LLM API Request vs Loci
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
Loci
This AI assistant runs entirely on your device, offering powerful on-device capabilities like calculations, reminders, and calendar integration. It supports various open-source models and features voice conversation and image understanding, all while prioritizing user privacy and environmental impact.
- On-device AI models
- Calculator and unit conversions
- iOS Reminders and Calendar integration
- Voice conversation mode
- Image understanding (OCR, classification)
- Apple Shortcuts integration
- Focus modes
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Loci is a private AI chat app for your iPhone. No account and no subscription. Download a model once and chat anywhere, even in airplane mode. If you want a ChatGPT alternative that keeps your conversations on your phone, this is it. NO SETUP, NO JARGON Loci checks your iPhone and picks a model that runs well on it. You never think about RAM, file sizes, or quantization. Open the app, download once and then start chatting. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your chats, photos, and voice input are processed on your devices. Diagnostic sharing is optional and can be turned off in Settings. Downloaded models work in airplane mode. REAL MODELS, RUNNING LOCALLY Chat with well-known open models like Google's Gemma 4, Qwen 3.5, and Llama. Browse more anytime. Loci only offers models your phone can actually run. LINK TO YOUR MAC OR PC Run Loci on your Mac or PC too? Pair the two, and your iPhone can use the much larger models your computer runs. The power of a desktop, in your pocket, still on hardware you own. PHOTOS AND DOCUMENTS Attach a photo and ask what's in it. Add a PDF, Word file, or EPUB and ask questions about it. Reading happens on device. TOOLS THAT DO REAL WORK A calculator that computes instead of guessing. Unit conversions. Reminders and Calendar. Web search when you ask for it. A memory that carries your preferences from chat to chat. TALK INSTEAD OF TYPING Tap the waveform and speak. Loci answers out loud and keeps listening. Speech stays on your phone. MADE FOR THE TASK AT HAND Focus modes for coding, writing, studying, and brainstorming. Apple Shortcuts for automations. Available in English and Spanish. EASY ON THE PLANET Every cloud AI answer runs in a data center. Loci runs on the phone already in your pocket. Free. Offline. Yours.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Loci at every 2 days against LLM API Request's every 3 weeks. Loci also leads on ratings volume (145 vs 2). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for LLM API Request against 4.9 for Loci. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Loci has 145 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
LLM API Request ships an update every 3 weeks, Loci every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LLM API Request | Loci |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 4.9 (145 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 145 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 73 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Marc-Henri Bleu-Laine | Michael Waldman |
Customer experience
LLM API Request
Loci
In-app purchases
LLM API Request
No in-app purchases
Loci
No in-app purchases









