Comparison

Mollama vs Riff

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

Head to head
About

Mollama

This AI companion runs entirely on your device, ensuring complete privacy and security. It offers intelligent conversations, creative support, and problem-solving without sending your data to external servers. Enjoy offline functionality and real-time interaction with various AI models.

Highlights
  • Fully on-device processing
  • Zero data transmission
  • Offline functionality
  • Real-time interaction
  • Multi-model support
  • Contextual understanding
Features
Read full description

Mollama: Your Intelligent AI Companion, Running Entirely On-Device Mollama is a privacy-first, secure AI assistant that processes everything locally on your device. It offers intelligent conversations, creative support, and problem-solving capabilities without sending your data to external servers. ## Privacy and Security - Fully on-device processing: Complete control over your data, no cloud dependency - Zero data transmission: No collection, storage, or sharing of personal information ## Core Technologies: MLX and Ollama - Powered by Apple Neural Engine: Efficient on-device AI for optimized performance - Open-source language models: Flexibility to choose models suited to different tasks ## Key Features - Offline functionality: Operates seamlessly without internet after initial setup - Real-time interaction: Natural conversation experience with quick responses - Multi-model support: Adapts to various tasks with different AI models - Contextual understanding: Remembers conversation history for consistent replies - User-friendly interface: Intuitive design for easy and straightforward use ## Ideal for - Developers: Code generation, debugging, technical assistance - Writers: Creative writing, text editing, brainstorming - Students: Homework help, research support, exam preparation - Professionals: Email drafting, report generation, data analysis - Creatives: Idea generation, storytelling, problem-solving - Lifelong learners: Exploring knowledge across multiple fields ## Technical Highlights - MLX integration: Unlocks the full potential of Apple's machine learning accelerator - Ollama support: Effortless management of large open-source language models - Resource-efficient: Optimizes performance while minimizing battery usage ## Privacy Commitment All data is processed locally on your device; we do not collect or transmit any personal information, ensuring your privacy is always protected. ## Get Started Download Mollama now to explore the next generation of AI technology, combining intelligence with top-notch privacy protection. ## Important Notes - Storage requirements: Sufficient device space is needed for AI model operation - Device performance: Experience may vary based on hardware specifications Download Mollama now and step into a new era of secure, private AI experiences.

About

Riff

Read full description

Your best thinking happens out loud — on a walk, in the car, pacing the kitchen. Riff is where it goes. Talk. Riff turns what you said into a clean transcript, then a short recap with the action items pulled out, right in front of you. The rambling was the thinking. The recap is what you keep. And if the recap isn't quite what you meant, say so — every riff comes with its own agent. "Focus it on the budget." "Add an action about the dentist." "Shorter." It reshapes the recap while you watch, tells you exactly what it changed, and keeps versions so one tap steps you back. Ask it questions, too; it answers only from what you actually said. And it never rewrites your transcript — your words stay yours. Here's the part that matters: all of this happens on your iPhone. Not on "secure servers" — on the phone in your hand. Flip on airplane mode and Riff works exactly the same: recording, transcript, recap, agent. No account, no sign-in, and a privacy label that reads Data Not Collected, because nothing is. That's also why there's no subscription. No cloud means no cloud bills, so riff+ costs $19.99, once. And because the AI is Apple's on-device intelligence, Riff genuinely improves as iPhones do — buy it once, and it gets smarter every year. A thought can arrive anywhere, so Riff can start from anywhere — the Action Button, your Lock Screen, the Dynamic Island — before it gets away. Free, forever: recording, live transcription, editing, your full history with search, and export. Plus 5 recaps and 10 agent requests to try everything. riff+ simply makes recaps and the agent unlimited — everything else was already yours. Riff is for your own thinking — ideas, plans, the stuff you'd otherwise lose. It's a small, fast, private AI, and honest about it: treat a recap as a sharp first draft, not a legal document. Requires Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro or later, iOS 26+).

Screenshots

Mollama4 screens
Riff4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mollama at none against Riff's 1. Mollama also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Riff sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mollama asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Mollama versus Riff: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMollamaRiff
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (36 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews41.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings36 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size296 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer飞 杨CognitiveCore Technologies, LLC

Bugs and requests

Mollama

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • App crashes on sending messages with certain models
  • Tokenizer metadata errors in offline mode
  • Unsupported model type errors (e.g., Gemma, Qwen3)
  • Models not loading when selected
  • App freezes phone during model download
Show 13 more
  • Download bar lags app significantly
  • Downloads stop when app is inactive
  • Downloaded models stop working offline
  • App crashes when trying to run chain-of-thought models
  • App crashes with Qwen2.3 35b
  • Keyboard overlaps chat box and send button
  • Cannot load external servers
  • App crashes when trying to chat
  • App crashes on newer generation iPad with Qwen2.3 35b
  • App crashes on older iPhone 11 Plus
  • Ollama access not working
  • App crashes when trying to send prompts in long chats
  • Camera button in chat window doesn't work

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add notification permission for background downloads
  • Show LLM name for each answer
  • Support for Qwen3 family of models
  • Ability to use any HuggingFace MLX models
  • Allow user-defined model folders
Show 5 more
  • Adjustable model parameters (temperature, etc.)
  • Shortcut support
  • Support for interacting with shortcuts
  • Ability to modify system prompt
  • Add a donate button

Riff

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Mollama

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Riff

One-time1
  • riff+$19.99

Questions

Is Mollama free?
Mollama is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Riff free?
Riff is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mollama or Riff have ads?
Neither Mollama nor Riff shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mollama or Riff?
Mollama ships an update every 2 weeks, and Riff every 2 weeks. Most recently, Mollama was updated on November 4, 2026 and Riff on November 5, 2026.

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