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“I want my own ChatGPT, free and open source, that works even without internet”

People who care about open source and privacy, on Windows, Mac (even an Intel model) or Linux.

Recommended agent: Jan
💰 $0: free and open source. Level: Easy 🌍 Singapore Free, with no subscription for local models. Cloud models can also be plugged in via an API key, at the user's choice — in that case, it's no longer local

Price verified on October 31, 2026.

Jan (jan.ai), Menlo Research's free, open-source desktop assistant: you download an open model (Llama, Mistral, DeepSeek, Qwen, Gemma…) from the app and chat 100% offline. No command line, no data going back to a server as long as you stick to local models.

How it works

Trigger: You open Jan and write your question, like in ChatGPT — runs the downloaded model on your machine and answers entirely offline, and you get a private chat that continues even with the Wi-Fi off, with no account or subscription.

Step-by-step setup

  1. Install Jan from the official site (jan.ai).
  2. Download a model offered in the app (Llama, Mistral, DeepSeek, Qwen…).
  3. Turn off the Wi-Fi to check: the chat continues, everything is at home.
  4. Stick to local models if privacy is your priority.
⚠️ Guardrails: Total privacy only applies to local models: if you plug a cloud provider into Jan, your texts go back on the internet like with any online service.
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Frequently asked questions

Does Jan really work without the internet?

Yes: once the model is downloaded, the conversation is entirely local — the simple test: turn off Wi-Fi and ask a question, the answer still comes.

How is it different from ChatGPT?

ChatGPT runs on OpenAI's servers (more powerful, but your texts pass through them and a subscription may apply). Jan runs at your place: free, open source, more modest, and your data never leaves the machine.

Is Jan free?

Yes, completely: open source application and open models to download. No account is required.

Other agents for this problem

LLM Council

I want a solid second opinion before a big decision

Free software (public repository, no open-source license); you pay for the model calls (about 2 to 3 times the cost of asking a single model).

CrewAI

I want a team of agents that splits up a big job

$0 for the open-source framework and the basic platform (50 runs/month); enterprise platform by quote, plus the cost of the model calls.

LangGraph

I want a custom agent workflow, with every step under control

Free open-source library; you pay for the model calls, and for LangSmith if you take it (free to start, then $39/user/month).

AutoGen

I want agents that debate each other until they find the solution

Free and open source; you pay for the model calls used by the agents — a multi-round debate costs several times a simple answer.

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

I want to plug my own tools and data into my agents

Free: it's an open standard, not a product; each tool you plug in keeps its own pricing.

See also

“I want a solid second opinion before a big decision” — LLM Council“I want a team of agents that splits up a big job” — CrewAI“I want a custom agent workflow, with every step under control” — LangGraph

Profile updated on November 1, 2026 — see what's new at the Directory.