# Pal Chat vs LLMster

The clearest difference is rating: LLMster at 5.0 against Pal Chat's 4.3. LLMster also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 60%) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Pal Chat's advantage is ratings volume (438 vs 3) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pal Chat sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. LLMster asks for nothing beyond the download.

LLMster holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pal Chat has 438 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Pal Chat's written reviews are positive against 100% of LLMster's.

Pal Chat ships an update every 3 weeks, LLMster every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pal Chat | LLMster |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (438 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pal-chat-ai-chat-client/id6447545085/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/llmster/id6776621953/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **438** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 59.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 104 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pulkit Agarwal](https://appshunter.io/developer/1723503441) | [Dave Sebek](https://appshunter.io/developer/1436898695) |

## What reviewers say

### Pal Chat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pal-chat-ai-chat-client/id6447545085)

This app acts as a universal AI chat client, supporting a wide range of models and features like image input, image generation, and offline capabilities. It offers a private and secure experience with no data collection and no ads.

**Highlights:** Supports all major AI models, Image input and generation, Offline local model support, Save prompts and history, Stream responses, Full Markdown and LaTeX support

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pal Chat Pro | $6.99 | per month |
| Pal Chat Pro Annual | $68.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent app design
- 🔒 Allows use of own API keys
- 👍 Customizable prompts and instructions
- 🚀 Efficient token usage tracking
- 👍 Responsive developer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes with OpenRouter models
- 🐛 Keyboard lag and UI issues
- 💰 Subscription model for previously free features
- 🐛 Rendering issues with mathematical formulas
- 🐛 Inconsistent UI indicators for model outputs

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to change AI provider
- Freezing on long responses
- Unavailability of certain models (e.g., GPT-4o-mini)

**Requested features**

- Conversation history search
- Support for local/self-hosted models
- Multimodal support (vision, audio)
- Ability to edit/delete messages in conversation
- Dynamic model listing from providers


### LLMster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/llmster/id6776621953)

Connect to local AI models running on your server for private, fast conversations. Stream replies, reasoning, and image-based interactions. Organize, back up, and restore your chat library securely.

**Highlights:** Connects to local LM Studio servers, Private by design, no cloud relay, Organize chats by model, folder, or pin, Backup and restore chat library, Supports vision models with image input, Hands-free voice chat with on-device speech recognition, Customizable system prompts and tool integrations per chat

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pal Chat free?

Pal Chat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is LLMster free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Pal Chat or LLMster?

LLMster is rated higher. Pal Chat averages 4.3 out of 5 from 438 ratings, while LLMster averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Pal Chat or LLMster have ads?

Neither Pal Chat nor LLMster shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pal Chat or LLMster?

Pal Chat ships an update every 3 weeks, and LLMster every 10 days. Most recently, Pal Chat was updated on November 4, 2026 and LLMster on October 31, 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.*