# MLC Chat vs LM Mini

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MLC Chat at none against LM Mini's 3. LM Mini's advantage is update cadence (every 3 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. LM Mini sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. MLC Chat asks for nothing beyond the download.

LM Mini holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 78 and 141 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 68% and 67% positive.

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, LM Mini every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on August 19, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MLC Chat | LM Mini |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (78 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlc-chat/id6448482937/reviews) | **[4.5 (141 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lm-mini/id6751125309/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 78 | **141** |
| Positive reviews | **68.3% of reviews** | 67.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1.7 GB | 174 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tianqi Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1684828246) | [Sultan Haider](https://appshunter.io/developer/1669774421) |

## 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


### LM Mini

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lm-mini/id6751125309)

Chat with your locally hosted language models directly from your iPhone. This companion app connects to your LM Studio server, offering features like conversation management, context visualization, and privacy-first data handling. It also supports image generation through Automatic1111 integration.

**Highlights:** Connect to LM Studio server, Chat with local language models, Manage multiple conversations, Track context usage, Dark mode support, Image generation integration

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium | $119.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MLC Chat free?

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

### Is LM Mini free?

LM Mini is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MLC Chat or LM Mini?

LM Mini is rated higher. MLC Chat averages 4.2 out of 5 from 78 ratings, while LM Mini averages 4.5 from 141 ratings.

### Do MLC Chat or LM Mini have ads?

Neither MLC Chat nor LM Mini shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MLC Chat or LM Mini?

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, and LM Mini every 3 days. Most recently, MLC Chat was updated on August 19, 2026 and LM Mini on September 24, 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.*