Comparison

Private LLM vs TabControl Extension

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Private LLM

This AI assistant offers advanced on-device capabilities for productivity and creativity, ensuring your interactions remain confidential and offline. It supports a wide range of open-source LLM models and integrates seamlessly with Siri and Shortcuts.

Highlights
  • On-device AI processing
  • Wide selection of open-source LLM models
  • Siri and Shortcuts integration
  • Customizable system prompts
  • Offline functionality
  • Family Sharing support
Features
Read full description

Discover the Ultimate Privacy-Focused AI Assistant on iOS: Private LLM Unlock a new realm of productivity and creativity on your iPhone and iPad with Private LLM, the premier AI assistant designed with your privacy in mind. Available for a one-time purchase, it offers a range of AI capabilities without needing a subscription. Experience advanced on-device AI that keeps your interactions confidential and offline. Why Private LLM is Your Go-To AI Companion: - Exclusive AI Model Selection: Choose from a diverse set of open-source LLM models optimized for performance and perplexity on iOS with state of the art OmniQuant quantization: including models from Llama 2, Llama 3.2, Llama 3.1, Google Gemma 2, Gemma 3, Microsoft Phi-3, Mistral 7B, Qwen 2.5, Qwen 3, StableLM 3B and many more. Whether you need help with creative brainstorming, coding, or daily questions, customize your AI experience to meet your unique needs. - Integrated with Siri & Shortcuts: Enhance your AI interactions with Siri commands and customizable Shortcuts. Private LLM seamlessly fits within your Apple ecosystem, making your digital assistant more accessible. - Customizable Interactions: Tailor your AI's responses and interactions with customizable system prompts to match your preferences and needs. - Uncompromised Privacy and Security: With Private LLM, your conversations stay confidential and on your device. Our advanced on-device AI performs robust computing without risking data compromise or needing an internet connection. - Family Sharing & Offline Capabilities: Benefit from a one-time purchase that includes Family Sharing. Download models as needed and enjoy the full functionality of your AI assistant, even without internet access. Supported LLM Model families: - DeepSeek R1 Distill based models - Phi 4 based models - Qwen 3 based models (Qwen3-4B-Instruct-2507) - Qwen 2.5 based models (0.5B, 1.5B, 3B and 7B) - Qwen 2.5 Coder based Models (0.5B, 1.5B, 3B, 7B and 14B) - Llama 3.1 8B based models - Llama 3.2 1B and 3B based models - Google Gemma 2 2B and 9B based models - Google Gemma 3 1B based models - Mistral 7B based models - Yi 6B based models For a full list of supported models, including detailed specifications, please visit privatellm.app/models. Private LLM is not just a chatbot; it's a comprehensive AI companion designed to respect your privacy while providing versatile, on-demand assistance. Whether you're enhancing your creative writing, tackling complex programming challenges, or just seeking answers, Private LLM adapts to meet your needs while keeping your data secure. Start your journey with Private LLM today and elevate your productivity and creative projects with the most private AI assistant for iOS devices. Private LLM is a better alternative to generic llama.cpp and MLX wrappers apps like Enchanted, Ollama, LLM Farm, LM Studio, Locally AI, RecurseChat, etc on three fronts: 1. Private LLM uses a faster and highly-optimized mlc-llm based inference engine. 2. Models in Private LLM are quantized using the state of the art quantization algorithms like OmniQuant, while competing apps use naive round-to-nearest quantization. 3. Private LLM is a fully native app built using C++, Metal and Swift with deep integrations with iOS and iPadOS, while many of the competing apps are bloated and non-native Electron or Flutter based apps. Please note that Private LLM only supports inference with text based LLMs. Model support varies by device capabilities.

About

TabControl Extension

Organize and restore your Safari browsing sessions. Save entire contexts of open tabs into named sessions, then reopen them later in Safari. Keep research, work, and personal browsing separate and easily accessible.

Highlights
  • Save complete Safari sessions
  • Restore sessions and individual tabs
  • Native session library
  • Optional iCloud sync
  • Automatic session organization
  • Private by design
Features
Read full description

Stop losing the tabs you meant to keep. TabControl turns open Safari tabs into organized, restorable sessions. Save a whole browsing context in one tap, find it later from the native app, and reopen one page or the entire session whenever you need it. SAVE COMPLETE SAFARI SESSIONS Capture the tabs you have open without bookmarking them one by one. Keep research, work, travel planning, shopping, and everything else separated into clear sessions. RESTORE WHERE YOU LEFT OFF Open a saved session, review its tabs by window, then reopen an individual page or choose Open All in Safari. TabControl hands the session back to Safari so you can continue quickly. A NATIVE SESSION LIBRARY Browse saved sessions in the TabControl app on iPhone and iPad. See titles, categories, dates, and tab counts at a glance, then search across sessions and tabs. OPTIONAL ICLOUD SYNC Turn on iCloud sync to keep saved sessions available across your devices. Sync is optional and controlled from TabControl settings. ORGANIZED AUTOMATICALLY TabControl can name and categorize sessions for you, helping large collections stay understandable without manual filing. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your sessions are stored locally by default. There is no TabControl account and no analytics or tracking. On-device organization works without sending your browsing data to a server we operate. QUICK SETUP 1. Install and open TabControl. 2. Go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Extensions and enable TabControl. 3. In Safari, open the extensions menu and choose TabControl. 4. Save your current tabs or restore a saved session. Built for Safari on iPhone and iPad. Buy once, own forever—no subscription.

Screenshots

Private LLM4 screens
TabControl Extension4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Private LLM at 49% against TabControl Extension's 0%. Private LLM also leads on chart position (#11 vs unranked). TabControl Extension's advantage is price ($3.99 vs $4.99). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Private LLM costs $4.99 and TabControl Extension $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Private LLM versus TabControl Extension: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivate LLMTabControl Extension
Price$4.99$3.99 — better
Rating4.1 (742 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews48.8% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings742 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#11 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.3 GB21 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperNumen Technologies LimitedSerhii Mariiekha

Customer experience

Private LLM

All ratings741 ratings
Positive77.2%
Neutral5.5%
Negative17.3%
Written reviews385 reviews
Positive48.8%
Neutral14.0%
Negative37.1%

TabControl Extension

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Private LLM

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when downloading larger models
  • Shortcuts integration issues
  • Conversations get cleared when switching away
  • Doesn't work with accessibility features

Requested features

7 requests
  • Allow importing own models
  • Add chat history and export options
  • Implement voice to chat and RAG features
  • Add support for larger models on Mac
  • Provide more information about each model
Show 2 more
  • Allow creating custom prompt presets
  • Integrate with iOS Shortcuts

TabControl Extension

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Private LLM

No in-app purchases

None

TabControl Extension

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Private LLM free?
Private LLM costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is TabControl Extension free?
TabControl Extension costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Private LLM or TabControl Extension have ads?
Neither Private LLM nor TabControl Extension shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Private LLM or TabControl Extension?
Private LLM ships an update every 5 weeks, and TabControl Extension every 5 weeks. Most recently, Private LLM was updated on November 3, 2026 and TabControl Extension on November 1, 2026.

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