# MLC Chat vs Local Chat

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MLC Chat at none against Local Chat's 3. MLC Chat also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Local Chat's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Local Chat sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. MLC Chat asks for nothing beyond the download.

Local Chat holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 84 and 55 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of MLC Chat's written reviews are positive against 71% of Local Chat's.

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, Local Chat every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MLC Chat | Local Chat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (84 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlc-chat/id6448482937/reviews) | **[4.5 (55 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/local-chat-private-ai-chatbot/id6504043428/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **84** | 55 |
| Positive reviews | 68.3% of reviews | **71.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1.7 GB | 164 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Tianqi Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1684828246) | [Anthony R. DePasquale](https://appshunter.io/developer/1696305034) |

## 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


### Local Chat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/local-chat-private-ai-chatbot/id6504043428)

Run powerful open language models directly on your Apple devices, even offline. Enjoy private conversations with AI assistants that can be customized to your needs. Save and sync chats across your Mac, iPad, and iPhone.

**Highlights:** Offline AI chat, Open language models, Private conversations, Cross-device sync, Customizable personality, Model selection

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Local Chat Pro | $8.99 | per month |
| Local Chat Pro | $39.99 | per year |
| Local Chat Pro | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MLC Chat free?

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

### Is Local Chat free?

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

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

Local Chat is rated higher. MLC Chat averages 4.2 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while Local Chat averages 4.5 from 55 ratings.

### Do MLC Chat or Local Chat have ads?

Neither MLC Chat nor Local Chat shows ads.

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

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, and Local Chat every 9 days. Most recently, MLC Chat was updated on October 22, 2026 and Local Chat on October 21, 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.*