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Jan vs PyGPT

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Free plan
Both are free to use
Public API
Jan has one; not confirmed by us for PyGPT
Best fit
Jan: Privacy-focused users who want an offline ChatGPT-style app · PyGPT: Developers who already have API keys and want one desktop client for multiple providers
Trust score
About even — Jan 91, PyGPT 88
Status
Both up at our last check — Jan Oct 2, 2026, PyGPT Oct 14, 2026

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

JanOpen-source desktop chat app that runs open models offline or connects to cloud providers, plus a terminal coding agent.PyGPTFree, open-source desktop chat client for GPT, Claude, Gemini, and local models.

Side by side

FactJanPyGPT
CategoryModel Hosting & InferenceDesktop & OS Assistants
Pricing modelFreeFree
Public APIYesNot confirmed
Trust score91 / 10088 / 100
PlatformsmacOS, Windows, Linux, APImacOS, Windows, Linux
CompanyMenlo Research Pte. Ltd.Marcin Szczygliński
Launched2023—
Last verifiedOct 2, 2026Oct 14, 2026

What our research says

Jan

A friendly, fully free way to chat with open models offline and keep cloud providers one click away in the same app. It suits people who want privacy and zero subscription cost more than the polish of a hosted assistant. The new Jan Agent is explicitly preview quality, so do not rely on it for daily coding yet.

Pros

  • Free and Apache 2.0 licensed, with active public development
  • Local models run offline with no account or API key
  • Works with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Groq and compatible endpoints
  • Built-in local API server and MCP support

Cons

  • Local model quality and speed depend entirely on your hardware
  • The memory feature is shown as coming soon
  • Jan Agent is in preview with expected rough edges

PyGPT

PyGPT is a genuinely free, open-source alternative to paying for a hosted AI chat subscription, as long as you are comfortable supplying your own API keys and doing a bit of setup. It supports far more providers and local-model options than a typical single-vendor desktop client, at the cost of a less polished, more configuration-heavy experience.

Pros

  • No subscription cost, free and open source under the MIT license
  • Connects to many providers plus local Ollama models in one client
  • Includes vision, code execution, and basic agent modes beyond plain chat

Cons

  • Requires users to obtain and pay for their own model API keys separately
  • Configuration-heavy compared to a single-vendor hosted chat app
  • Maintained by one developer, so support depends on community and documentation rather than a company

Which one fits

Choose Jan if you need

  • Privacy-focused users who want an offline ChatGPT-style app
  • Developers who want local and cloud models behind one interface and a local API

Choose PyGPT if you need

  • Developers who already have API keys and want one desktop client for multiple providers
  • Privacy-conscious users who want to run local models via Ollama alongside cloud models
  • People who prefer open-source, self-hosted tools over subscription chat apps

Jan vs PyGPT: the questions people ask

Does Jan or PyGPT have a free tier?

Both: Jan is free to use, and PyGPT is free to use.

Which has a public API, Jan or PyGPT?

Jan ships a public API, as of our last verification. A public API for PyGPT is not confirmed by us — check its developer docs before you plan an integration.

More comparisons

All Jan alternatives →All PyGPT alternatives →Browse all Model Hosting & Inference →