A desktop AI assistant that runs local models or connects to cloud models
Overview
- Purpose
- A desktop AI assistant that runs local models or connects to cloud models
- Category
- AI Agents
- Developer
- Menlo Research
- Official site
- https://jan.ai/ (opens in a new tab)
Main features
- Chat with AI models in a desktop app
- Download and run local models
- Connect to cloud model providers when needed
- Provides a local API server for other applications
Best for
Suited to users who want to run models on their own computer or provide a local model service to other apps.
Things to know
- Local models must be downloaded, and speed depends on the model and hardware
- When using a cloud provider, data handling depends on that provider
FAQ
- Can it use local models?
- Yes. The official quickstart describes downloading a model and chatting on the computer.
- Can it provide an API for other apps?
- Yes. The official documentation describes the built-in local API server and its prerequisites.