Comparison

Elio Chat vs smallm

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

Head to head
About

Elio Chat

This AI assistant operates entirely on your device, ensuring all conversations remain private and never leave your iPhone. It offers powerful AI models, image recognition, and voice input, integrating seamlessly with your iOS features like calendar and reminders.

Highlights
  • 100% offline operation
  • On-device AI processing
  • Deep iOS integration (Calendar, Reminders, Photos)
  • Powerful AI models
  • Image recognition
  • Voice input
Features
Read full description

【A Truly Private AI Assistant】 Elio is a completely private AI assistant that runs entirely on your iPhone. All processing happens on-device, meaning your conversations are never sent to the cloud. ■ Why Choose Elio? • Fully Offline - Works in airplane mode • Privacy First - No data ever leaves your device • Works in corporate environments with AI restrictions • No subscription - Free forever after download ■ Deep iOS Integration • Calendar - Check and create events • Reminders - Manage your tasks • Photos - Analyze and search images • Contacts - Search your contacts • Weather - Check forecasts • Location - Get current location ■ Key Features • Powerful AI models (Qwen3, Llama 3.2, etc.) • Image recognition (Vision-capable models) • Voice input (Whisper built-in) • Multi-turn conversations • Search and export conversation history ■ Our Privacy Commitment Elio is your secret-keeping "second brain". Confidential information, personal concerns, work ideas... discuss anything with peace of mind. Download now and experience truly private AI.

About

smallm

Features
Read full description

"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

Screenshots

Elio Chat4 screens
smallm3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Elio Chat at none against smallm's 4. smallm's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads 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. smallm sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Elio Chat asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Elio Chat ships an update fortnightly, smallm weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 5 level
Elio Chat versus smallm: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterElio Chatsmallm
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYuki Hamada株式会社オルタナティブエンタープライズ

In-app purchases

None

Elio Chat

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

smallm

One-time4
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • 開発者を支援 (10,000円)$59.99

Questions

Is Elio Chat free?
Elio Chat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is smallm free?
smallm is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Elio Chat or smallm have ads?
Neither Elio Chat nor smallm shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Elio Chat or smallm?
Elio Chat ships an update fortnightly, and smallm weekly. Most recently, Elio Chat was updated on October 31, 2026 and smallm on October 31, 2026.

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