# MLC Chat vs PocketLLM's

The clearest difference is review sentiment: MLC Chat at 68% against PocketLLM's's 0%. MLC Chat also leads on rating (4.2 vs 2.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). PocketLLM's's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PocketLLM's sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. MLC Chat asks for nothing beyond the download.

MLC Chat holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MLC Chat has 83 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of MLC Chat's written reviews are positive against 0% of PocketLLM's's.

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, PocketLLM's monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MLC Chat | PocketLLM's |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (83 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlc-chat/id6448482937/reviews)** | [2.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocketllms/id6772986363/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **83** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **68.3% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 1.7 GB | 42 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tianqi Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1684828246) | [Ghassan Jaam](https://appshunter.io/developer/1071543938) |

## 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


### PocketLLM's

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocketllms/id6772986363)

This app allows you to run large language models entirely on your device without an internet connection. Access a vast library of free models, create custom personas, and keep your conversations private. An optional Pro subscription unlocks advanced features like document chat and personal data indexing.

**Highlights:** On-device AI model execution, No internet or account needed, 36 free AI models available, Image analysis capabilities, Offline translation, Custom AI personas, Export conversations

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro-Weekly | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro-Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Pro-Yearly | $44.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MLC Chat free?

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

### Is PocketLLM's free?

PocketLLM's is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MLC Chat or PocketLLM's?

MLC Chat is rated higher. MLC Chat averages 4.2 out of 5 from 83 ratings, while PocketLLM's averages 2.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do MLC Chat or PocketLLM's have ads?

Neither MLC Chat nor PocketLLM's shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MLC Chat or PocketLLM's?

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, and PocketLLM's monthly. Most recently, MLC Chat was updated on November 3, 2026 and PocketLLM's on November 7, 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.*