# Jan review

An open-source, offline-first desktop app for chatting with local or cloud AI models, built as a privacy-focused alternative to ChatGPT.

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified September 15, 2026.

> **Jan** is an open-source, offline-first desktop application for running AI chat locally or connecting to cloud model providers, positioned as a privacy-respecting alternative to ChatGPT.

Unlike cloud-only assistants, Jan runs entirely on a user's machine by default: conversations, downloaded models, and chat history stay on-device unless the user explicitly connects a cloud provider like OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google. It bundles a local inference engine (built on llama.cpp) so users can download and run open-weight models such as Llama, Gemma, Qwen, Mistral, and DeepSeek without a GPU cluster or command-line tooling, while also exposing an OpenAI-compatible API server that other applications can call against locally hosted models.

Jan is developed by Jan.ai and distributed under the Apache License 2.0, with source code hosted on GitHub. It ships native installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux and does not have a mobile or web version.

## Facts

- Website: https://jan.ai
- Pricing: Free (verified undefined NaN, NaN)
- License: Open source
- Platforms: windows, macos, linux
- Best for: developers and privacy-conscious users who want to run open-weight LLMs entirely offline while keeping the option to plug in cloud models from one interface
- Standout feature: Runs open models like Llama, Gemma, and Qwen fully offline on local hardware via a bundled llama.cpp engine, while exposing an OpenAI-compatible API server for other apps to call.
- Biggest weakness: The advertised Memory feature for persistent context across chats is still listed as coming soon, and running larger open models locally requires meaningful RAM/GPU resources that make performance uneven compared to cloud-only chat apps.
- Categories: [AI chat assistants](https://findalternative.to/categories/ai-assistants)

## Pricing snapshot

| Plan | Price | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0/mo | Fully free and open source under Apache 2.0; no paid tiers or subscriptions. Cloud model usage (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) is billed separately by the provider connected. |

## Pros and cons

- Pro: Fully open source under Apache 2.0 with no account or subscription required.
- Pro: Runs models 100% offline once downloaded, with no data leaving the device by default.
- Pro: OpenAI-compatible local API server lets other tools call locally hosted models.
- Pro: Supports both local open-weight models and cloud providers in one interface.
- Con: No web or mobile client; desktop only (Windows, macOS, Linux).
- Con: Memory/persistent-context feature is still marked coming soon.
- Con: Running larger local models is limited by the user's own hardware, unlike cloud-only competitors.
- Con: Smaller community and fewer integrations than Ollama, which some users prefer for headless/server use.

## AI summary

- Jan is free and open source under the Apache License 2.0.
- Jan ships native desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux; there is no web or mobile version.
- Jan runs open-weight models like Llama, Gemma, Qwen, Mistral, and DeepSeek fully offline via a bundled llama.cpp engine.
- Jan also connects to cloud providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google from the same interface.
- Jan has over 44,000 GitHub stars and reports more than 6.3 million downloads.
- Best for: developers and privacy-conscious users who want to run open-weight LLMs entirely offline while keeping the option to plug in cloud models
- Pricing: Free and open source under Apache 2.0; no paid tiers. Cloud model usage is billed separately by whichever provider is connected.
- Top alternatives: LM Studio, Ollama, Msty, AnythingLLM, Open WebUI
- Limitation: Memory/persistent-context feature is still listed as coming soon.
- Limitation: No web or mobile client, desktop only.
- Limitation: Local model performance depends on the user's own hardware.

## Alternatives

6 vetted alternatives to Jan: https://findalternative.to/jan — top picks: LM Studio, Ollama, Msty

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