Jan

An open-source desktop ChatGPT alternative that runs AI models offline on your computer.

Verified facts: 5 of 5
Alternatives ranked: 5
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Jan

Jan is a free, open-source desktop app that aims to be a private replacement for ChatGPT and Claude. It ships with its own foundation models and lets you download other open models to run locally, or connect to cloud providers with your own API keys, all in one chat interface. It works fully offline once models are downloaded and needs no account, which makes it a good fit for people who want privacy without command-line setup. It also connects to MCP servers and tools such as Claude Code, and the team builds in public with frequent releases. Compared with LM Studio it has a smaller model-discovery experience, and running larger models still depends on your hardware. Jan is free to use, and the project has added a web version and an agent product alongside the desktop app. It runs on Windows 10 and later, macOS and Linux.

Best for: Privacy-minded people who want an open-source, offline ChatGPT-style app.

What works

Free and open source
Works offline with no account
Local models and cloud APIs in one app

Why people leave

Smaller model browser than LM Studio
Large models need strong hardware
Fast release pace can bring bugs

Top Jan alternatives

See all 5

1
LM Studio
Polished local model browser, free for work use, though closed source.
66.5
2
Ollama
Open-source local engine that many other apps build on.
62.6
3
AnythingLLM
Open-source desktop app with stronger document chat and agents.
59.6
4
Msty
Desktop workspace that mixes local and cloud models.
57.2
5
ChatGPT
More capable cloud assistant when privacy is less of a concern.
55.3

Why people left Jan

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Jan: common questions

Is Jan free?

Yes. Jan is free, open-source software.

Is Jan open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at janhq/jan.

What platforms does Jan run on?

Jan is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to Jan?

The highest-ranked Jan alternatives right now are LM Studio, Ollama and AnythingLLM. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 Jan alternatives

Jan facts

5 of 5 verified

Positioning: Open-source ChatGPT and Claude replacement; Checked Oct 25, 2026jan.ai(opens source in a new tab); “Jan is an open-source replacement for Claude and ChatGPT.”
Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux; Checked Oct 25, 2026jan.ai(opens source in a new tab); “Install Jan on macOS, Windows, or Linux and chat with AI in minutes — no account needed.”
Offline mode: Yes; Checked Oct 25, 2026jan.ai(opens source in a new tab); “Ecosystem Copy Anchor Link Jan Desktop macOS, Windows, and Linux apps with full offline support.”
Price: Free and open source; Checked Oct 25, 2026jan.ai(opens source in a new tab); “7M + downloads, Free & Open source”
Windows requirement: Windows 10 or higher; Checked Oct 25, 2026jan.ai(opens source in a new tab); “Jan runs on Windows 10 and higher, supporting NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel Arc GPUs.”