NextChat AI vs Cumbersome
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NextChat AI
This open-source platform offers a transparent AI chat experience. Users bring their own API keys, ensuring full control and paying only for their usage.
- Open-source platform
- User-provided API keys
- Transparent AI chat
- Pay-per-use model
- Complete user control
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NextChat is the transparent open-source AI chat platform where you bring your own API keys, maintain complete control, and only pay for what you use by your own ai api key。
Cumbersome
This app provides direct API access to various AI language models, allowing users to compare providers, tune parameters, and utilize custom tools. It offers rich conversation editing, private iCloud sync, and native support across Apple devices.
- Direct API access to multiple AI providers
- Model and parameter tuning
- Head-to-head model comparison
- Custom tool integration
- Rich, editable conversations
- Private iCloud sync
- Native iOS, iPadOS, and macOS support
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Use Apple Private Cloud Compute, your API keys, or an OpenAI-compatible endpoint. I built Cumbersome because consumer AI apps kept dumbing things down. Cumbersome is the manual transmission of AI apps: more complex, but with far greater control. WHY I BUILT THIS Consumer AI apps hide the controls I want and lock me into one provider. I wanted direct API access, the freedom to pick and compare models, and to pay providers for what I use. This is the app I use every day, so I pay attention and try to get it right. SUPPORTED PROVIDERS - Apple Private Cloud Compute - ChatGPT / OpenAI - Claude / Anthropic - Gemini / Google AI Studio - OpenRouter multi-provider - Vercel AI Gateway multi-provider - Z.ai - OpenAI-compatible custom endpoints, including Ollama, Azure, LM Studio, Groq, Together, and self-hosted backends WHAT YOU GET - A versatile API client. One app, every major provider and model. - Total control. Pick your model, tune the parameters, switch providers mid-conversation. - Compare models head to head. Stream multiple chats in parallel and let an AI judge pick the best. - Bring your own tools. Local browser use, reasoning, web search, image generation. - Rich, editable conversations. Markdown, LaTeX, code blocks, attachments, edit and export anything. - Private by design. iCloud sync across devices. Nothing saved to our servers. - Native and accessible on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. MAJOR FEATURES ADDED IN 2026 New in 2.0.0: Apple Private Cloud Compute. No API key. Requires iOS/iPadOS/macOS 27, an Apple Intelligence device, and internet. Apple usage limits apply. 2026-09-21: Independent iPad chat windows. 2026-09-14: Read replies aloud as they arrive. Save and Restart after editing. 2026-08-29: Select multiple chats. Mac export/import of all chats. 2026-08-21: Background replies on iOS 26. Question Cards for clarification. 2026-08-18: Web Agent: a shared, interactive browser. 2026-08-06: Highlight passages and attach notes for your next reply. 2026-08-03: Local Python analysis, charts, Mermaid, Markdown export. 2026-07-31: Gemini video. Responses API for custom providers. 2026-07-28: Parallel browser and MCP tools. 2026-07-23: Mind/Meld combines three AI responses into one. 2026-07-18: Full Simplified Chinese support. 2026-07-12: Ghost/Write drafts your next turn. 2026-07-09: Remote MCP servers and tools. 2026-07-02: Chat themes and reading fonts (Serif, Rounded, Mono). 2026-06-28: Folder system message presets. 2026-06-24: Prompt caching, with usage across providers. 2026-06-17: Reusable system presets per conversation. 2026-06-16: Offload long system messages to iCloud Drive. 2026-06-15: Toggle custom API parameters. 2026-06-11: Compact chats to lower API costs. 2026-06-07: Run JavaScript and HTML. 2026-06-04: OpenRouter PDF parsing and search engine options. 2026-05-12: Quick Prompt shortcut and App Visibility on Mac. 2026-05-09: Folders to group and organize chats. 2026-05-03: Collapsible sidebar sections, synced across devices. 2026-04-22: Image generation with OpenAI and Gemini. 2026-04-18: Local browser search and browsing. 2026-04-11: Headless browser mode. 2026-04-03: Searchable model picker. 2026-03-15: Extended thinking and reasoning across providers. 2026-03-09: Auto-delete chats after a set number of days. 2026-02-28: Custom OpenAI-compatible providers. 2026-02-25: Only Search When Requested. 2026-02-24: Image paste, attachment previews, PDF thumbnails. 2026-02-21: Siri and Shortcuts. 2026-02-20: Vercel AI Gateway and model filters. 2026-02-06: Voice Control, Larger Text, higher contrast. 2026-01-11: VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, keyboard navigation. 2026-01-06: OpenRouter integration. THE DEAL Core features are free. An optional Cumbersome Pro subscription adds advanced Project tools and supports ongoing development. You pay API providers directly for usage. I'm Peter, an indie developer in Reno, Nevada, out among the high desert tumbleweed. No VC money. No growth hacking. Just a tool I wanted to exist.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Cumbersome at 88% against NextChat AI's 10%. Cumbersome also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.5) and update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). NextChat AI's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. NextChat AI sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Cumbersome sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Cumbersome holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cumbersome has 100 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 10% of NextChat AI's written reviews are positive against 88% of Cumbersome's.
NextChat AI ships an update fortnightly, Cumbersome every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NextChat AI | Cumbersome |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (11 ratings) | 4.9 (100 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 10.0% of reviews | 87.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 100 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.3 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 80 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | GPTsMotion Tech LLC | Folding Sky Co |
Customer experience
NextChat AI
Cumbersome
In-app purchases
NextChat AI
- 轻度使用套餐$25.99
- 家庭套餐$199.99
Cumbersome
- Cumbersome Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
- Cumbersome Pro Annual$39.991 Year
