Best Local LLMs for the Apple M4 Pro
Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated September 6, 2026
Best all-round pick: Gemma 4 27B ⭐
The Apple M4 Pro has 24 GB of unified memory, of which about 18 GB is available to a model. The largest model it can hold is Qwen 3.6 27B (28B, 17.6 GB at Q4_K_M).
Best models overall on the Apple M4 Pro
| Model | Score | Memory at Q4_K_M | Context | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemma 4 27B ⭐ | 97.4 | 17.1 GB | 125K | Gemma License (commercial OK) |
| Mistral Small 3.1 24B | 95.9 | 15 GB | 125K | Apache 2.0 |
| Qwen3.8 27B | 95.9 | 17.6 GB | 256K | Apache-2.0 |
| Gemma 3 27B Instruct | 93.8 | 17.1 GB | 128K | Gemma |
| Qwen 3.6 27B | 93.7 | 17.6 GB | 256K | Apache-2.0 |
| Qwen 3.5 14B | 93.2 | 9.3 GB | 125K | Apache 2.0 |
Best model by what you are doing
| Workload | Recommended on this GPU |
|---|---|
| Coding | Gemma 4 27B ⭐ (96.8) Qwen 3.6 27B (96.8) Devstral Small 2 24B (96.5) |
| General assistant | Gemma 4 27B ⭐ (97.4) Mistral Small 3.1 24B (95.9) Qwen3.8 27B (95.9) |
| Reasoning | Gemma 4 27B ⭐ (100) Qwen 3.6 27B (96.5) Qwen 3.5 27B (96) |
| RAG | Qwen 3.6 27B (96.7) Qwen3.8 27B (95.9) Gemma 4 26B-A4B (94.1) |
| Agents | Ternary Bonsai 27B (94) Devstral Small 2 24B (92.6) GLM-6 9B (84.3) |
| Vision | Gemma 4 27B ⭐ (96.8) Qwen3.8 27B (95.7) Mistral Small 3.1 24B (95.2) |
What the Apple M4 Pro cannot run
These models are strong picks generally but exceed the 18 GB this card makes available.
| Model | Needs at Q4_K_M | Short by |
|---|---|---|
| Qwen 3.7 35B-A3B | 22 GB | ~4 GB |
| Gemma 4 31B | 19.6 GB | ~1.6 GB |
| Qwen 3.6 35B-A3B | 22 GB | ~4 GB |
| Qwen 3.5 35B-A3B | 22 GB | ~4 GB |
How these numbers are calculated
- Usable memory is 18 GB of the card's 24 GB, after the share macOS reserves for the system.
- Fit is measured at Q4_K_M — quantized weights plus KV cache plus 0.8 GB runtime overhead.
- Within this card's budget, models are ranked on how well they use the memory available, not on being small — so the recommendation scales with the hardware.
FAQ
What is the best LLM for the Apple M4 Pro?
Gemma 4 27B ⭐ is the strongest all-round pick that fits its 18 GB.
What is the largest model the Apple M4 Pro can run?
Qwen 3.6 27B — 28B parameters, needing 17.6 GB at Q4_K_M.
How much of the Apple M4 Pro's memory can a model actually use?
About 18 GB of its 24 GB, because macOS reserves a share of unified memory for the system.
Compatibility Checks for the Apple M4 Pro
- Can I run Llama 3.3 on the Apple M4 Pro?
- Can I run Nemotron 70B on the Apple M4 Pro?
- Can I run Command R Family on the Apple M4 Pro?
- Can I run Mistral Family on the Apple M4 Pro?
- Can I run Gemma 4 on the Apple M4 Pro?
Similar GPUs
- Best models for the Apple M2
- Best models for the Apple M3
- Best models for the Apple M6
- Best models for the Apple M2 Pro
By Workload
- Best local LLMs for coding
- Best local LLMs for general assistant
- Best local LLMs for reasoning
- Best local LLMs for rag