computer in the cloud. Henchman is a free Mac app with a crew of characters, and the thinking happens on your Mac.

Read more

Henchman is almost here

Free for Apple silicon Macs running macOS 15 or later. Coming soon.

Coming soon for Mac