Comparison

MLC Chat vs ZenClock

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

ZenClock

Features
Read full description

Make room for one thing that matters. ZenClock is a calm focus timer and lightweight daily planner designed to make starting easier and progress visible. FOCUS WITHOUT CLUTTER • Start a focus session in a few taps • Use free 10, 20, 25, 50, or 90-minute quick lengths • Unlock any custom duration from 1 minute to 4 hours with Pro • Use a gentle start ritual and local timer reminders • Return safely after locking your screen or leaving the app PLAN A LIGHTER DAY • Create up to three intentional plans each day for free • Unlock unlimited Today plans with Pro • Repeat tasks on the days that fit your rhythm • Keep unfinished work visible without punishment CHOOSE HOW FOCUS FEELS • Morning Dawn is always free • Earn Stars through real focused time and redeem them for Rain or Mist • Stars are never sold for money • Pro opens Golden, Moonlit Lake, Autumn Grove, Coastal Dawn, Snow Lanterns, Lavender Dusk, Bamboo Rain, Starlit Dunes, and future Pro additions SEE USEFUL PATTERNS • Review seven-day focus insights for free • Unlock four-week trends and period comparisons with Pro • Keep your history, focused time, and earned Stars without Pro ZENCLOCK PRO ZenClock Pro unlocks custom timing, unlimited daily plans, eight immersive atmosphere scenes with matching motion and soundscapes, four-week insights, and future Pro additions. Choose monthly, yearly, or a one-time lifetime purchase. All three options unlock the same Pro features. Core focus timing, five quick lengths, three daily plans, earned Star scenes, and seven-day insights remain free. ZenClock works without an account, and your focus data stays on your device. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MLC Chat2 screens
ZenClock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MLC Chat at none against ZenClock's 3. ZenClock's advantage is update cadence (every 6 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. ZenClock sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. MLC Chat asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, ZenClock every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on August 19, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
MLC Chat versus ZenClock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMLC ChatZenClock
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (78 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.3% of reviews
Number of ratings78 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.7 GB22 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperTianqi ChenBeijing Meng Gu Li Net Technology Co.,Ltd.

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

ZenClock

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

MLC Chat

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

ZenClock

Subscriptions2
  • ZenClock Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • ZenClock Pro Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • ZenClock Pro Lifetime$14.99

Questions

Is MLC Chat free?
MLC Chat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ZenClock free?
ZenClock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MLC Chat or ZenClock have ads?
Neither MLC Chat nor ZenClock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MLC Chat or ZenClock?
MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, and ZenClock every 6 days. Most recently, MLC Chat was updated on August 19, 2026 and ZenClock on September 15, 2026.

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