# MLC Chat vs PocketGPT

The clearest difference is update cadence: PocketGPT at every 5 days against MLC Chat's every 2 months. PocketGPT also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.2) and review sentiment (80% vs 68%). MLC Chat's advantage is ratings volume (84 vs 19). On price, ads, 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.

PocketGPT holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 84 and 19 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of MLC Chat's written reviews are positive against 80% of PocketGPT's.

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, PocketGPT every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | MLC Chat | PocketGPT |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (84 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlc-chat/id6448482937/reviews) | **[4.4 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocketgpt-private-ai/id6479569299/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **84** | 19 |
| Positive reviews | 68.3% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 1.7 GB | 3.6 GB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tianqi Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1684828246) | [洋铭 崇](https://appshunter.io/developer/1713647387) |

## 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


### PocketGPT

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocketgpt-private-ai/id6479569299)

This AI assistant operates entirely offline, offering image inspiration, photo analysis, and creative chat. It provides advanced features like image generation and photo questioning for free, ensuring your conversations remain private and accessible anywhere.

**Highlights:** Offline AI assistant, Image inspiration and generation, Photo analysis via chat, Privacy-focused, on-device interactions, Free advanced AI features, Two distinct operating modes

**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 PocketGPT free?

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

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

PocketGPT is rated higher. MLC Chat averages 4.2 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while PocketGPT averages 4.4 from 19 ratings.

### Do MLC Chat or PocketGPT have ads?

Neither MLC Chat nor PocketGPT shows ads.

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

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, and PocketGPT every 5 days. Most recently, MLC Chat was updated on October 24, 2026 and PocketGPT on October 24, 2026.

---

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