Comparison

MLX vs Local LLM

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

Local LLM

This app allows you to run advanced AI language models directly on your iPhone without an account. Engage in conversations, analyze photos, work with documents, and even build interactive web pages and games from chat prompts.

Highlights
  • On-device AI model execution
  • Offline chat and document analysis
  • AI-powered website and game creation
  • Photo analysis
  • Live voice input
  • Model catalog for downloads
Features
Read full description

Local LLM runs language models on your iPhone. No account is required. Chat, ask about photos, work with documents and use live voice. With Canvas, build websites, interactive pages and games from a conversation, then preview and edit them in the app. Features depend on the selected model. Download models from the catalog, or use Apple’s on-device model on supported devices when available. Core AI models require iOS 27 or later. Other supported models remain available on older systems. Inference and conversation history stay on your device. Model downloads, the catalog and model artwork use the network. Optional Web Search sends a query derived from your message to Tavily and may read result websites. Weather requests use Apple geocoding and WeatherKit for the requested city, without requesting device location. Voice input prefers on-device recognition. If it is unavailable or fails, Apple’s online speech service may process audio when network speech recognition is enabled. You can disable this in Privacy settings. Requires iOS 17 or later. Model availability depends on your device, OS, memory and storage. Downloads require internet; supported offline chat works after setup. Models can make mistakes. Do not rely on replies for medical, legal or financial decisions.

Screenshots

MLX4 screens
Local LLM4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Local LLM at none against MLX's 1. Local LLM also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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. MLX sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Local LLM asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Local LLM holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 7 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MLX ships an update every 3 weeks, Local LLM every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
MLX versus Local LLM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMLXLocal LLM
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (10 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings10 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size211 MB97 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperDavid DalcuYanchen Zhao

Customer experience

MLX

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Local LLM

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MLX

One-time1
  • Music Generation$4.99
None

Local LLM

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MLX free?
MLX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Local LLM free?
Local LLM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MLX or Local LLM?
Local LLM is rated higher. MLX averages 4.6 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Local LLM averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.
Do MLX or Local LLM have ads?
Neither MLX nor Local LLM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MLX or Local LLM?
MLX ships an update every 3 weeks, and Local LLM every 2 days. Most recently, MLX was updated on October 31, 2026 and Local LLM on October 31, 2026.

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