MLX Studio vs LLM API Request
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MLX Studio
Experience private AI chat on your Apple devices with this app. It runs entirely on-device, offering 100% privacy and offline functionality. Choose from pre-configured models or import your own, with smart memory and RAM management for efficient conversations.
- 100% Private On-Device Processing
- Supports 15+ Pre-configured MLX Models
- Import Custom Models from HuggingFace
- Vision Understanding (Mac)
- Image Generation (Mac)
- Smart Memory and RAM Management
- Offline Functionality
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MLX Studio brings powerful AI chat to your Apple devices, running entirely on-device for complete privacy. No data ever leaves your device. Choose from 15+ pre-configured MLX models or import any compatible model from HuggingFace. Store models on external drives to save space. APPLE INTELLIGENCE (iOS 26+ / macOS 26+) Powered by Apple Foundation Models - Apple's on-device AI framework. - Built-in AI: Use Apple Intelligence with no download required - Instant access: Start chatting immediately without waiting for model downloads - Seamless switching: Easily switch between Apple Intelligence and custom MLX models - 4K context support for quick conversations KEY FEATURES - 100% Private: All AI processing happens locally on your device - Multiple AI Models: Choose from curated state-of-the-art language models optimized for Apple Silicon - Vision Understanding (Mac): Analyze images with Vision Language Models - Image Generation (Mac): Create images using Stable Diffusion and FLUX models - Smart Memory: AI remembers important conversation details - Smart RAM Management: Models automatically unload when idle - Works Offline: Use anywhere without internet once downloaded - Native Experience: Built with SwiftUI for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS SUPPORTED DEVICES & MODELS INCLUDED iPhone, iPad, Mac (16GB+ RAM recommended for Mac). Includes Qwen3, Llama 3.2, Gemma 2, vision models, and FLUX/Stable Diffusion. No subscriptions, accounts, or cloud required.
LLM API Request
Send requests to various AI models directly from Apple Shortcuts using your own API keys. Supports local models, file attachments, and conversation history. Export conversations and track token usage.
- Use own API keys
- Supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity
- Local model support
- Attach files to requests
- Conversation history
- Export conversations as Markdown
- Token usage tracking
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LLM API Request lets you send requests to leading AI models straight from Apple Shortcuts, using your own API keys. No subscriptions. No accounts. SUPPORTED PROVIDERS • OpenAI • Anthropic • Google Gemini • xAI Grok • Perplexity KEY FEATURES • Bring your own API key — pay only for what you use (including generating images), at provider rates • Use local models like Gemma 4, and the Apple Intelligence model; Local models can even use web search! • Attach images, PDFs, and text files to your requests • Continue conversations across Shortcut runs with conversation history • Export any conversation as Markdown — great for apps like Obsidian • Track token usage across all models with a built-in dashboard • Export your token usage history • Use Projects to summarize documents and include them in the model's context. Donate the project info to Siri so that it can use that to answer your questions! • Test connections to ensure your key is working and browse available models per provider • Request structured JSON output for automation pipelines SECURITY FIRST Your API keys are stored exclusively in Apple Keychain, protected by Face ID or Touch ID. We run no servers and collect no data — everything stays on your device.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: LLM API Request at 5.0 against MLX Studio's 4.0. On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
LLM API Request holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MLX Studio | LLM API Request |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Melih Gurgah | Marc-Henri Bleu-Laine |
Customer experience
MLX Studio
LLM API Request
In-app purchases
MLX Studio
No in-app purchases
LLM API Request
No in-app purchases









