Kerlig AI vs RewriteBar

Kerlig AI is a macOS app that brings AI-powered writing assistance into any macOS app.

Summary

Kerlig AI and RewriteBar both bring AI-powered writing assistance into any macOS app, but they serve different workflows. Kerlig AI excels at deep, multimodal document interaction, broad model choice (350+ cloud and local), and a one-time license structure—ideal for heavy users and teams. RewriteBar offers a lightning-fast menu-bar UI with a polished command palette for grammar/style fixes, tone adjustments, summarization, expansion, translation (500+ languages), and custom actions—available via subscription or one-time purchase. While RewriteBar is streamlined and cost-predictable, it lacks Kerlig's document/chat features and multi-model flexibility.

Core Features

What are the core features of Kerlig AI and RewriteBar?

Kerlig AIRewriteBar
Universal Integration
Works in any macOS app (Slack, Mail, VSCode, Figma, browsers, etc.)
Accessible in any app via a menu-bar command palette
PopClip Integration
No PopClip extension available
PopClip extension available for seamless text selection workflow
Text Enhancements
Real-time grammar, spelling, tone, style, summarization & expansion
Real-time grammar, spelling, tone, style, summarization & expansion
Multimodal & Document Chat
Chat with PDFs, DOCX, EPUB, CSV, JSON, images, screenshots & web pages
Text-only; no built-in document or image ingestion
Translation
Unlimited languages via any connected LLM
Instant translation into 30 preset languages
Custom Actions & Presets
User-defined templates; powerful editor
User-defined templates; ultra-fast keyboard-driven actions
Model & API Flexibility
Supports 350+ LLMs
Supports 350+ LLMs

Platform & Compatibility

Kerlig AI

  • OS: macOS 10.15+ (Catalina and later)
  • Architecture: Intel & Apple Silicon
  • Works In: Any text field; Input Documents PDF, DOCX, EPUB, CSV, JSON, PNG, JPG, web pages

RewriteBar

  • OS: macOS 13+ (Ventura and later)
  • Architecture: Intel & Apple Silicon
  • Works In: Any application with a text field

Pricing & Licensing

Find the Right Plan For You

How does Kerlig AI compares with RewriteBar in terms of Pricing and License?

Kerlig AIRewriteBar
Free
Free
Start with 100 free Request
Entry
$47 for 1 Mac (one year updates)
$29 one-time
Multiple Devices
$67 for 2 Macs; $297 for 10 Macs
$5/month or $40/year
Refund & Trial
14-day money-back guarantee
Free trial available

Strengths & Gaps

Kerlig AI Strengths

  • Full multimodal support (images, OCR, redaction)
  • Custom AI Assistants + prompt library for task-specific workflows
  • Single, perpetual license with local security

Kerlig AI Gaps

  • No subscription tier (less flexible for light users)
  • Command menu less standardized
  • No built-in prompt-improvement tools

RewriteBar Strengths

  • Lightning-fast, keyboard-driven command palette
  • Smooth in-line text transformations (grammar, tone, summarize, translate)
  • Flexible subscription or one-time pricing

RewriteBar Gaps

  • Lacks document/chat or multimodal inputs
  • Focuses on text replacement and does not provide chat interface

Which to Choose?

Choose Kerlig AI if…

  • You need in-depth, multimodal interactions with documents and images.
  • You are willing to pay $47 for one year of updates.

Choose RewriteBar if…

  • You value a razor-sharp menu-bar command palette for rapid text edits.
  • You prefer a cheaper and simpler solution.
  • Your work is primarily text-based and you don't require document/chat features.

Ready to Experience the Difference?

Download RewriteBar today and see why our users love RewriteBar over the competition. Start your free trial with no credit card required.

Download RewriteBar FreeRequest Free License

No credit card required • 100 free executions • Cancel anytime

Purchase a License

All licenses include the full app. Pay once, then add extra devices or RewriteBar Cloud anytime.

Trial

Try it for free

1 device

Free

  • 1 Active Device
  • 35,000 Credits (One-Time)
  • BYOK
  • Third Party Providers

No credit card required

Standard

One-time license with cloud credits and API key support.

1 device

$29

USD

OneTime
  • 1 Active Device
  • 35,000 Credits (One-Time)
  • Unlimited App Updates
  • Third Party Providers
  • BYOK
  • Local AI Providers

One-time payment

Best value

Pro

One-time license with RewriteBar Cloud Subscription for 1 year.

