Comparison

LM Mini vs LLMster

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

Head to head
About

LM Mini

Chat with local AI models privately on your device or connect to desktop setups. Offers on-device, connected, and remote access options for a personalized AI experience. Enjoy features like voice chat, image generation, and memory for your AI.

Highlights
  • On-device model chat
  • Connect to LM Studio/Ollama
  • Remote access via LM Mini Connect
  • Voice chat and image generation
  • Local conversation history and management
  • Memory and semantic search
Features
Read full description

Chat with LM Studio, Ollama, and oMLX from your iPhone — or run on-device models offline. Private local AI on hardware you control. No cloud chat subscription required. THREE WAYS TO USE IT 1. On-device — download a model and chat with no internet 2. Connected — LM Studio, Ollama, Jan AI, or oMLX over Wi‑Fi or USB 3. Remote — LM Mini Connect from anywhere, encrypted with your key One app for phone-side models and your desktop local setup. WHAT TO EXPECT Phone models are not the same as huge hosted models in a data center. They are smaller, and that is expected. Performance will vary by hardware. What you gain is control: offline use, private chats on your device or your home machine, and freedom to run the open models you choose. BUILT FOR - People already running LM Studio, Ollama, oMLX or Jan AI who want that stack in their pocket - People who want on-device chat when they are offline or away from Wi-Fi - People who care about keeping conversations off third-party chat servers - Researchers, builders, and privacy-minded users experimenting with local AI INSIDE THE APP - Download and run on-device models on your phone - Connect to LM Studio, Ollama, Jan AI and oMLX - Remote access through LM Mini Connect with your encryption key - Manage and download models on LM Studio from your phone - Local conversation history, folders, and context usage tracking - Personas, plus group chat with up to 5 models in one conversation - Voice chat with Kokoro - Image generation with ComfyUI and Automatic1111 - Web search through SearXNG - Memory so your AI can remember details about you - On-device semantic search across your chats - Background generation, so you don't have to sit and stare at the screen - Themes, backgrounds, and avatars - Import chats from LM Studio - Optional encrypted cloud backups - Custom servers with custom headers - Optional APIs when you want them: OpenAI, OpenRouter, Mistral, DeepSeek, Google Gemini, and more - MCP tool calling - In-app support and feature requests - Dark mode and a chat UI meant for daily use PRIVACY For local use, chats stay on your phone, or between your phone and your own computer. We don't need your conversations to make that core local path work. If you choose optional cloud APIs, those requests go to the provider you pick. SETUP On-device: a compatible phone with enough free storage and memory for the model you pick. Connected mode: LM Studio, Ollama, or oMLX on your computer, plus local network or USB access, or LM Mini Connect for remote use. Install LM Mini and keep your local AI with you. Download LM Mini today and start chatting with your local AI models privately and securely! This app uses Apple Standard EULA license and its available at https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

LLMster

Connect to local AI models running on your server for private, fast conversations. Stream replies, reasoning, and image-based interactions. Organize, back up, and restore your chat library securely.

Highlights
  • Connects to local LM Studio servers
  • Private by design, no cloud relay
  • Organize chats by model, folder, or pin
  • Backup and restore chat library
  • Supports vision models with image input
  • Hands-free voice chat with on-device speech recognition
  • Customizable system prompts and tool integrations per chat
Features
Read full description

LLMster is a fast, private iPhone and iPad client for models running on your LM Studio server (https://lmstudio.ai). Stream replies, reasoning, tool activity, and image-based conversations from the models you host—in an app designed to feel at home on iOS. Private by design LLMster connects directly to the server you choose. There’s no LLMster account, telemetry, hosted chat service, or cloud relay in the middle. Your conversation library stays on your device, while model context stays with your configured server. External integrations run only when you choose to enable them. Your models, wherever you run them Keep your models on the machine built for them: a workstation, home server, or always-on computer. Run the LM Studio desktop app or LM Studio’s headless daemon, point LLMster at the host, and start chatting. No companion desktop client is required. Choose the right model without leaving the conversation: • Search or sort by name, size, or format, then pin favorites • See which models support vision, reasoning, or tool calls • Change models without starting a new chat Organized from the start Search chats by title, model, or folder. Browse recent conversations across every folder, then organize, rename, pin, or duplicate important threads. Move and protect your chats Share individual conversations as .llmster files and import them on another device while preserving messages, images, reasoning, tool history, and chat settings. Back up and restore your entire local chat library—including folders, pins, drafts, and attachments—with optional password protection. Backups do not include server addresses, authentication keys, or app-wide settings. LLMster also verifies transferred response context against your configured LM Studio server before continuing a chat. Vision, direct to your server Attach up to four screenshots, photos, or scanned pages to a message and send them to a compatible vision model. LLMster resizes and compresses images on your device before sending them, so the originals remain with you. Open any attachment and pinch to zoom when you need to inspect the details. Hands-free voice chat Talk naturally using on-device speech recognition and text-to-speech. Audio stays on your device; only the resulting text is sent to your configured server. Natural turn-taking and subtle haptics keep the conversation moving without touching the screen. Control each conversation Every chat can have its own: • Integrations already configured in LM Studio • Custom system prompt • Tool-call visibility • Live reasoning preference Stream reasoning as Markdown while the model works, or keep the interface quiet with a compact Thinking indicator and open the completed reasoning when you want it. Control response auto-scrolling, and choose System, Light, or Dark appearance with your preferred accent color. Rich responses, as they arrive LLMster renders streaming Markdown smoothly, including syntax-highlighted code with copy controls, inline and block math, tables, links, lists, and more. Export or share transcripts with their original Markdown intact. Keep going while you move on Run LM Studio on a workstation or headless server and connect from your phone. With Tailscale on both devices, you can keep chatting over cellular or another Wi-Fi network while your models run at home. Setup instructions are available at https://llmster.app/support

Screenshots

LM Mini4 screens
LLMster4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: LLMster at 5.0 against LM Mini's 4.4. LLMster also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 63%) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). LM Mini's advantage is ratings volume (158 vs 3) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 10 days). On price and ads 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. LM Mini sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. LLMster asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LLMster holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LM Mini has 158 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of LM Mini's written reviews are positive against 100% of LLMster's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LM Mini ships an update every 3 days, LLMster every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
LM Mini versus LLMster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLM MiniLLMster
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (158 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings158 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size173 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSultan HaiderDave Sebek

Customer experience

LM Mini

All ratings158 ratings
Positive85.4%
Neutral3.8%
Negative10.8%
Written reviews52 reviews
Positive63.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative28.8%

LLMster

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

LM Mini

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$119.99
None

LLMster

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LM Mini free?
LM Mini is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LLMster free?
LLMster is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LM Mini or LLMster?
LLMster is rated higher. LM Mini averages 4.4 out of 5 from 158 ratings, while LLMster averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do LM Mini or LLMster have ads?
Neither LM Mini nor LLMster shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LM Mini or LLMster?
LM Mini ships an update every 3 days, and LLMster every 10 days. Most recently, LM Mini was updated on November 5, 2026 and LLMster on October 31, 2026.

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