# Foundation vs Merdot AI

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Foundation at none against Merdot AI's 10. Merdot AI's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 weeks) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Merdot AI sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Foundation asks for nothing beyond the download.

Foundation ships an update every 4 weeks, Merdot AI every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Foundation | Merdot AI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foundation-chat/id6757838092/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 8 MB | 99 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Sagar Desai](https://appshunter.io/developer/1825946798) | [Merdot](https://appshunter.io/developer/6794478565) |

## What reviewers say

### Foundation

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foundation-chat/id6757838092)

Engage in intelligent, private AI conversations that run entirely on your device. No internet or data collection required, offering instant responses and multiple conversation threads for various tasks.

**Highlights:** 100% on-device AI processing, Zero data collection, Works offline, Multiple conversation threads, Clean SwiftUI interface, Unlimited chat sessions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Merdot AI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merdot-ai/id6794478563)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lite | $2.99 | per month |
| Basic | $7.99 | per month |
| Plus | $14.99 | per month |
| Lite | $29.99 | per year |
| Pro | $29.99 | per month |
| Pro Max | $49.99 | per month |
| Basic | $89.99 | per year |
| Plus | $149.99 | per year |
| Pro | $299.99 | per year |
| Pro Max | $499.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Foundation free?

Foundation is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Merdot AI free?

Merdot AI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Foundation or Merdot AI have ads?

Neither Foundation nor Merdot AI shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Foundation or Merdot AI?

Foundation ships an update every 4 weeks, and Merdot AI every 2 weeks. Most recently, Foundation was updated on November 5, 2026 and Merdot AI on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*