All five apps run AI on your own computer, but Off Grid AI does the most in one free download, and it is the only one with on-device models on your phone. LM Studio, Ollama, Msty and Jan are good, honest local tools. Off Grid AI adds images, voice and one API for every model for free, then memory and approved actions for $79.99 once.
We make Off Grid AI. Rival facts come from their own pages, checked 30 October 2026.
Download Off Grid AI · Get Pro for $79.99 once
Five local AI apps side by side
| Off Grid AI | LM Studio | Ollama | Msty | Jan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where models run | Your computer (llama.cpp) | Your computer (llama.cpp, MLX); hosted models on paid plans | Your computer; cloud plans for hosted models | Your computer (Ollama, MLX, llama.cpp), or hosted providers | Your computer |
| Works offline | Yes, once a model is downloaded | Yes, with local models | Yes, with local models | Yes, with local models | Yes, once a model is downloaded |
| Free for local use | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, Studio Free | Yes |
| Licence | AGPL-3.0 | Not listed | MIT | Not listed | Apache 2.0 |
| Account needed | No | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Computers | Mac (Apple silicon), Windows, Linux | Apple silicon Mac, x64 and ARM64 Windows, x64 Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux | Apple silicon and Intel Mac, x64 and ARM64 Windows, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Phone app with on-device models | Yes, iPhone and Android | Not listed | Not listed | Go mobile checks progress and approvals | No, desktop only |
| Local API |
127.0.0.1:7878, OpenAI-compatible: chat, vision, images, speech, embeddings |
"OpenAI-like endpoints" |
localhost:11434, OpenAI- and Anthropic-compatible clients |
Not listed | localhost:1337 |
| Image generation | Yes, on Mac, Windows and Linux | Not listed | Experimental, macOS only | Media Studio | Not listed |
| Voice in and out | Whisper in, Kokoro out | Local dictation in Bionic | Text to speech on Apple silicon | Not listed | Not listed |
| Answers from your files | Projects, with citations | Bionic works on PDFs, decks and spreadsheets | Drag and drop text or PDF files | Knowledge Stacks | Not listed |
| Shared team server | Team mode with per-person keys, free |
llmster, a headless build |
Cloud Team plan, $500 a month | Enterprise and Teams, by quote | Not listed |
| Memory of screens, meetings and mail | Yes, with Pro | Bionic searches its own past sessions | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Actions after your yes | Gmail, Linear, Jira, Notion, with Pro | Not listed | Not listed | Go agents with reviewable steps | Not listed |
| Paid plan | Pro $79.99 once, or $7.99 a month, 5 devices | Bionic+ $20 a month; Pro $100 a month | Cloud Pro $20 a month or $200 a year; Max $100 | Aurum $149 per user a year, or $349 once | Not listed |
| Paid plan over 3 years | $79.99 | $720 (Bionic+) | $600 (Pro, yearly) | $447 yearly, or $349 once | Not listed |
Sources: LM Studio's pricing, app docs and Bionic page; Ollama's pricing, download page, docs and posts on image generation and speech models; Msty's pricing, Studio, Go and local models docs; Jan's GitHub README. All checked 30 October 2026. "Not listed" means the rival's own pages don't say. Off Grid AI's price is a limited-time lifetime offer, down from $119.
What the paid plans cost over three years
All five are free for local models. This table is for when you want more.
| 1 year | 3 years | |
|---|---|---|
| LM Studio Pro | $1,200 | $3,600 |
| LM Studio Bionic+ | $240 | $720 |
| Ollama cloud Pro, yearly | $200 | $600 |
| Msty Aurum, per user | $149 | $447 |
| Msty Aurum Lifetime, per user | $349 | $349 |
| Off Grid AI Pro, lifetime, 5 devices | $79.99 | $79.99 |
LM Studio and Ollama mostly sell hosted compute. Msty sells features. Off Grid AI Pro sells features that run on your own hardware, so it has no credits or token limits.
Pick LM Studio if…
You want MLX on a Mac, a headless server build for CI, or Windows on ARM. Pick Bionic if you want a code and office-file agent with hosted open models, paid monthly.
Pick Ollama if…
You want a small runtime and a CLI, and you'll build your own app on top. Many tools list it as a backend. You can also keep it: Off Grid AI can use an Ollama server as a remote model.
Pick Msty if…
You want many local engines and cloud providers in one window, side-by-side model chats, an Intel Mac, or a managed suite with SSO for your company.
Pick Jan if…
You want a simple, open-source desktop chat with a local API and MCP, and nothing more.
Pick Off Grid AI if…
You want chat, images, voice and one API for every model in one free app, plus a phone app that runs its own models. Add Pro when you want it to remember your work.
Why Off Grid AI wins here
This page is about what a local AI app gives you. All five are local, so the win is the honest difference.
- More in the free app. Images on Mac, Windows and Linux, voice in and out, and cited answers from your files. Ollama's images are macOS only and experimental. Jan lists none of these.
-
One address for every model. Chat, vision, images, speech to text, text to speech and embeddings, all from
127.0.0.1:7878. Team mode with per-person keys is free. - Your phone too. Off Grid AI Mobile runs on-device models on iPhone and Android, offline. At home it can use your computer's bigger model. No rival lists this.
- Memory and actions on top. Pro remembers your screens, meetings and mail, and drafts work in Gmail, Linear, Jira and Notion that waits for your yes.
- One price. $79.99 once for 5 devices, against $349 to $3,600 for the rivals' paid tiers.
Honest limits. Off Grid AI's Mac build is Apple silicon only. LM Studio and Msty cover more desktop hardware, and LM Studio runs MLX.
FAQ
Which local AI app does the most for free?
Off Grid AI Desktop. The free app runs chat, vision, image generation, speech to text and text to speech on Mac, Windows and Linux, answers from your files with citations, and serves all of it from one OpenAI-compatible API. It is AGPL-3.0 and needs no account.
Which local AI app has a phone app with on-device models?
Off Grid AI. Off Grid AI Mobile runs its own models on iPhone and Android, offline. Jan is desktop only. LM Studio, Ollama and Msty's pages do not list on-device phone models.
Are LM Studio, Ollama, Msty and Jan local too?
Yes. All four run models on your own computer, and all have a free way to do it. They differ in what comes around the model, and in their paid plans.
Which local AI app works on Windows on ARM or an Intel Mac?
LM Studio runs on ARM64 Windows. Msty lists Intel Macs and ARM64 Windows. Off Grid AI's Mac build is for Apple silicon only.
How much do the paid plans cost?
On 30 October 2026, Off Grid AI Pro is $79.99 once, a limited-time price, or $7.99 a month, for up to 5 devices. LM Studio Bionic+ is $20 a month. Ollama's cloud Pro is $20 a month or $200 a year. Msty Aurum is $149 per user a year, or $349 once.
Download Off Grid AI Desktop and run every kind of model from one free app.
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