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Loci vs ChatGPT
An assistant that keeps every conversation on your device against the one that keeps them on OpenAI's servers.
Checked on against OpenAI's pricing, privacy and help pages and Loci 0.1.9 for Mac, all linked below.
| What matters | Loci | ChatGPT |
|---|---|---|
| Where your conversation is processed | YesOn your own Mac, PC or phone. It never leaves. | NoOn OpenAI's servers, in the United States and other countries. |
| Works with no internet | YesAfter the one-time model download. | NoEvery answer needs a connection. |
| Free, with no subscription or message cap | YesFree. No ads either. | PartlyA free tier with limits; Go at $8, Plus at $20 and Pro from $100 a month. Go may show ads. |
| Works without an account | YesNothing to sign in to. | PartlyBasic chat on the web. The apps, history and memory need an account. |
| Your conversations are never used to train a model | YesThey stay on your device, so there is nothing to train on. | NoTraining on your chats is on by default on Free, Plus and Pro. You can turn it off. |
| Nobody can read your conversations | YesLoci has no server that receives them. | NoAutomated systems and trained reviewers may review conversations for safety. |
| Memory stays on your device | YesWhat Loci remembers is saved on the Mac. | NoSaved memories and chat history live on OpenAI's servers, and can feed training. |
| Deleting a chat deletes it | YesIt is stored on your device. Delete it and it is gone. | PartlyScheduled for deletion within 30 days; a temporary chat may be kept up to 30 days for safety. |
| Web search | YesOne switch. Queries go straight from your device to the search providers. | YesBuilt in. |
| Deep research | YesRuns from your Mac against the web, with its own setting. | YesBuilt in; limited on the free tier. |
| Voice conversation | YesHands-free conversation mode, dictation and a natural voice, all on the device. | YesVoice mode in the apps; limited on the free tier. |
| Understands pictures and files | YesAttach a picture or a document. | YesUploads are limited on the free tier. |
| Phone and computer | YesApps for Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android; Loci Link lets the phone use the Mac's models. | YesApps for every platform, synced through your account. |
| Frontier reasoning | NoOpen models from 350 million to 120 billion parameters; a Mac with more memory runs the larger ones. | YesGPT-6, with the strongest reasoning models on the paid plans. |
| Generates images | NoNot yet. | YesBuilt in; limited on the free tier. |
| Open source | NoThe app is closed. The models and engines it runs are open. | NoClosed. |
Choose ChatGPT if
- The task needs the strongest reasoning available, and privacy is not the deciding factor.
- You want image generation, or an agent that completes tasks on the web for you.
- You want one account that follows you across every device.
Choose Loci if
- You would rather the question never left your device: health, money, legal, work under NDA, or simply your own.
- You want it to work on a flight, abroad, or in a dead zone.
- You want no subscription, no message cap, no ads and no account.
- You want memory and chat history that live on your Mac, and deletion that means deletion.
Questions people ask
Is Loci as smart as ChatGPT?
No. ChatGPT's best models are larger than anything a Mac can run, and it leads on hard reasoning and image generation. Loci runs open models that fit your device, which handle everyday writing, questions, summaries, files and planning well, and it does that offline, free, and without your conversation leaving the machine.
Does ChatGPT train on my conversations?
By default, yes, on the Free, Plus and Pro plans. You can turn off "Improve the model for everyone" in Data Controls, or use a Temporary Chat. Loci's conversations never reach a server, so there is nothing to opt out of.
Can ChatGPT work offline?
No. Every ChatGPT answer is produced on OpenAI's servers. Loci answers on your own device after a one-time model download, in airplane mode or with no signal at all.
Is Loci a private alternative to ChatGPT?
Yes. Loci runs the model on your Mac, PC or phone, needs no account, keeps memory on the device, and sends a question to the internet only when you turn on web search. Its privacy policy lists every host the app can contact.
Sources
- ChatGPT pricing
- ChatGPT Go announcement
- About ChatGPT Pro tiers
- OpenAI privacy policy
- How your data is used to improve model performance
- Data controls in ChatGPT
- Chat and file retention policies in ChatGPT
- Temporary chat in ChatGPT
- Memory FAQ
- How OpenAI identifies problematic content
- ChatGPT capabilities overview
- ChatGPT agent
- System requirements for the ChatGPT macOS app
- Loci privacy policy: every data flow by feature
- Does Loci need internet? The exact offline boundary
- Loci for Mac: requirements and download
For the questions you would rather not upload
Keep the conversation on your device.
Loci is free, needs no account, and answers with no connection at all.