# MLC Chat vs ChatAgentic

The clearest difference is rating: MLC Chat at 4.2 against ChatAgentic's 2.3. MLC Chat also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (78 vs 3). ChatAgentic's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 68%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

MLC Chat holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MLC Chat has 78 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of MLC Chat's written reviews are positive against 100% of ChatAgentic's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, ChatAgentic every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 19, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MLC Chat | ChatAgentic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (78 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlc-chat/id6448482937/reviews)** | [2.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chatagentic-on-device-ai-chat/id6751148306/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **78** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 68.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 1.7 GB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Tianqi Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1684828246) | [DropletApps](https://appshunter.io/developer/1710267424) |

## 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


### ChatAgentic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chatagentic-on-device-ai-chat/id6751148306)

This application provides an AI chat experience that operates entirely on your device, ensuring privacy and offline functionality. It leverages local language models for all interactions, meaning your data never leaves your phone.

**Highlights:** On-device AI processing, Offline functionality, Private interactions, Utilizes Apple Intelligence models, Runs locally

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MLC Chat free?

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

### Is ChatAgentic free?

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

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

MLC Chat is rated higher. MLC Chat averages 4.2 out of 5 from 78 ratings, while ChatAgentic averages 2.3 from 3 ratings.

### Do MLC Chat or ChatAgentic have ads?

ChatAgentic shows ads; MLC Chat does not.

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

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, and ChatAgentic every 3 weeks. Most recently, MLC Chat was updated on August 19, 2026 and ChatAgentic on September 15, 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.*