Comparison

Illustrate GPT vs Core AI

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

Head to head
About

Illustrate GPT

Explore the inner workings of AI language models with a compact GPT model on your iOS device. Generate stories, visualize predictions, and understand AI's attention mechanisms. Ideal for AI enthusiasts and curious learners.

Highlights
  • Pocket-sized AI model
  • Interactive story generation
  • Next token prediction exploration
  • Attention visualization (Pro)
  • Model insights and visualizations
  • Customizable generation settings
Features
Read full description

How does ChatGPT actually write? Illustrate GPT answers that question with a real language model running entirely on your iPhone. You don't just read about it: you open it up and watch it think. Illustrate GPT runs Baby Llama 2, a tiny GPT trained on children's stories. It has the same architecture as the big models, small enough to run offline in real time. Eight short interactive chapters take you from raw text to the next word, and every chart comes from the live model. THE COURSE 1. Meet Baby GPT. Watch a story being written one token at a time. Each word is colored by how confident the model was. Tap any word to see the alternatives it considered, and pick a different one to rewrite the story from that point. 2. Tokens. Type anything and see how it gets chopped into pieces and turned into numbers. Find out why " cat", "Cat" and " CAT" are different things to a model. 3. Embeddings. Every token is a list of 288 numbers. See a word's vector, find its nearest neighbors (king → queen, prince, crown), and measure how similar two words are. 4. Attention. Tap a word and see which earlier words it looks at. Explore all 36 attention heads. Each one's role (previous-token, duplicate-token, attention sink, and more) is detected automatically. 5. Layers. Use the "logit lens" to watch the prediction take shape block by block, from a vague guess at the bottom to a confident answer at the top. Then browse the full model blueprint with real weight shapes. 6. Sampling. Turn the temperature, top-k and top-p knobs and watch the probabilities change in real time. Roll the dice, and write three different futures from the same sentence. 7. The Loop. Step through the whole pipeline for a single token, from tokenize and embed through 6 transformer blocks to probabilities, sample and append, then do it again. 8. Your Turn. Now you are the model. Guess the most likely next word and see how your intuition compares with a neural network. BUILT FOR LEARNING • Every chapter starts with a "predict first" question, so you form a guess before you see the answer. • Key ideas, common myths vs. reality, and an optional "Go deeper" section in every chapter. • Your progress is saved, so you can learn at your own pace. PRIVATE AND OFFLINE The model runs on your device with Apple's MLX framework. No account, no server, no data leaves your phone. FREE Every feature is free. An optional tip supports development. Perfect for students, teachers, developers, and anyone curious about what's really going on inside AI.

About

Core AI

Discover and learn about various AI models and tools, from text generation to 3D modeling. Engage in private conversations with an on-device language model and access featured content via widgets. This app offers detailed information and a user-friendly experience for AI enthusiasts and developers.

Highlights
  • AI model categories (text, image, video, sound, 3D)
  • AI tools for content generation and development
  • On-device foundation model chat
  • Detailed AI model information
  • Customizable widgets for quick access
  • User-friendly interface
Read full description

Your all-in-one hub for exploring the latest advancements in artificial intelligence. The app offers a user-friendly interface to dive into various AI models and tools, making it accessible to both developers and enthusiasts alike. Features: • AI Categories: Learn about AI models for generating text, images, video, sound, 3D models, and more. • Tools: Learn about tools that help you work with models, generate content, or aid in development workflows. • Foundation Model Chat: Chat directly with Apple’s on-device language model for private, intelligent conversations powered by Apple Intelligence. • Detailed Information: Get in-depth details about each AI model, including parameters and explanations. • Widgets: Quickly access featured models or tools with a display showing the name, developer, and image on a gradient or system-colored background. • Seamless Performance: Enjoy smooth navigation and fast loading times for an optimal experience. Core AI empowers you to explore the full potential of AI, whether you're looking to learn or create.

Screenshots

Illustrate GPT4 screens
Core AI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Core AI at none against Illustrate GPT's 1. Core AI also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (18 vs 1). Illustrate GPT's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On price, ads 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. Illustrate GPT sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Core AI asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Illustrate GPT holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Core AI has 18 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Illustrate GPT ships an update every 3 months, Core AI every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Illustrate GPT versus Core AI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIllustrate GPTCore AI
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.6 (18 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings118 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size68 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer一和 朱Quantribution LLC

Customer experience

Illustrate GPT

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Core AI

All ratings18 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral5.6%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Illustrate GPT

One-time1
  • PRO Mode$1.99
None

Core AI

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Illustrate GPT free?
Illustrate GPT is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Core AI free?
Core AI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Illustrate GPT or Core AI?
Illustrate GPT is rated higher. Illustrate GPT averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Core AI averages 4.6 from 18 ratings.
Do Illustrate GPT or Core AI have ads?
Neither Illustrate GPT nor Core AI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Illustrate GPT or Core AI?
Illustrate GPT ships an update every 3 months, and Core AI every 2 days. Most recently, Illustrate GPT was updated on October 17, 2026 and Core AI on October 16, 2026.

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