PyGPT
Verified Oct 14, 2026 ActiveFree, open-source desktop chat client for GPT, Claude, Gemini, and local models.
Listed on EffectHub ·
Pricing
- Pricing model
- 100% Free
The application itself is free and open source under the MIT license; costs come only from whichever third-party model API keys, such as OpenAI or Anthropic, the user connects. Local Ollama models run without any external API key.
Use tool ↗About PyGPT
PyGPT is a free desktop application for Windows, macOS, and Linux that connects to GPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Grok, and locally hosted models through Ollama, giving users a single interface for chat, vision, code execution, and simple autonomous-agent modes. It is written in Python, released under the MIT license, and distributed through GitHub, PyPI, the Microsoft Store, and the Snap Store rather than as a hosted web service. Users must supply their own API keys for whichever model providers they want to use, since PyGPT itself does not charge for access or host any models. It is maintained by Marcin Szczygliński, a developer based in Poland.
- API
- Not confirmed
- Last verified
- Oct 14, 2026
Verified sources
- Home page: free, open-source desktop assistant for Windows, Linux and macOS; uses your own provider API credentials, local models need no external key; MIT license; latest release v2.9.1 dated 2026-10-06 (15 October 2026)pygpt.net ↗
- GitHub repository szczyglis-dev/py-gpt: created April 2023, last push and release v2.9.1 on 6 October 2026 (15 October 2026)github.com ↗
Is PyGPT legit?
We don’t label tools safe or unsafe. Below are the records we checked ourselves, each with the date we read it.
- Domain registered
- Apr 7, 2023 (3 years ago)Registry record (RDAP), registrar PDR Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com, looked up Sep 6, 2026
- TLS certificate
- Issued by Google Trust Services, valid until Dec 1, 2026Seen in our own connection to the site on Oct 14, 2026
- Last checked
- Oct 14, 2026The site answered
- On the market since
- 2023The vendor's own material, read by us
- Operated by
- Marcin Szczygliński, PolandOur research, card verified Oct 15, 2026
Pros & cons of 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
Best for
- 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
Not for
- Users who want a zero-setup experience with a model included out of the box
- Anyone unwilling to manage or pay for their own API keys
Alternatives to PyGPT
PyGPT head-to-head
Side-by-side fact sheets against the competitors our research or their makers name — pricing, platforms, API and both verdicts on one page.