Comparison

MLX vs Aether

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

Head to head
About

MLX

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
Read full description

MLX-Serve is a private AI studio that runs entirely on your iPhone. Every conversation, voice recording, and generated image is processed on-device by open-weight models — nothing you type, say, or create ever leaves your phone. There is no account to create, no subscription, and no tracking of any kind. MUSIC Generate songs locally using your device ! You can also play it back in the background and use MLX-Serve as a player for your generated music on the go. CHAT Talk with capable open language models (Google Gemma 4) right on your device. Ask questions, brainstorm, draft messages, get things explained. Some models can even understand photos you attach. CALL Tap Call inside any conversation to talk to the AI hands-free, like a phone call. Your speech is transcribed on-device and the reply is read back aloud. Speaker and handset modes are both supported, and the transcript is saved to your chat. VOICE CLONE Record about eight seconds of your voice and have the AI speak text in your own voice, using an on-device text-to-speech model. Great for narration and fun. IMAGES Generate images from a text prompt with an on-device diffusion model (FLUX.2). Tap a result to zoom in, save it to your photo library, or share it. FULLY PRIVATE, FULLY OFFLINE - Runs 100% on-device using Apple MLX and the Metal GPU. - No account, no analytics, no ads, no tracking. - The network is used only to download the AI models you choose from Hugging Face. After a model is downloaded, that feature works offline. REQUIREMENTS Models are multi-gigabyte downloads and on-device AI is demanding, so MLX Chat requires a recent, high-performance iPhone. Download over Wi-Fi is recommended. You pick which models to download and can delete them anytime to reclaim space. Open models are provided under their respective licenses (Gemma, Apache 2.0). MLX Chat is an independent app and is not affiliated with Google or Apple.

About

Aether

Features
Read full description

Soar with local AI. Aether brings a modern, localized, general-purpose AI Agent experience directly to your iOS device. Powered by Pi Coding Agent kernel and equipped with a local, sandboxed Alpine Linux environment, Aether transforms your mobile device into a powerful AI workbench. Whether you are writing code, researching complex topics, executing scripts, or running multi-tool workflows, Aether delivers unmatched speed, privacy, and capability—wrapped in a silky-smooth, minimalist interface. Key Features: • Local Linux Sandbox & Tool Execution Run shell commands, JavaScript, and custom tools locally within a bundled, isolated Alpine Linux environment. Safely inspect, create, and manage files right inside your app workspace. • Multi-Provider LLM Integration Bring your own keys and connect seamlessly with leading AI models, including OpenAI (GPT-5.6 Sol), Anthropic (Claude Fable 5), Google Gemini, DeepSeek, and custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints. • Model Context Protocol (MCP) Support Extend your AI agent's skills by connecting to remote HTTP MCP servers, unlocking specialized external tools and live integrations. • Minimalist & Premium User Interface Designed with meticulous detail inspired by top-tier tools. Enjoy smooth gesture navigation, rich fluid micro-animations, customizable dark/light themes, and clean code formatting. • Extensible Architecture Tailor agent behaviors, custom prompts, and UI extensions using Pi extensions and TypeScript script modules. • Privacy-First & Local Storage Your API keys, chat history, and workspace files remain securely on your device. Experience true AI autonomy on the go. Download Aether today and take your mobile AI workflow to the next level!

Screenshots

MLX4 screens
Aether4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MLX at Free against Aether's $2.99. Aether's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#141 vs unranked). On 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

MLX is free to download; Aether costs $2.99 up front. MLX sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Aether asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
MLX versus Aether: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMLXAether
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating5.0 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank—#141 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size211 MB74 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperDavid Dalcu堃 周

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MLX

One-time1
  • Music Generation$4.99
None

Aether

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MLX free?
MLX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aether free?
Aether costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do MLX or Aether have ads?
Neither MLX nor Aether shows ads.

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