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Conway Research (Underdog) · product · on-device personal agent

Underdog

Underdog describes a personal AI app for email, calendar, meeting notes, dictation and a browser agent that runs its own models on your Mac, with content not sent to a cloud AI service. Its site lists expense tracking and tax preparation as coming soon.

Documentation researched, not testedChecked 1 October 2026Vendor documentation, not a test

The decision in plain English

Launched by Conway Research; a16z announced it led the company's first funding round on 2 Oct 2026. The vendor says it is free and local. Its own pages disagree on access (invite-only beta versus 'today, if you have an Apple silicon Mac'), and its audits are partly still under way.

Best fit

Mac users who want email, calendar, notes and dictation help and care most that AI processing stays on their computer.

Poor fit

Anyone not on an Apple silicon Mac, or who needs independent audit results, approval-control details and reliability data before connecting email and calendar.

Documented capabilities

Vendor statements, not verified task outcomes.

  • Email, calendar, meeting notes and dictation on your Mac Source · checked 2026-10-02
  • Browser agent and 'sensitive tasks' (as listed on the site) Source · checked 2026-10-02
  • Local models; memory you can inspect and delete in Settings Source · checked 2026-10-02
  • Expense tracking and tax preparation (listed as coming soon) Source · checked 2026-10-02

Permissions and human control

  • Underdog says messages you send and bookings you approve go to their intended recipients or websites, and that you connect Google or Microsoft accounts yourself. Its pages we read do not set out which actions need your approval; check in the app.

Documented controls do not prove that an agent always follows them.

Limits and open questions

  • Access wording conflicts across the vendor's own pages
  • Audits by outside researchers are listed as under way, with no results yet
  • The vendor says its models may not be the biggest; no independent quality test was run
  • Benchmark and speed claims (including the Husky engine post) are the vendor's own
  • Described by the vendor; not tested by AgentComparison

Privacy and security

Underdog's privacy policy (effective 30 Sep 2026) says AI processing happens on your device, with no third-party AI service, and that the iPhone and iPad app sends nothing to Underdog. The Mac app keeps an account and an optional daily usage count. Its security page (updated 29 Sep 2026) lists a passed App Defense Alliance CASA Level 1 assessment by Leviathan Security Group and Google's review for Gmail and Calendar access. Penetration tests are listed as under way. These are vendor statements, not our audit.

Common questions about Underdog

What is Underdog for?

Mac users who want email, calendar, notes and dictation help and care most that AI processing stays on their computer. The vendor describes it as: Underdog describes a personal AI app for email, calendar, meeting notes, dictation and a browser agent that runs its own models on your Mac, with content not sent to a cloud AI service. Its site lists expense tracking and tax preparation as coming soon.

Who should look elsewhere?

Anyone not on an Apple silicon Mac, or who needs independent audit results, approval-control details and reliability data before connecting email and calendar.

How much does Underdog cost?

underdog.ai/pricing says 100% free and 'free forever', because it runs on your computer. This is the vendor's statement. Access may be limited to an invite-only beta.

What can it access and what needs my approval?

Underdog says messages you send and bookings you approve go to their intended recipients or websites, and that you connect Google or Microsoft accounts yourself. Its pages we read do not set out which actions need your approval; check in the app.

What happens to my data?

Underdog's privacy policy (effective 30 Sep 2026) says AI processing happens on your device, with no third-party AI service, and that the iPhone and iPad app sends nothing to Underdog. The Mac app keeps an account and an optional daily usage count. Its security page (updated 29 Sep 2026) lists a passed App Defense Alliance CASA Level 1 assessment by Leviathan Security Group and Google's review for Gmail and Calendar access. Penetration tests are listed as under way. These are vendor statements, not our audit.

Has AgentComparison tested it?

No. This record is built from the vendor's own documentation, checked 2026-10-02. Vendor claims are attributed, not confirmed.

How to evaluate Underdog yourself

  1. Pick one low-risk task that matches its documented capabilities: email, calendar, meeting notes and dictation on your mac.
  2. Write the expected output and what counts as failure before you start.
  3. Connect the minimum access needed, and check approval settings first.
  4. Run it twice and compare, then review every action it took.
  5. Check cost after any free allowance. Unknown price is not free.

Related

Documented use cases: Personal email, calendar and reminders.

Sources and history

Change history

Documentation overview expanded with current pricing/access sources. No hands-on results claimed.

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