Comparison

MLC Chat vs Studio PDF

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MLC Chat

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
Read full description

MLC Chat lets users chat with open language models locally on ipads and iphones. After a model is downloaded to the app, everything runs locally without server support, and it works without internet connections do not record any information. Because the models run locally, it only works for the devices with sufficient VRAM depending on the models being used. MLC Chat is part of open source project MLC LLM, with allows any language model to be deployed natively on a diverse set of hardware backends and native applications. MLC Chat is a runtime that runs different open model architectures on your phone. The app is intended for non-commercial purposes. It allows you to run open-language models downloaded from the internet. Each model can be subject to its respective licenses.

About

Studio PDF

Features
Read full description

Studio PDF: A powerful toolbox, right in your pocket. Studio PDF is the ideal tool for handling your documents with ease and security. Unlike online alternatives, our app processes all your files locally on your iPhone. Your documents never leave your device: no servers, no cloud, total privacy. Why choose Studio PDF? Experience absolute privacy with no account required and zero data collection. Our native interface is designed specifically for iOS to ensure smooth performance, even with heavy documents. You get essential tools in one secure and elegant location. Your essential tools: Our page organizer allows you to reorder, rotate, or delete pages instantly with a single gesture. You can also merge multiple PDF files into one clean and structured document. For your security, add strong passwords to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access. Upgrade to the Pro version for unlimited access to merging and protection features, and enjoy a premium experience.

Screenshots

MLC Chat2 screens
Studio PDF4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MLC Chat at none against Studio PDF's 1. Studio PDF's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Studio PDF sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MLC Chat asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, Studio PDF every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on August 19, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
MLC Chat versus Studio PDF: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMLC ChatStudio PDF
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (78 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews68.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings78 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.7 GB2 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperTianqi ChenSimon DECAESTECKER

Bugs and requests

MLC Chat

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • 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
Show 12 more
  • RedPajama model crashes, custom model download removed
  • App closes when hitting send on iPhone 13
  • Conversation resets when app is backgrounded
  • Vicuna and Mistral 7B models cause crashes
  • Some 7b q4f16/q4f32 models crash on iPhone 15 Pro
  • App crashes on iPhone 13 mini
  • Cannot load other models from URL
  • Crash on iPhone 12
  • Severe heating and frequency reduction on A15
  • Low VRAM failed initialization on 3GB LP DDR4X phone
  • Cannot run 4bit model on iPhone 15 with 8GB RAM
  • Loading models from HF MLC official Repo causes crashes

Requested features

14 requests
  • 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
Show 9 more
  • Information on VRAM requirements per phone/model
  • Ability to change system message/create custom profiles
  • Ability to edit responses and system prompt
  • Add coffee support
  • Delete downloaded models
  • Change settings per model (repetition penalties, temperature)
  • How-to guide for importing/recompiling LLMs
  • Estimate model compatibility before download
  • Support for CN and ZH languages

Studio PDF

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

MLC Chat

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Studio PDF

One-time1
  • Studio PDF Pro - Lifetime$3.99

Questions

Is MLC Chat free?
MLC Chat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Studio PDF free?
Studio PDF is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MLC Chat or Studio PDF have ads?
Neither MLC Chat nor Studio PDF shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MLC Chat or Studio PDF?
MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, and Studio PDF every 3 days. Most recently, MLC Chat was updated on August 19, 2026 and Studio PDF on September 21, 2026.

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