Apple Intelligence requires macOS 15 Sequoia AND an Apple Silicon chip (M1 or later) - both conditions must be true. Charm requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later on an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later). If you have an Apple Silicon Mac still on macOS 14, Charm is available to you right now and Apple Intelligence is not. Neither runs on Intel hardware.
Which Mac versions support Apple Intelligence?
Apple Intelligence has two requirements that both must be satisfied:
macOS version: macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Macs on Ventura (13) or Sonoma (14) cannot use it regardless of chip.
Chip: Apple Silicon only - M1, M2, M3, M4, or later. Intel Macs are permanently excluded, even if they can run macOS Sequoia.
Note that macOS Sequoia supports some Intel Mac models. Intel MacBook Pros from 2018+, iMacs from 2019+, Mac Pros from 2019+, Mac minis from 2018+, and iMac Pros from 2017+ can all run Sequoia. But running Sequoia on Intel gives none of its features. The chip requirement is absolute and hardware-limited - there is no workaround, update, or setting that enables it on Intel.
Approximately 35% of active Macs are Intel-based. These users - a large minority of the Mac installed base - are permanently locked out of it, and Charm needs an M-series chip too. For this group, browser tools like Grammarly and LanguageTool are the realistic options.
Which Mac versions support Charm?
Charm's requirements are simpler: macOS 14 Sonoma or later on an Apple Silicon Mac. It needs the chip, but not the newer macOS.
If you are on macOS 14 Sonoma with an Intel Mac: neither Charm nor Apple Intelligence runs. Both need an M-series chip.
If you are on macOS 14 Sonoma with an M-series chip: Charm works fully. Apple Intelligence does not work (requires Sequoia).
If you are on macOS 15 Sequoia with an Intel chip: neither Charm nor Apple Intelligence runs. Both need an M-series chip.
If you are on macOS 15 Sequoia with an M-series chip: Both Charm and Apple Intelligence work. They complement each other - Charm correcting as you type, Apple Intelligence for post-edit rewriting in native Apple apps.
Feature comparison by macOS version
| macOS + Chip | Charm | Apple Intelligence |
|---|---|---|
| macOS 13 Ventura (Intel or Apple Silicon) | Not supported (requires Sonoma+) | No |
| macOS 14 Sonoma - Intel | No (requires Apple Silicon) | No |
| macOS 14 Sonoma - Apple Silicon | Yes - full functionality | No (requires Sequoia) |
| macOS 15 Sequoia - Intel | No (requires Apple Silicon) | No (requires Apple Silicon) |
| macOS 15 Sequoia - Apple Silicon | Yes - full functionality | Yes (in native Apple apps only) |
Even in the one scenario where both tools are available - Sequoia on Apple Silicon - Apple Intelligence's Writing Tools only work in native Apple apps. Electron apps like Slack, VS Code, Discord, Notion, and Obsidian are excluded entirely. Charm covers all of these. 73% of top Mac productivity apps are Electron-based, which means Apple Intelligence misses the majority of where professional Mac users write every day.
Does upgrading to Sequoia give you everything you need?
Not if you primarily write in Electron apps - which most professionals do.
Upgrading an Apple Silicon Mac from Sonoma to Sequoia adds Apple Intelligence. This is a genuine improvement for writing in native Apple apps. But the workflow in Slack, VS Code, Notion, and other Electron apps is completely unchanged. Those apps remain outside its coverage regardless of macOS version.
For Intel Mac users, upgrading to Sequoia provides no writing improvements at all. The autocorrect engine is unchanged, Apple's AI features are unavailable, and Electron app coverage is the same as always.
The approximately 40% of active Macs still running Sonoma - both Intel and Apple Silicon - also get none of it. For those on an M-series Mac, Charm is available right now, on the macOS version they are already running.
The combination of Charm and Apple Intelligence on Sequoia Apple Silicon is the best possible Mac writing setup: real-time correction across your Mac from Charm, plus post-edit rewriting and tone adjustment in Apple apps from Apple Intelligence. Each tool fills the gaps the other leaves.
Frequently asked questions
Does Apple Intelligence work on Intel Mac with Sequoia?
No. Apple Intelligence requires both macOS 15 Sequoia AND Apple Silicon (M1 or later). Intel Macs can run Sequoia but those features are locked to Apple Silicon. Running Sequoia on an Intel Mac gives you none of its features - the real-time autocorrect experience is identical to Sonoma.
What macOS does Charm require?
Charm requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later and an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later). It does not run on Intel Macs. On macOS 14 or 15 with an M-series chip, Charm provides full functionality: real-time spelling correction, grammar correction, and word prediction across your Mac.
Is Apple Intelligence better than Charm on supported hardware?
They do different things. Apple Intelligence offers post-edit rewriting in native Apple apps on Apple Silicon. Charm corrects as you type, including browsers and web apps. On fully supported hardware (Sequoia + Apple Silicon), using both together is the optimal setup - they complement each other rather than compete.
Can I use Charm and Apple Intelligence at the same time?
Yes. They operate independently and complement each other. Charm runs in the background providing real-time correction as you type. Apple Intelligence's Writing Tools are invoked manually on selected text. Both can be active simultaneously without conflict.
Does upgrading to macOS Sequoia improve autocorrect?
Only if you have Apple Silicon. For Apple Silicon Macs, Sequoia adds Apple Intelligence Writing Tools in native Apple apps. For Intel Macs, the autocorrect experience is essentially unchanged. In all cases, Electron apps like Slack and VS Code remain uncorrected by Apple Intelligence - that gap requires Charm.