# Sensor vs MLC Chat

The clearest difference is ads: MLC Chat at none against Sensor's shown. MLC Chat also leads on rating (4.2 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (78 vs 4). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

MLC Chat holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MLC Chat has 78 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Sensor's written reviews are positive against 68% of MLC Chat's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sensor | MLC Chat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sensor-app/id1466399692/reviews) | **[4.2 (78 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlc-chat/id6448482937/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **78** |
| Positive reviews | 55.6% of reviews | **68.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 47 MB | 1.7 GB |
| Requires iOS | 27.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Volker Schmitt](https://appshunter.io/developer/1466399691) | [Tianqi Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1684828246) |

## What reviewers say

### Sensor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sensor-app/id1466399692)

Access and utilize all your device's sensors with this comprehensive tool. Explore GPS, gyroscope, acceleration, magnetometer, altimeter, and attitude data for various applications and research.

**Highlights:** Access GPS for precise location, Utilize gyroscope for orientation, Measure acceleration and movement, Detect magnetic fields with magnetometer, Access altimeter and pressure data, Monitor device attitude (roll, pitch, yaw)

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none


### MLC Chat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlc-chat/id6448482937)

Engage in conversations with open language models directly on your iPad or iPhone. Once a model is downloaded, all interactions occur locally, ensuring privacy and offline functionality without internet access. This app is designed for non-commercial use, allowing you to run various open-source language models on your device.

**Highlights:** Local AI model chat, Offline functionality, No internet required, Privacy-focused, Open-source project integration, Downloadable language models

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Runs fast locally
- ✅ Works offline
- 💰 Free to use
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Supports various LLM models

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⚠️ Limited model selection
- 📉 High VRAM requirements
- 📱 Incompatible with older devices
- ❌ Crashes on some devices/models
- 🗄️ Cannot save conversations

**Reported bugs**

- Phi model crashes on iOS 26.0.1 17 Pro Max
- App crashes on iPad Pro 4th Gen, iPadOs 17.7
- RedPajama model crashes app on initialization
- Update is extremely slow
- Download model button disabled in new version

**Requested features**

- Ability to import custom models (from URL/Hugging Face)
- Support for more specific models (DeepSeek, Phi-2, Gemma 2B/7B, MoE Mixtral 8x7B, LLaVA)
- History of conversations
- iOS shortcuts support
- Ability to export entire responses


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sensor free?

Sensor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is MLC Chat free?

MLC Chat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Sensor or MLC Chat?

MLC Chat is rated higher. Sensor averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while MLC Chat averages 4.2 from 78 ratings.

### Do Sensor or MLC Chat have ads?

Sensor shows ads; MLC Chat does not.

### Which is updated more often, Sensor or MLC Chat?

Sensor ships an update every 2 months, and MLC Chat every 2 months. Most recently, Sensor was updated on September 29, 2026 and MLC Chat on October 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*