Jan

Open-source ChatGPT alternative that runs 100% offline on your computer.

Open SourceSelf HostedOffline Capable
0.0 (0)

About

Jan gives users a ChatGPT style chat interface for language models running entirely on their own machine. Built on Tauri with llama.cpp as its local engine, the open source desktop app downloads GGUF models such as Llama, Gemma, and Qwen from Hugging Face and runs them offline, with GPU acceleration on NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel Arc hardware. When cloud access is wanted, the same interface connects to OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, Groq, and other providers. Jan exposes an OpenAI compatible API server on localhost:1337 so other applications can use the local models, supports custom assistants, and integrates the Model Context Protocol for agentic tool use. Builds are available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Privacy conscious users and developers who want local inference without giving up a polished chat interface are the primary audience. The application is released under the Apache 2.0 license.

Should you use Jan?

Pick it when

Pick Jan when you want a polished offline desktop chat app on Windows, Mac, or Linux that can also switch to OpenAI, Anthropic, or Groq in the same window and expose local models on localhost:1337 for other tools.

Look elsewhere when

Skip it if you need a headless model server shared by a team or a production endpoint; Ollama or the llama.cpp server is leaner for that, and vLLM handles real concurrency. Jan's value is the desktop interface.

Alternatives to Jan

  • LM Studio

    Comparable desktop experience with an MLX engine on Apple Silicon and a headless CLI, but the app itself is closed source.

  • Ollama

    Server-first runner with a large integration ecosystem for editors and agents, a better backend, though you add a separate chat UI.

  • Open WebUI

    Browser-based chat a whole team can share from one server, usually paired with Ollama, where Jan is a single-user desktop app.

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Details

Price
Free
Platform
Local/Desktop
Difficulty
Beginner (1/5)
License
AGPL-3.0
Added
Apr 3, 2026

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