Comparison

Modem AI vs A1 ai

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

Head to head
About

Modem AI

Features
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Modem AI is a private assistant for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It runs a language model on your device, so your conversations stay there. There is no account, and your prompts stay on the device rather than going to a cloud chatbot. The first launch downloads Phi-3-mini, about 2.7 GB. After that, you can chat without a connection. Replies can take longer than a cloud service. That is the trade for keeping the conversation on the device. The model needs about 4 GB of available memory. What you can do • Chat in natural language, including answers with lists and code • Dictate a message with on-device speech recognition. Audio stays on the device • Write a system message, and set temperature, top-p, and maximum response length • Choose light, dark, or system appearance • Copy a reply, start over, or clear history Privacy Your prompts and replies stay on the device. Modem AI does not read them. If you send feedback or report a reply, only what you choose to submit is shared. The app may send anonymous performance statistics, such as whether a feature succeeded. Those statistics do not include your conversations.

About

A1 ai

This AI application offers on-device processing and decentralized network options, ensuring your data remains private and is never sold. It allows you to ask anything without contributing to large data centers, making it an environmentally conscious choice.

Highlights
  • On-device AI model
  • Decentralized network compute
  • No data centers used
  • Privacy-focused
  • Subscription for Pro features
Features
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A1 - AI without the data centers. Every other AI app ships your questions to a warehouse the size of a town — one that drinks water by the reservoir and burns power by the city — then rents the answer back to you by the month. A1 doesn't. A1 runs two ways, and neither needs a data center: • On your phone. A small, capable model runs fully on your device. Nothing is uploaded. No account. • Across the mesh. Or borrow a slice of compute from a decentralized network of real people's devices — no headquarters, no landlord. What you type never becomes someone's training pile. What you ask is never sold back to you. And not a single drop of water is boiled off to answer “hey.” Common sense about thinking machines: a model is just math, and the chip in your pocket is enough to think with. Ask anything. Run it on us, not on the planet. — — — A1 Pro is an auto-renewable subscription. • Price: $9.99 per week (US), with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. • Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. • The subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. • Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings after purchase. • Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://a1ai-sandy.vercel.app/privacy

Screenshots

Modem AI4 screens
A1 ai4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Modem AI at none against A1 ai's 1. Modem AI also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). A1 ai's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. A1 ai sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Modem AI asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Modem AI ships an update every 7 months, A1 ai weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Modem AI versus A1 ai: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterModem AIA1 ai
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB6 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperJoe MayoWhat If Projects, Inc.

In-app purchases

None

Modem AI

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

A1 ai

Subscriptions1
  • A1 Pro7 Days trial$9.997 Days

Questions

Is Modem AI free?
Modem AI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is A1 ai free?
A1 ai is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Modem AI or A1 ai have ads?
Neither Modem AI nor A1 ai shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Modem AI or A1 ai?
Modem AI ships an update every 7 months, and A1 ai weekly. Most recently, Modem AI was updated on October 7, 2026 and A1 ai on October 24, 2026.

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