3 devicesAI Gateway included

$59

USD

OneTime
  • 3 Active Devices
  • 3 Million Credits (Monthly)
  • Unlimited App Updates
  • Third Party Providers
  • BYOK
  • Local AI Providers
  • 1 Year RewriteBar Cloud Subscription

One-time payment

Optional Add-Ons

Extra devices or RewriteBar Cloud Subscription.

Extra Device

Add one Active Device to your license.

1 deviceAdd-on

$19

USD

OneTime
  • Add 1 Active Device to your license
  • For Standard or Pro licenses

One-time payment

RewriteBar Gateway

Use RewriteBar Gateway as your AI provider without your own API key.

$40

USD

Annually
  • Access 41 AI models
  • 3 Million Credits (Monthly)
  • Premium Models Included

Billed annually

How does RewriteBar compare to other AI Writing Tools?

We compared RewriteBar to other popular AI writing assistants to help you find the best tool for your needs.

BoltAI

See detailed comparison between BoltAI and RewriteBar

Elephas

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TextWisely

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WriterBrew

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Alter

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FixKey AI

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FridayGPT

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Steer

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IntelliBar

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TypoTab

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MacCopilot

See detailed comparison between MacCopilot and RewriteBar

Grammarly

See detailed comparison between Grammarly and RewriteBar

Frequently Asked Questions

Your Questions, Answered

Have a question? Contact me on Twitter or by email.

  • RewriteBar captures the currently selected text using the macOS clipboard and sends it to a language model for rewriting. The corrected version is then automatically pasted back, replacing the original text.

  • Yes. RewriteBar does not store or track any of your data. How your text is processed depends on the provider you choose:

    • RewriteBar (default): Your selected text is sent to the RewriteBar server, which forwards the request to a language model and returns the corrected version. We do not store your text or API key on our server.
    • Third-Party Providers (e.g. OpenAI, Mistral, Ollama): Your request is sent directly from your device to the provider’s API. RewriteBar never sees or processes your text.

    The app is built using native macOS tools and is just ~20 MB in size — lightweight and privacy-focused.

  • Yes, RewriteBar works with almost any application or website that supports text input. It runs quietly in the background so you can stay focused and keep your writing flow.

    Examples include:

    • Google Chrome
    • Google Docs
    • Microsoft Word
    • Slack
    • WhatsApp
    • Emails
    • Microsoft Teams
    • Notion
    • Visual Studio Code
  • Yes, you can try RewriteBar for free with up to 100 corrections. When you’re ready to continue, you can choose a subscription or a one-time license, whichever suits you best.
  • Yes, you can request a refund within 14 days of purchase. Just reach out via email.

  • RewriteBar App Interface is translated into 12 languages.

    The translation action supports over 500 languages. However, language Support also depends on the selected model. Cloud models like GPT-5 are advanced and support most languages, while smaller local models can only support a limited number of languages.

    If you encounter issues with a specific language, feel free to contact us.

  • RewriteBar (once purchased) and local models do not incur additional costs. Additional charges apply only when using cloud AI providers via the BYOK (bring your own API key) option. In that case, you pay your chosen provider directly.
  • You can cancel your subscription through the Subscription Portal.
    If you have any questions, feel free to contact us via email.
  • No. Subscriptions like ChatGPT Plus/Pro or Claude Pro apply to their chat applications. API access is billed separately by each provider on a pay-as-you-go basis and is not included in those subscriptions. You can use your own API key (BYOK) and pay the provider directly, or use the RewriteBar AI Cloud (included in the RewriteBar subscription).
  • RewriteBar requests macOS Accessibility permissions so it can function as designed. This allows the app to read your currently selected text and replace it with the improved result, so it works seamlessly in your favorite apps. We do not store your data.
  • You can create an API key with any supported provider below:Setup instructions are available in our help center

  • One-Time License: Includes all RewriteBar features but requires you to set up your own API accounts with AI providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.). You pay the providers directly for usage.

    Subscription: Includes all features from the one-time license plus RewriteBar Cloud access and priority support. No need to set up API accounts—you can access the same AI models through our cloud service. You can still use your own API key (BYOK) or local models at any time.

  • No. There is no Windows version, and none is planned. RewriteBar is purpose‑built and optimized for macOS. We may explore a Chrome extension in the future.
  • You can reach out any time by email. I’m happy to help!