# MLC Chat vs Scan

The clearest difference is price: MLC Chat at Free against Scan's $2.99. MLC Chat also leads on ratings volume (83 vs 2) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Scan's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and update cadence (daily vs every 2 months). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

MLC Chat is free to download; Scan costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scan holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. 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.

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, Scan daily. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MLC Chat | Scan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | [4.2 (83 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlc-chat/id6448482937/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scan-a-lot-receipt-scanner/id6820835887/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **83** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 68.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Daily** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 1.7 GB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tianqi Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1684828246) | [NATHAN PAUL WATKINS JR](https://appshunter.io/developer/6820835889) |

## 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


### Scan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scan-a-lot-receipt-scanner/id6820835887)

This app transforms a single photo of multiple documents into individual, straightened scans. It automatically detects and crops each item, offering various filters and export options to Files or Photos. Automate workflows with Apple Shortcuts for efficient document management.

**Highlights:** Automatic document detection and cropping, Straightens and flattens scanned items, Save as individual files or combined PDF, Black-and-white, grayscale, and color filters, Apple Shortcuts integration, On-device processing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MLC Chat free?

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

### Is Scan free?

Scan costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

Scan is rated higher. MLC Chat averages 4.2 out of 5 from 83 ratings, while Scan averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do MLC Chat or Scan have ads?

Neither MLC Chat nor Scan shows ads.

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

MLC Chat ships an update every 2 months, and Scan daily. Most recently, MLC Chat was updated on November 3, 2026 and Scan on October 31, 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.*