# miniAssistant vs OpenShell

The clearest difference is update cadence: OpenShell at every 3 days against miniAssistant's every 8 days. miniAssistant's advantage is iOS requirement (18.2 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

miniAssistant ships an update every 8 days, OpenShell every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | miniAssistant | OpenShell |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 4 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.2** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kazufumi Suzuki](https://appshunter.io/developer/1512087197) | [seungkoo lee](https://appshunter.io/developer/1862664481) |

## What reviewers say

### miniAssistant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/miniassistant/id6446637254)

Interact with various AI language models, including local ones, on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Personalize prompts, manage your schedule with natural language commands, and get AI-powered summaries and news. Supports function calling for calendar, web, and location tasks.

**Highlights:** Interact with LM Studio, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Apple Intelligence APIs, Test large language models locally on iOS and macOS, Personalize prompts for tailored AI responses, Function calling for calendar, web search, and location, Natural language schedule management, Summarize, create, and edit events, Customizable backgrounds

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### OpenShell

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openshell/id6762048319)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is miniAssistant free?

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

### Is OpenShell free?

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

### Do miniAssistant or OpenShell have ads?

Neither miniAssistant nor OpenShell shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, miniAssistant or OpenShell?

miniAssistant ships an update every 8 days, and OpenShell every 3 days. Most recently, miniAssistant was updated on September 26, 2026 and OpenShell on September 20, 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.*