Ollama
Focus: local llm, ai models and privacy. Shares open source with Jan. An AI tool, not a desktop app. Rated 4.8 (Jan: 4.5).
AI ToolFreeWindows, macOS
4.8Visit
Desktop App
Jan
An open-source ChatGPT alternative that runs 100% offline on your computer.
Rating
4.5 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Intermediate
Works on
Windows, macOS, Linux
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is Jan?
Jan is an open-source alternative to ChatGPT that can run entirely offline on your computer. You download open models such as Llama, Gemma and Qwen from Hugging Face and chat with them locally, or connect cloud models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, Groq and others when you want to. It is free under the Apache 2.0 licence and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Pros: what Jan does well
- Runs open models fully offline and private
- Free and open source (Apache 2.0)
- Can also connect to cloud models when you need them
Cons: where it falls short
- Local models need a reasonably powerful computer
- Local models are less capable than top cloud models
Who Jan is for
People who want a private, offline AI assistant on their own computer.
Who can skip it
People with older laptops who just want the strongest cloud model.
Compare Jan
See how Jan stacks up, side by side, plus the lists it made.
Jan alternatives
Not sold on Jan? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
Handy
Focus: speech to text, dictation and whisper. Shares local ai and open source with Jan. Rated 4.7 (Jan: 4.5).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.7Visit
Chatbox
Focus: ai chat, llm client and local models. Shares open source with Jan. An AI tool, not a desktop app. Freemium (Jan: Free). Adds iOS and Android. Rated 4.6 (Jan: 4.5).
AI ToolFree planWindows, macOS
4.6Visit
Fabric
Focus: ai prompts, command line and summaries. Shares open source with Jan. An AI tool, not a desktop app. Rated 4.6 (Jan: 4.5).
AI ToolFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
Buzz
Focus: transcription, whisper and otter alternative. Shares offline and open source with Jan. Same 4.5 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.5Visit
TypingMind
Focus: AI, ChatGPT and privacy. Shares LLM with Jan. An AI tool, not a desktop app. Paid but Affordable (Jan: Free). Adds Web. Same 4.5 rating.
AI ToolPaid but AffordableWeb
4.5Visit
Free alternatives to Jan
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
Hyperresearch
Focus: deep research, citations and claude code. Shares open source with Jan. An AI tool, not a desktop app. Rated 4.4 (Jan: 4.5).
AI ToolFreeWindows, macOS
4.4Visit
OpenDraft
Focus: research papers, citations and literature review. Shares open source with Jan. An AI tool, not a desktop app. Rated 4.4 (Jan: 4.5).
AI ToolFreeCross-Platform
4.4Visit
LLM Course
Focus: course, roadmap and colab. Shares llm and open source with Jan. A course, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Rated 4.8 (Jan: 4.5).
CourseFreeWeb
4.8Visit
nanoGPT
Focus: gpt, training and karpathy. Shares llm and open source with Jan. A framework, not a desktop app. Rated 4.8 (Jan: 4.5).
FrameworkFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
Prompt Engineering Guide
Focus: prompt engineering, context engineering and rag. Shares llm and open source with Jan. A course, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Rated 4.8 (Jan: 4.5).
CourseFreeWeb
4.8Visit
Awesome LLM
Focus: awesome list, papers and ai. Shares llm and open source with Jan. A website, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Rated 4.7 (Jan: 4.5).
WebsiteFreeWeb
4.7Visit
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