# AiRC vs Cactus Chat

The clearest difference is rating: Cactus Chat at 4.8 against AiRC's 3.0. Cactus Chat also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). AiRC's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Cactus Chat holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

AiRC ships an update every 5 days, Cactus Chat monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AiRC | Cactus Chat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/airc/id6739931963/reviews) | **[4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cactus-chat/id6744444212/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **4** |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 14 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ryan Cox](https://appshunter.io/developer/1787509302) | [Roman Shemet](https://appshunter.io/developer/1782773354) |

## What reviewers say

### AiRC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/airc/id6739931963)

Interact with AI models, manage downloaded models locally, and integrate with external AI services. This tool offers a user-friendly chat interface with Markdown rendering and syntax highlighting, along with robust model management and system prompt customization.

**Highlights:** Chat with AI models (Ollama, DeepSeek), Download, delete, and duplicate AI models, Integrate with DeepSeek cloud AI service, Customize system prompts for AI behavior, Drag and drop file and image handling, Configure server and AI service settings, Cross-platform support (macOS, iOS)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cactus Chat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cactus-chat/id6744444212)

Engage in private conversations with an AI directly on your device. This application runs offline, ensuring your data remains secure and local. Developers can also utilize it to test and compare the performance of different large language models.

**Highlights:** Offline AI conversations, Private data storage, Developer LLM benchmarking, Runs directly on device, Free to use

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AiRC free?

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

### Is Cactus Chat free?

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

### Which has better reviews, AiRC or Cactus Chat?

Cactus Chat is rated higher. AiRC averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Cactus Chat averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.

### Do AiRC or Cactus Chat have ads?

Neither AiRC nor Cactus Chat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, AiRC or Cactus Chat?

AiRC ships an update every 5 days, and Cactus Chat monthly. Most recently, AiRC was updated on September 11, 2026 and Cactus Chat on September 19, 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.*