# Atomic Chat vs MLX

The clearest difference is rating: MLX at 4.6 against Atomic Chat's 4.1. MLX also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 67%). Atomic Chat's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (16.2 vs 26.2). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MLX sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Atomic Chat asks for nothing beyond the download.

MLX holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 19 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Atomic Chat's written reviews are positive against 75% of MLX's.

Atomic Chat ships an update fortnightly, MLX every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Atomic Chat | MLX |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/atomic-chat-private-local-ai/id6761720226/reviews) | **[4.6 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlx-serve/id6787603518/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **19** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 90 MB | 211 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.2** | 26.2 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Atomic Mail](https://appshunter.io/developer/1831027051) | [David Dalcu](https://appshunter.io/developer/367949221) |

## What reviewers say

### Atomic Chat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/atomic-chat-private-local-ai/id6761720226)

This app offers an offline AI assistant on your iPhone and iPad. Download models to chat privately without an account. Customize assistants and track performance, with optional cloud integrations for enhanced features.

**Highlights:** Offline AI chat, Downloadable AI models, Custom assistant instructions, Switch AI models mid-conversation, Generation performance stats, Optional cloud provider integration, Web search capability

**In-app purchases:** none


### MLX

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mlx-serve/id6787603518)

This AI studio runs entirely on your device, processing conversations, voice recordings, and generated images locally. It offers hands-free calling, voice cloning, and image generation without any account creation, subscriptions, or tracking.

**Highlights:** On-device AI processing, Hands-free voice calls, Personalized voice cloning, Text-to-image generation, Offline model functionality, No account or tracking

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Music Generation | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Atomic Chat free?

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

### Is MLX free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Atomic Chat or MLX?

MLX is rated higher. Atomic Chat averages 4.1 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while MLX averages 4.6 from 10 ratings.

### Do Atomic Chat or MLX have ads?

Neither Atomic Chat nor MLX shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Atomic Chat or MLX?

Atomic Chat ships an update fortnightly, and MLX every 3 weeks. Most recently, Atomic Chat was updated on November 9, 2026 and MLX on November 5, 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.*