# On‑Device AI vs Pico Buddy

The clearest difference is rating: On‑Device AI at 4.4 against Pico Buddy's 1.0. On‑Device AI also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 24 months) and ratings volume (163 vs 1). Pico Buddy's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. On‑Device AI sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Pico Buddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On‑Device AI holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: On‑Device AI has 163 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

On‑Device AI ships an update fortnightly, Pico Buddy every 24 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | On‑Device AI | Pico Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (163 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ondevice-aiprivate-workspace/id6497060890/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pico-buddy/id6502399055/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **163** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 63.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | — |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 24 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 1.8 GB | 767 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** | — |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Zijie Deng](https://appshunter.io/developer/1070117038) | [Private Intelligence Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1745322684) |

## What reviewers say

### On‑Device AI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ondevice-aiprivate-workspace/id6497060890)

Transform your device into a private AI assistant for meetings and complex tasks. Features include speaker diarization, live transcription, and specialized subagents for research, analysis, and writing. Control your AI via messaging apps, with options for 100% offline processing or cloud connectivity.

**Highlights:** Speaker Diarization for meeting transcripts, Real-time live transcription, Natural AI speech generation, Deploy specialized AI subagents, AI-powered web browser automation, Control AI via messaging apps, 100% offline processing option

**Features:** iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Member Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Pro Member Subscription | $34.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Pro Member | $49.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Pro Member | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Game-changing AI assistant
- 🔍 Powerful search functionality
- 👍 Customizable and versatile
- 🌐 Seamless multi-device experience
- 💡 Innovative character-based interactions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes on larger models
- 🔋 Heating issues on some devices
- 🔍 Slow and unreliable web search
- 💻 Buggy on macOS

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup
- Model selection issues
- Inability to copy generated text

**Requested features**

- Automated multi-character conversations
- Character set saving and syncing
- Streamlined search integration
- UI optimization for icons
- Remote endpoint support for multi-agents


### Pico Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pico-buddy/id6502399055)

This AI chat application operates entirely on your device, ensuring all conversations and data remain private. It offers features like summarization, translation, grammar correction, and email rewriting without requiring an internet connection or account creation.

**Highlights:** On-device AI chat, Offline summarization, Offline translation (20 languages), Grammar correction, Email rewriting, Custom AI modes

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pico Buddy Pro | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is On‑Device AI free?

On‑Device AI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Pico Buddy free?

Pico Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, On‑Device AI or Pico Buddy?

On‑Device AI is rated higher. On‑Device AI averages 4.4 out of 5 from 163 ratings, while Pico Buddy averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Which is updated more often, On‑Device AI or Pico Buddy?

On‑Device AI ships an update fortnightly, and Pico Buddy every 24 months. Most recently, On‑Device AI was updated on November 8, 2026 and Pico Buddy on November 4, 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.*