Cumbersome vs Open Relay

IMPORTANT: Requires your own API keys from OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Google AI Studio, Z.ai, or Vercel AI Gateway, or your own 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 providers like ChatGPT and Claude route requests to cheaper models to keep their costs down. They charge monthly subscriptions whether you use them once or a thousand times. They hide the technical controls that let you tune how models respond. And they lock you into one provider. I wanted an AI client that connects directly to AI provider APIs. I wanted to pick exactly which model I use and know I'm getting it. I wanted to compare different models on the same prompt. I wanted to pay per use instead of subscriptions. So I built it. This is the app I use every day to interact with AI, so I pay attention and try to get it right. SUPPORTED PROVIDERS Bring your API keys, or add your own OpenAI-compatible endpoint, for any of the following: — 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 free app. — 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 Highlights only. See What's New on the App Store for the latest. 2026-07-02: Chat appearance themes and reading fonts (Serif, Rounded, Mono). 2026-06-28: Folder-level system message presets. 2026-06-24: Prompt caching, with cache usage shown across providers. 2026-06-17: Reusable system message presets per conversation. 2026-06-16: Offload long system messages to iCloud Drive. 2026-06-15: Pause custom API parameters with a toggle. 2026-06-11: Compact a conversation to lower API costs. 2026-06-07: Run JavaScript and HTML directly from Cumbersome. 2026-06-04: Choose how OpenRouter parses PDFs and which search engine it uses. 2026-05-12: Configurable Quick Prompt shortcut and App Visibility on Mac. 2026-05-09: Conversation folders. Group, move, and organize chats. 2026-05-03: Collapsible sidebar sections, synced across devices. 2026-04-22: AI image generation with OpenAI and Gemini. 2026-04-18: Local browser tool use. AI can search and browse pages. 2026-04-11: Headless mode. The AI works the browser in the background. 2026-04-03: Searchable model picker for long model lists. 2026-03-15: Extended thinking and reasoning across providers. 2026-03-09: Auto-delete conversations after a set number of days. 2026-02-28: OpenAI-compatible custom providers (Ollama, Azure, LM Studio, Groq). 2026-02-25: Only Search When Requested. Keep web search off until you ask. 2026-02-24: Image paste, interactive attachment previews, and PDF thumbnails. 2026-02-21: Siri and Shortcuts integration. 2026-02-20: Vercel AI Gateway support, with model exclusion filters. 2026-02-06: Voice Control, Larger Text, and higher contrast. 2026-01-11: Major accessibility pass. VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, keyboard nav. 2026-01-06: OpenRouter multi-provider integration. THE DEAL The app is free. You pay providers directly for API access. 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.

Your AI. Your server. Your pocket. Open Relay is a beautiful, 100% native iOS & iPadOS client for Open WebUI. Chat with any model on your server, right from your iPhone or iPad, with a fast, polished experience that feels native. — STREAMING CHAT WITH RICH MARKDOWN — Watch responses flow in word by word with full markdown rendering — syntax-highlighted code blocks, tables, math equations, Mermaid diagrams, inline SVG images, and more. Everything renders beautifully in real time. — VOICE CALLS WITH AI — Call your AI like you'd call a friend. Open Relay uses Apple's CallKit so it looks and feels like a real phone call — complete with an animated orb that reacts to your voice and the AI's response. — ADMIN CONSOLE — Take full control of your WebUI admin settings directly from the app instead of visiting the site. Directly add new integrations, mcp servers, or modify server settings quickly through the app. — TERMINAL INTEGRATION — Give your AI access to a real terminal. Enable command execution from chat, then swipe from the right edge to open a file browser with directory navigation, file upload, preview, and a mini terminal. — SWITCH MODELS ON THE FLY — Type @ to mention any model and switch mid-conversation. A persistent chip in the composer shows which model is active. — PROMPT LIBRARY & SKILLS — Type / to search your prompt library with slash commands, or $ to browse and apply your Open WebUI skills — all without leaving the composer. — KNOWLEDGE BASES (RAG) — Type # to search and attach your knowledge collections, folders, and files. Works exactly like the web UI. — ON-DEVICE VOICE, COMPLETELY PRIVATE — Built-in neural text-to-speech (Marvis) and speech-to-text run entirely on your device via Apple's MLX framework. Download once, then no data ever leaves your phone. Server-based and Apple system voices also supported. — TOOLS & WORKSPACE — Toggle server-side tools on or off per conversation. Tool calls render inline with collapsible details. Manage models, knowledge bases, prompts, skills, and tools directly from the app. — CHANNELS — Collaborative chat rooms where multiple users and AI models interact — organized by Direct Messages, Groups, and Channels. — AUTOMATIONS — Automations let you schedule prompts to run automatically at recurring times. — TASK MANAGEMENT — Task Management gives agentic models a structured way to plan and track multi-step work in a chat. — CALENDAR — Schedule, track, and manage events — with AI that can plan for you. — ORGANIZE EVERYTHING — Drag and drop chats into folders. Pin important conversations. Search across everything. Configure folders with system prompts, default models, and attached knowledge. Archive and restore in bulk. — RICH ATTACHMENTS — Attach files, photos, or paste images into chat. The Share Extension sends content from any app straight into a conversation. — DEEP THEMING — Accent color presets or a custom color wheel. Pure black OLED mode with tinted surfaces. Every change previews live. — MULTI-SERVER/ACCOUNT SUPPORT — Save multiple Open WebUI connections and switch instantly. Full auth support — username/password, LDAP, SSO, and auth proxies like Authelia and Authentik. — HOME SCREEN WIDGETS & SHORTCUTS — Start a chat from a widget or your Action Button. Background notifications alert you when a generation finishes while you're in another app. — ACCESSIBILITY — Independently adjust message text size, conversation title size, and UI element scaling Requires a running Open WebUI server instance. Your models Your rules!