Jan

Active

Country: United States (US)
Founded: 2023
Developer: JanHQ
Pricing: Free (open-source)
Open source: Yes
Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS

Indexes

AI Assistants

Overview

Jan is an open-source AI chat application that runs 100% offline on desktop and mobile devices, allowing users to download and run local LLMs with full privacy and control.¹³⁵ It supports connecting to cloud models, organizing conversations via Projects, building custom Assistants, and running autonomous Agents for tasks like file reading and calendar management.²⁵ Targeted at users seeking local AI without coding expertise, it stands out via its embeddable Cortex engine providing an OpenAI-compatible local API.¹³

Key Features

Local Model Support - Download and run open-source LLMs like Llama3, Gemma3, Mistral from HuggingFace or import GGUF models locally.
Cloud Model Integration - Connect to remote AI services such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, Groq.
OpenAI-Compatible API - Exposes local models via API at localhost:1337 for integration with other tools.
Projects - Organize conversations with shared instructions and files.
Assistants - Create personalized AI assistants tailored to user workflows.
Autonomous Agents - AI agents that read files, manage calendars, and act via WhatsApp, Discord, or Slack.
Extensions - Customize Jan with extensions for additional functionality.
CLI Tools - Serve models, launch agents from terminal with commands like jan serve and jan launch.

Pricing

Plan	Price	Includes
Free	$0	Full access to local models, cloud connections, agents, extensions, and CLI.

Platforms & Requirements

Jan runs on macOS (Apple M-series and Intel), Windows x64, Linux Debian, with NVIDIA GPU acceleration where available; iOS app available via App Store.³⁶ Minimum requirements include sufficient hardware for model inference, adjustable via settings like GPU layers and context size.⁷ Mobile full feature parity noted as 'coming soon' in docs.¹

Integrations & Ecosystem

OpenAI-compatible API
HuggingFace Model Hub
Groq
OpenRouter
Anthropic
Mistral
WhatsApp
Discord
Slack

Alternatives

App	Difference
Ollama	Command-line focused local LLM runner without built-in chat UI or agents.
LM Studio	Emphasizes model testing and API serving, lacks agent and project organization features.
ChatGPT Desktop	Cloud-based with no local model support, requires internet.
GPT4All	Local LLM chat app but fewer cloud integrations and no autonomous agents.

Reputation

Jan is recognized as a user-friendly open-source ChatGPT alternative emphasizing privacy and local control, praised for easy model management and hardware compatibility.³⁵ Users appreciate the intuitive interface, extensions, and CLI for developers, alongside foundation models like Jan-Code-4B.²⁴ Some note ongoing development for full mobile support and potential hardware demands for larger models.¹⁷

Sources (8)