AnythingLLM vs Cherry Studio
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
AnythingLLM
Open-source AI app for documents, agents and local models
Where they differ
- Only AnythingLLM lists a web app.
- Only Cherry Studio lists an iOS app.
- AnythingLLM is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- AnythingLLM also covers meeting notes.
At a glance
| AnythingLLM | Cherry Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $50 per month (Basic hosted cloud instance) | Not published |
| Free plan | The desktop app is free for personal and commercial use with no account, and the MIT-licensed multi-user version can be self-hosted with Docker at no charge. | The Community Edition is free and open source under AGPL-3.0. It includes no model credits: you connect your own provider API keys or local models. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Mintplex Labs, Inc. | Shanghai Qianhui Technology Co., Ltd. |
| Price read from | anythingllm.com | github.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
AnythingLLM
- Chatting with private documents without sending them to a cloud service
- Teams that want a self-hosted, multi-user AI workspace
- Meeting transcripts and summaries produced on the device
Cherry Studio
- People who already hold API keys for several model providers
- Running local models through Ollama or LM Studio with a full desktop interface
- Users who want chat history and documents kept on their own device
Worth knowing
AnythingLLM
- The hosted cloud has no built-in LLM and does not support custom agents or MCP; you connect your own model provider.
- Magic Echo, Beacon and Tab have daily free limits. The Pro subscription that removes them is priced on a checkout page that could not be read.
- Magic features and AnythingLLM Pro work on Windows and macOS only, and the mobile app is for Android only.
- Hosted cloud instances have no GPU, and the docs warn that embedding very large documents can crash an instance on the lower tier.
Cherry Studio
- No model access is included: you add your own API keys or local models, and each provider charges for usage separately.
- The Android, iPhone and iPad apps are in beta and are distributed as an APK and through TestFlight.
- Central model access, employee accounts and access control are in the Enterprise Edition only, which is quoted on request.
- AGPL-3.0 terms apply to commercial use; a commercial license that exempts a business from them is arranged by email.
Key features
AnythingLLM
- Chat with your documents
- Documents you add become part of the assistant's knowledge base. In the desktop app they are processed on the device and no data leaves it.
- Local or cloud models
- Recommends a local model to suit your hardware and needs no API key, and can also connect cloud providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
- Agents and custom skills
- Agents can search and scrape the web, read, write and search local files, run recurring background jobs and use custom agent skills.
- Meeting Assistant
- Transcribes and summarizes meetings on your own computer, producing action items, key decisions and a full transcript with no bot joining the call.
- Magic Echo, Beacon and Tab
- System-wide dictation, questions about highlighted text and autocomplete on Windows and macOS. Each has a daily free allowance that an AnythingLLM Pro subscription removes.
- Multi-user deployment
- The Docker and hosted cloud versions serve several users on one server with isolated tenants, fine-grained admin controls and white-label branding.
Cherry Studio
- Multi-provider chat
- Connects to more than 50 providers, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini and DeepSeek, and to local models through Ollama and LM Studio. One question can be sent to several models at once to compare replies.
- Work agent and MCP servers
- Work is the agent mode: it carries out a task on its own by reading files, running commands and reasoning over several steps. MCP servers add external tools and services.
- Knowledge base
- Imports PDF, DOCX, PPTX, XLSX, TXT and Markdown files, URLs and sitemaps into a local knowledge base with vector search that chats can draw on.
- Quick Assistant and Selection Assistant
- A global hotkey opens a small question window, and a floating toolbar calls AI on text selected in any app for translation, summaries or explanations.
- Painting, translation and notes
- Separate panels generate images with text-to-image models, translate text side by side and keep Markdown notes that can be exported to a knowledge base.
- Local storage and backup
- Chat history, settings and knowledge base files are stored on the device. Backups can be local or sent to WebDAV, on a schedule if wanted.
Plans
AnythingLLM
Desktop and self-hosted$0
The desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux with no account, or the multi-user version self-hosted with Docker. Magic features have daily free limits.
Basic (Cloud)$50
per month
A private hosted instance on a custom subdomain for independent use or small teams, with RAG and agents set up. You bring your own LLM API key.
Pro (Cloud)$99
per month
A private hosted instance with priority resources for larger teams and a 72-hour support SLA.
EnterpriseCustom
On-premise deployment with a custom SLA, custom integrations, SSO and role-based access control.
Cherry Studio
Community Edition$0
The full desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux under AGPL-3.0. You supply your own API keys or local models.
Enterprise EditionCustom
A privately deployed server with an admin backend for central model access, employee accounts, shared knowledge bases, access control and backup. Sold as a buyout or subscription.
Ways to pay less
AnythingLLM
- Other savings
Free self-hosting with Docker
The multi-user version sold as hosted cloud plans from $50 a month can instead be self-hosted with Docker for free under the MIT license.
Cherry Studio
No public discounts listed.
