Jan
An open-source desktop chat app that runs models offline, keeps conversations as local files and can expose a local API.
- Open source
- Works offline after setup
- Local API server
About GPT4All
A free desktop app for running open models on ordinary laptops, with a feature for chatting with folders of local documents.
GPT4All is a desktop app from Nomic AI for running language models on everyday computers, including ones without a strong graphics card. It offers a list of downloadable models sized for different amounts of memory and runs them through a local engine.
A feature called LocalDocs lets you point the app at folders on your computer. It indexes the files and uses them as context when you ask questions, so answers can draw on your own notes and documents without sending them to a server.
It is a common first step for people new to local models because setup is a normal installer. Responses on a laptop CPU are slower than on a GPU, and smaller models make more mistakes, so check answers that matter against the source files.
Details
Open source
YesWorks offline after setup
YesLocal API server
YesRuns on macOS
YesRuns on Windows
YesRuns on Linux
Yes
Listing written by LaptopMind, checked 2026-11-04. Report a correction or request removal. Back to desktop apps for local llms.