5 free AI tools that work without internet (and how to pick yours)
Paying $20 a month for AI? There are free AI tools that run directly on your device, even in airplane mode. The secret: an AI model is a file. Download it once, and it’s yours to run. Free, and your data stays on your device.
Idriss Laouali
Co-founder, Karatou Academy
This applies to models running entirely locally, after download. Cloud options, web search and other online services are not offline: disable them to keep your conversations on your device.
On your computer
LM Studio
The easiest way to get started. Find a model (Gemma, for example), download it once, and chat offline. Free, on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Ollama
A free app for Mac and Windows. You type, it answers, even without a network connection. It can also connect to your other tools.
Jan
Open source, with a familiar ChatGPT-style interface. But everything stays on your device.
On your phone
Google AI Edge Gallery
Google’s app for running Gemma 4 on your phone, in airplane mode. Android and iPhone.
PocketPal AI
On iPhone and Android. Pick a small model, and your phone becomes your offline assistant.
What size should you pick for your device?
The number that matters: your memory (RAM), not your hard drive. Imagine a kitchen: the hard drive is the cupboard; RAM is the worktop. The AI needs to fit on the worktop to think.
Find your RAM: on Windows, right-click Start, then select “System”; on Mac, open the Apple menu, then “About This Mac”.
| Your device | Pick | Approx. size |
|---|---|---|
| Recent phone | Gemma 4 E2B | 1 to 3 GB |
| Computer with 8 GB RAM | Gemma 4 E2B (or a model around 4B) | about 3 GB |
| Computer with 16 GB RAM | Gemma 4 E4B (or a model around 8B) | about 4.5 GB |
| Computer with 32 GB RAM or more | Gemma 4 26B A4B | about 14 GB |
B means billions of parameters. These are rough estimates. Bigger does not mean better for you: a small model is often enough to summarize, translate or write an email.
Sizes vary with quantization and the app. Google’s Q4_0 estimates refer to memory needed to run the model, not just the downloaded file. Leave RAM for your operating system and other apps too. Google source
4 safety rules
- 1.
Download only from official websites and app stores. Never use a file received on WhatsApp.
- 2.
AI can be wrong. Check numbers, dates and names.
- 3.
Never enter a password, even into a local AI tool.
- 4.
Commercial project? Read the model’s license.
Wednesday: the full install, step by step
On Wednesday, I’ll show you how to install LM Studio on your computer, step by step, and how to choose the right size. Join the WhatsApp channel so you don’t miss it.
Join the WhatsApp channelExplore further
What is an AI model? Episode 1 of the series Open source AI, explainedAI can hallucinate. Always check what it generates.
Idriss Laouali
Co-founder, Karatou Academy