Kitsmith / Utilities / FreeChat
A free, open-source, fully offline AI chat app for Mac — runs GGUF models like Llama and Mistral locally, no account or internet connection needed.
Our take
The privacy-first pick in this category — FreeChat runs entirely on-device via llama.cpp, so conversations never leave the Mac and nothing needs an account, subscription, or internet connection once a model is downloaded. The tradeoff is local-model quality against a hosted frontier model, plus the 8GB+ RAM the App Store listing itself calls out as a requirement. Open source on GitHub, built by developer Peter Sugihara.
- Price
- Free
- License
- Open source
- Requires
- macOS 13 or newer; 8GB+ RAM, per the App Store listing.
- Get it via
- Mac App Store · GitHub
- Developer
- Peter Sugihara
Do you use FreeChat?
Who made this
Solo developer of FreeChat (500+ GitHub stars), a fully local llama.cpp-based LLM chat app for macOS. The repo’s own README states its goal in his words: "What’s the point of running local AI if you can’t audit that it’s actually running locally?" His GitHub username, psugihara, matches the "Peter Sugihara" developer credit on the app’s own Mac App Store listing.
What it does
Fully offline
Runs locally via llama.cpp — no internet connection required once a model is downloaded, per the App Store listing.
Bring your own GGUF model
Supports GGUF-format models including CodeLlama, Mistral 7B, and Llama 3.
Custom system prompt
Set the assistant’s persona and expertise by editing the system prompt directly.
The deal
- Free, open source
- No subscription or account required
FreeChat — questions people ask
Does FreeChat need an internet connection?
No — it runs models fully offline on-device once a model is downloaded, per its App Store listing.
Is FreeChat open source?
Yes — the source is on GitHub (psugihara/FreeChat), built on llama.cpp.
Is FreeChat free?
Yes — FreeChat is free.
Does FreeChat work alongside a notch app like Alcove?
Yes — FreeChat lives in the screen, so it runs happily alongside any Dynamic Island hub or notch app.
Where can I download FreeChat?
FreeChat is available via Mac App Store, GitHub.
Is FreeChat open source?
Yes — FreeChat is open source.
Reviews
No public ratings yet. Reader reviews are coming to Kitsmith soon.
Listing hand-verified August 28, 2026 from the developer's site and public sources.
Also in ai chat apps
Claude
FreeAnthropic’s AI chat app for Mac — desktop access to Claude’s chat, Claude Code, and Claude Cowork in one app, free to start with paid plans for heavier use.
ChatGPT
FreeOpenAI’s desktop chat app for Mac — brings ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work, and Codex to the desktop with screen and file context, free to start.
Microsoft Copilot
FreeMicrosoft’s free AI chat app for Mac — text and voice chat, AI image generation, and writing help, blending OpenAI and Microsoft’s own models.
Sider
Free to use with usage limits; paid plans availableA multi-model AI chat app for Mac — Gemini, Claude, Grok, and DeepSeek behind one sidebar-style interface, free to start with browser integration.