# esper vs SmartLoop Timer

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SmartLoop Timer at none against esper's 1. esper's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. esper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SmartLoop Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.

esper ships an update every 10 days, SmartLoop Timer every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | esper | SmartLoop Timer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esper-offline-and-private-ai/id6742043284/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **9** | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 163 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cody Ingram](https://appshunter.io/developer/1039715356) | [文睿 李](https://appshunter.io/developer/372593992) |

## What reviewers say

### esper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esper-offline-and-private-ai/id6742043284)

This AI chat app allows you to run open-source language models completely offline on your device. You can also connect to premium models using your own API keys. It offers features like multimodal support, local knowledge bases, and branching conversations for a private and powerful AI experience.

**Highlights:** Run open-source models offline, Connect with your own API keys, Multimodal support for images and PDFs, Local RAG knowledge bases, Branching conversations, Customizable interface, iCloud sync (Pro)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| esper Pro | $12.99 | one-time |


### SmartLoop Timer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartloop-timer/id6753884210)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is esper free?

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

### Is SmartLoop Timer free?

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

### Do esper or SmartLoop Timer have ads?

SmartLoop Timer shows ads; esper does not.

### Which is updated more often, esper or SmartLoop Timer?

esper ships an update every 10 days, and SmartLoop Timer every 2 months. Most recently, esper was updated on September 10, 2026 and SmartLoop Timer on September 12, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*