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Merlin alternatives · AI Assistants

Open-source alternatives to Merlin

Merlin is not described as open source on its own site. 16 of the 87 other AI assistants in this directory are open source, according to their own sites.

Merlin's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site. All of them are free or have a free plan.

16 tools · Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from

The 12 closest to Merlin

  1. DeepSeek

    Free AI chat assistant built on DeepSeek's openly released models

    • Only Merlin lists a browser extension.
    • DeepSeek is open source, according to its own site.
    DeepSeek pricing and details

  2. HuggingChat

    Hugging Face's open-source chat app for open AI models

    • Only Merlin lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
    • Only Merlin lists a browser extension.
    • HuggingChat is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    HuggingChat pricing and details

  3. LibreChat

    Open-source, self-hosted chat interface for many AI providers

    • Only Merlin lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
    • Only Merlin lists a browser extension.
    • LibreChat is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    LibreChat pricing and details

  4. Chatbox

    AI chat client for your own API keys or a hosted model plan

    • Only Chatbox lists a Linux app.
    • Only Merlin lists a browser extension.
    • Chatbox is open source, according to its own site.
    Chatbox pricing and details

  5. PyGPT

    Open-source desktop AI assistant with agents, RAG and local models

    • Only PyGPT lists a Linux app.
    • Only Merlin lists a web app.
    • Only Merlin lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Only Merlin lists a browser extension.
    PyGPT pricing and details

  6. Lumo

    Proton's private AI assistant with zero-access encrypted chats

    • Only Merlin lists macOS and Windows apps.
    • Only Merlin lists a browser extension.
    • Lumo is open source, according to its own site.
    • Merlin also covers AI agents.
    Lumo pricing and details

  7. Jan

    Open-source desktop app for running local and cloud AI models

    • Only Jan lists a Linux app.
    • Only Merlin lists a web app.
    • Only Merlin lists iOS and Android apps.
    • Only Merlin lists a browser extension.
    Jan pricing and details

  8. AnythingLLM

    Open-source AI app for documents, agents and local models

    • Only AnythingLLM lists a Linux app.
    • Only Merlin lists an iOS app.
    • Only Merlin lists a browser extension.
    • AnythingLLM is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    AnythingLLM pricing and details

  9. Cherry Studio

    Open-source desktop AI client for 50+ model providers

    • Only Cherry Studio lists a Linux app.
    • Only Merlin lists a web app.
    • Only Merlin lists a browser extension.
    • Cherry Studio is open source, according to its own site.
    Cherry Studio pricing and details

  10. Maple AI

    End-to-end encrypted AI chat that runs open models in enclaves

    • Only Maple AI lists a Linux app.
    • Only Merlin lists a browser extension.
    • Maple AI is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
    • Merlin also covers AI agents.
    Maple AI pricing and details

  11. Glarity

    Browser extension that summarizes pages and videos and translates

    • Only Merlin lists a web app.
    • Only Merlin lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
    • Glarity is open source, according to its own site.
    • Glarity also covers transcription.
    Glarity pricing and details

  12. Big-AGI

    Multi-model AI workspace that compares and merges answers

    • Only Merlin lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
    • Only Merlin lists a browser extension.
    • Big-AGI is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    • Merlin also covers AI search and AI agents.
    Big-AGI pricing and details

4 more that are open source

All 16 in one table

Common questions

Is there an open-source alternative to Merlin?

Yes. DeepSeek, HuggingChat, LibreChat, Chatbox, PyGPT, Lumo, Jan, AnythingLLM and 8 more are open source, according to their own sites.

Is Merlin open source?

Merlin is not described as open source on its own site. The listing was checked on Oct 5, 2026 against the pages it cites.

When was this checked?

Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 5, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices and plans without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.

This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and the order is how close each is to Merlin: the alternatives its listing names first, then the tools that share the most features with it.