# MLC Chat vs VecML

The clearest difference is rating: VecML at 5.0 against MLC Chat's 4.2. VecML also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). MLC Chat's advantage is ratings volume (78 vs 2). 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.

VecML holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MLC Chat has 78 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, VecML every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MLC Chat | VecML |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (78 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlc-chat/id6448482937/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vecml/id6742846520/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **78** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 68.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 1.7 GB | 618 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Tianqi Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1684828246) | [VecML Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1800274828) |

## 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


### VecML

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vecml/id6742846520)

This app provides on-device tools for intelligent photo search and large language models. It processes local documents and images to create embedding vectors for enhanced RAG capabilities, enabling more accurate AI responses based on your files.

**Highlights:** On-device LLM integration, Intelligent photo search, Document processing (PDF, DOC, images), Local embedding vector storage, RAG capabilities for enhanced accuracy, Conversations with local documents

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MLC Chat free?

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

### Is VecML free?

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

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

VecML is rated higher. MLC Chat averages 4.2 out of 5 from 78 ratings, while VecML averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do MLC Chat or VecML have ads?

Neither MLC Chat nor VecML shows ads.

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

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, and VecML every 3 days. Most recently, MLC Chat was updated on October 2, 2026 and VecML on September 18, 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.*