microAI vs smallm
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
microAI
This app provides a private, local AI workspace that organizes your thoughts, projects, and files. It allows you to run AI chat on your device, manage AI models, and build a personal memory system for enhanced productivity and offline use.
- Private Memory Map
- Local AI Chat
- Long-Term Memory
- Projects With Context
- Chat With Local Files
- Private Journal
- GGUF Model Management
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AI ON YOUR PHONE. POWERED BY YOUR DEVICES. Run private AI directly on your phone. Need more power? Connect your own computer and let it handle the heavy AI work while you keep using microAI from your phone. No sign-up. No cloud AI account required. Ask questions. Talk instead of type. Show AI a photo. Read a file. Work on a project. Save something for later. microAI brings local AI, your devices, and your private context together in one workspace. YOUR PHONE. YOUR COMPUTER. YOUR AI. Your phone can run compatible local AI models on its own. When you need more power, connect your own computer. Scan a QR code and your approved Mac or browser can run the model while you continue using microAI from your phone. That means you can move heavier AI work off your phone—reducing the load, heat, and battery use caused by demanding on-device inference. Use your phone when that is enough. Use your computer when you want more power. You choose where your AI runs. NO SIGN-UP. NO CLOUD AI REQUIRED. Local AI should not require another account. microAI can run compatible models directly on your devices without requiring a cloud AI account. Your computer can also become your own AI compute node. Open the microAI website on your computer, load a compatible local model, scan the QR code, and connect. No separate website account is required. DIFFERENT AI FOR DIFFERENT JOBS Not every task needs the same AI. microAI includes task-focused AI helpers: • Private Chat — Ask, write, plan, brainstorm, or talk. • Image Chat — Ask questions about photos and screenshots. • Voice Chat — Talk instead of typing. • Review Writer — Turn your experience into a clear review. • Photo Tagger — Create titles, descriptions, and keywords for photos. Choose which compatible model powers each job. Use a small model for quick everyday tasks, a vision model for images, or a stronger model running on your computer when you need more capability. TALK. SEE. READ. AI should work with more than a text box. Talk naturally with Voice Chat. Add a photo or screenshot and ask questions about what you see. Add a supported PDF, TXT, or Markdown file and ask questions about its contents. Use microAI for writing, research, documents, photos, ideas, and everyday questions. COME BACK WITHOUT STARTING OVER Your useful context should not disappear into old chats. Create Projects to keep related conversations, files, instructions, and context together. Save quick thoughts in Journal. microAI can remember useful context and bring it back when relevant. Memory Map gives you a visual way to explore your conversations, projects, journals, models, and memories. LOCAL AI WITHOUT THE USUAL SETUP You should not need to be an AI engineer to start using local AI. Find a compatible model, download it, and start. microAI keeps model discovery, downloads, switching, and resource management in one place. Advanced users can also import compatible GGUF models. Actual performance depends on your device, model, and connection. YOUR AI. YOUR DEVICES. YOUR DATA. When AI runs on your phone, compatible models process requests directly on your device. When you connect your own computer, the model runs on the computer you approve while you continue using microAI from your phone. Your model files stay on the device running them. You decide when a remote compute node is connected and used. Internet access may still be required for model discovery and downloads, purchases, ratings, app services, and certain system features. RUN AI YOUR WAY. On your phone when you want portability. On your computer when you want more power. No sign-up. No cloud AI account required. Your AI. Your devices. Your choice. Want to use your computer with microAI? Visit: https://linklocalai.com/ By using microAI, you agree to Apple's Standard End User License Agreement (EULA). Apple EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
smallm
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"I want to use AI on my phone. But I don't want my conversations sent to some server." smallm makes both possible. **Your smartphone becomes AI.** smallm is a **local LLM app** that runs AI models directly on your smartphone. Download and run the latest open-source AI models like Qwen, Gemma, Llama, Phi, Mistral, and DeepSeek right on your device. All processing happens on your device. No cloud API required. ■ Real AI, Running Locally smallm runs genuine large language models (LLMs). Choose from models ranging from 360M to 14B parameters, optimized for your phone's specs. The app automatically detects your device's RAM, storage, and GPU performance, recommending the best model for you. No complicated setup needed. ■ Your Conversations Never Leave Your Device Running locally means **no internet connection required**. Your conversations never leave your smartphone. ・For brainstorming work ideas — Confidential content stays secure ・For editing journals and writing — Private text remains private ・For helping kids with homework — A safe environment for families ・On airplanes or subways with no signal — Offline? No problem ■ AI That Understands Photos With vision-capable models, just attach a photo and the AI reads its contents. Document transcription, scene description, questions about images — your camera connects with AI. ■ No Monthly Fees. One-Time Purchase. No subscription. One purchase unlocks all features. No monthly bills to worry about. ■ For Developers: Local API Server Start the built-in API server to call AI models from other apps or scripts. Perfect for local development and experimentation. 【Free Trial Available】 ・Chat with lightweight models (Qwen3.5 0.8B / SmolLM2 360M) ・Chat history (recent 20 conversations) Experience the power of local AI for free. 【Full Version (One-Time Purchase)】 ・All models unlocked (up to 14B parameters) ・Unlimited chat history ・Local API server ・Data export smallm is developed by a Japanese developer. No user data collection or transmission features included. Real AI on your smartphone. That's smallm. ## What's New - Vision model support: Attach images and ask AI questions - New models added: Phi-4 Mini, Qwen 2.5 14B - Performance improvements - Bug fixes
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Verdict
microAI and smallm are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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. microAI sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and smallm sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
microAI ships an update every 9 days, smallm weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | microAI | smallm |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 234 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | genghong Xie | 株式会社オルタナティブエンタープライズ |
In-app purchases
microAI
- microAI Pro – Monthly$0.991 Month
- microAI Pro – Yearly7 Days trial$5.991 Year
- Remove Ads$4.99
- microAI Pro – Lifetime$9.99
smallm
- フルバージョン$9.99
- 開発者を支援(3,000円)$19.99
- 開発者を応援(5,000円)$29.99
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- 開発者を支援 (10,000円)$59.99









