Comparison

Private AI Models vs LocalAI

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

Head to head
About

Private AI Models

Engage in AI conversations locally on your device without needing an internet connection or cloud servers. This app allows you to download and run various open AI models, keeping your data private and secure. Chat with documents, understand images, and utilize pre-built assistants for diverse tasks.

Highlights
  • Runs AI models entirely on your phone
  • Completely offline functionality
  • Chat with your documents (PDF, text, Markdown)
  • Image understanding and analysis
  • Step-by-step reasoning visualization
  • Pre-built AI assistants
  • On-device text-to-speech
Features
Read full description

Chat with an AI that lives on your phone, not in the cloud. Private AI is an offline AI chat app: open models like Qwen, Gemma and GLM run entirely on your phone — no server, no account, and after a one-time model download no internet at all. YOUR AI, YOUR DEVICE Cloud chatbots send every word you type to a data center. Private AI computes the answer on your phone's own chip: your chats, your photos and the models themselves stay with you. Uninstall it and everything goes with it. WORKS COMPLETELY OFFLINE Download a model once, then chat anywhere: • On flights, subways and trips abroad • In dead zones and on unreliable connections • Whenever you want answers that stay private Switch on airplane mode if you like — the app won't notice. THE LATEST OPEN MODELS, PHONE-SIZED • Qwen 3.5 (0.8B, 4B, 9B) — fast, smart and multilingual • Google Gemma 4 (E2B, E4B) — mobile-first quality, 140+ languages • GLM 4.6V Flash — flagship-class vision for high-end phones • Ministral 3 — compact, with a 256k context window • Bring your own: load any GGUF model by URL (Hugging Face links work) Models are 0.8–6 GB downloads. A "Fits your device" badge reads your phone's RAM so you know what will run well before you download, the catalog is searchable and filterable, and interrupted downloads resume where they stopped. BENCHMARK IT ON YOUR OWN PHONE Run the built-in benchmark on any downloaded model to see exactly how fast it loads and generates on your hardware — tokens per second, GPU or CPU — and pick the model that fits. CHAT WITH YOUR DOCUMENTS Attach a PDF, text or Markdown file to any chat and ask about it: the text is extracted and searched on your phone, the model answers from the matching passages and tells you which ones it used. Contracts, papers, manuals, notes: the files are never uploaded. UNDERSTANDS IMAGES Every model in the catalog supports vision. Add the optional image-support file, then snap a photo or pick one from your gallery: read documents, translate signs, decode menus, describe scenes. WATCH IT THINK Turn on thinking mode and reasoning models show their step-by-step working in a collapsible panel above the answer — great for math, code and anything worth double-checking. ASSISTANTS Start a chat with a ready-made assistant: Tutor, Writing Coach, Email Helper, Translator, Code Helper, Summarizer, Chef or Travel Planner, each with its own instructions and one-tap starters. An offline translator for your next trip, no signal needed. A REAL CHAT APP • Markdown that renders: code blocks with one-tap copy, tables and lists • Streaming answers with a live tokens-per-second readout • Switch models mid-conversation from the chat header • A system prompt per chat, plus Creative / Balanced / Precise / Thinking presets • Edit, regenerate, copy, select text — or have any answer read aloud (on-device TTS) • Search your chats, pin favorites, light and dark themes • Back up every chat and setting to a single JSON file, and restore anywhere PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Conversations and photos are processed on your device, never in the cloud • No account, no sign-up, no server • GPU-accelerated by llama.cpp — Metal on iPhone, OpenCL on Snapdragon Adreno PRIVATE AI PRO Free to use, with ads that never interrupt an answer (offline, none load). Pro removes all ads and adds your own custom assistants and accent colors. Choose monthly, yearly (with a free trial for new subscribers) or a one-time lifetime unlock. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel anytime in your store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://llm.chinesepowered.com/privacy.html Formerly Personal LLM: same app, new name. Your questions are yours. Keep them that way.

About

LocalAI

Features
Read full description

Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ LocalAI is a powerful AI intelligent assistant. Fully offline operation, no network connection required, 100% protects your privacy. Supports voice input, multi-session management, and cross-platform experience.

Screenshots

Private AI Models4 screens
LocalAI3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Private AI Models at none against LocalAI's 3. Private AI Models also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). LocalAI's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence and device support 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. LocalAI sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month. Private AI Models asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Private AI Models versus LocalAI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivate AI ModelsLocalAI
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.4 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size68 MB2.6 GB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperNelson LaiWeigan Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.

In-app purchases

None

Private AI Models

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

LocalAI

Subscriptions2
  • Upgrade to Monthly VIP3 Days trial$2.491 Month
  • Upgrade to Yearly VIP3 Days trial$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • Upgrade to Lifetime VIP$29.99

Questions

Is Private AI Models free?
Private AI Models is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is LocalAI free?
LocalAI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Private AI Models or LocalAI have ads?
Private AI Models shows ads; LocalAI does not.
Which is updated more often, Private AI Models or LocalAI?
Private AI Models ships an update fortnightly, and LocalAI fortnightly. Most recently, Private AI Models was updated on October 9, 2026 and LocalAI on October 20, 2026.

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