# MLC Chat vs LLM

The clearest difference is ratings volume: MLC Chat at 78 against LLM's 6. On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for MLC Chat against 4.3 for LLM. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MLC Chat has 78 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of MLC Chat's written reviews are positive against 67% of LLM's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MLC Chat | LLM |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (78 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlc-chat/id6448482937/reviews) | **[4.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/llm-answering-machine/id6470124783/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **78** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | **68.3% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 1.7 GB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Tianqi Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1684828246) | [Chung Kwan Chan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1665054472) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### LLM

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/llm-answering-machine/id6470124783)

This application brings advanced LLM models to your iPhone, offering powerful AI capabilities for various tasks. It's designed for users seeking cutting-edge AI assistance directly on their mobile device.

**Highlights:** LLM model integration, iPhone native application, Advanced AI capabilities, Productivity enhancement

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MLC Chat free?

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

### Is LLM free?

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

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

LLM is rated higher. MLC Chat averages 4.2 out of 5 from 78 ratings, while LLM averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.

### Do MLC Chat or LLM have ads?

Neither MLC Chat nor LLM shows ads.

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

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, and LLM every 2 months. Most recently, MLC Chat was updated on October 14, 2026 and LLM on September 30, 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.*