4 indie ChatGPT alternatives.
ChatGPT costs $240 a year paid monthly. The cheapest pick here costs $0 in its first year, $240 less. Here is what each one costs and what you give up.
| ChatGPT | Jan | TypingMind | BoltAI | Msty Studio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $20/mo | Free | $39 once | $79 once | Free plan · $349 once · $149/yr |
| First year | $240 | $0 | $39 | $79 | $149 |
| Plan | Plus | Free | Standard license | Essential (1 Mac) | Aurum |
| Made by | OpenAI | Open source | Solo maker | Solo maker | Small team |
| Platforms | web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows | Mac, Windows, Linux | web | Mac, iOS | Mac, Windows, Linux, web |
| You give up | — | Local models are weaker than the best cloud models and need a capable computer. | You pay the AI provider per use on top of the license. | You bring and pay for your own API keys; no models are included. | Cloud models need your own API keys; local models need a capable computer. |
| Price source | checked 2026-10-25 | checked 2026-10-24 | checked 2026-10-24 | checked 2026-10-25 | checked 2026-10-25 |
US prices for one person, read on each vendor's own pricing page. Tax not included. Spot a wrong price? Tell us.
The picks
Jan
Desktop AI chat that runs open models offline on your computer.
−$240vs ChatGPT
TypingMind
Chat interface for GPT, Claude and other models, using your API key.
−$201vs ChatGPT
BoltAI
Mac app that chats with many AI models using your own API keys.
−$161vs ChatGPT
Msty Studio
Desktop app for chatting with local and cloud AI models privately.
−$91vs ChatGPT