Big-AGI vs NextChat

Big-AGI

• People with API keys for several providers who compare answers
• Checking an important answer across models before acting on it
• Self-hosters and IT teams that want an MIT-licensed chat interface

NextChat

• Developers who want a lightweight chat interface they can deploy themselves
• People with their own API keys who want a small cross-platform client
• Sharing one deployment with others behind an access password

Big-AGI

• No model access is included: every tier needs your own API keys, and each provider bills usage directly.
• Cloud backup and multi-device sync are Pro features. On Free and Open, chats stay in the browser on one device.
• It runs in the browser and installs as a web app; the site lists no native desktop or mobile apps.
• Team management and SLA guarantees are offered only through a custom Business plan with no public price.

NextChat

• Credit prices for the hosted service are shown only at checkout after sign-in; the site publishes no price list.
• The self-hosted app and desktop clients need your own API keys, and each model provider bills usage.
• A local knowledge base is still an open item on the project roadmap.
• Brand customization, permission control and security auditing belong to the Enterprise Edition, which is sold by inquiry.

Big-AGI

Beam and Merge

Beam sends one prompt to between 2 and 24 models in parallel, each answering without seeing the others. Merge then fuses the replies into one answer with built-in or custom merge prompts.

Your own keys for 30+ services

Connects directly to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Mistral, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, Azure and AWS Bedrock, and to local servers such as Ollama and LM Studio, with no markup on usage.

Precise model controls

Effort, temperature, verbosity, reasoning budget, search and tools can be set per request or per persona across more than 800 models.

Personas

A persona carries its own instructions, attached documents and images, memory, a fixed model with parameters, and a voice, so a role can be reused across chats.

AI Inspector

Shows the exact request leaving the browser, including the model, parameters, tokens and cost, both before and after it runs.

Local-first with optional sync

Chats and settings stay in the browser by default. Pro adds cloud backup and sync of chats and personas across devices.

NextChat

One-click deployment

Deploy your own instance to Vercel in under a minute, or self-host it, and restrict access with passwords set through an environment variable.

Desktop, web and iPhone clients

A compact desktop client of about 5 MB for Windows, macOS and Linux, a responsive web app that installs as a PWA, and an iPhone app on the App Store.

Many providers and self-hosted models

Works with Claude, DeepSeek, GPT and Gemini models and Azure endpoints, and is compatible with self-deployed models through RWKV-Runner or LocalAI.

Prompt templates

Create, share and debug chat tools built on predefined prompts, called masks, with a built-in library of community prompts to start from.

Artifacts and plugins

Preview, copy and share generated content and web pages in a separate window, and add plugins such as network search and a calculator. MCP support is switched on at build time.

Local storage and history compression

All data is stored locally in the browser, and long conversations are compressed automatically to keep context while saving tokens.

Big-AGI

• Big-AGI Open$0

  The open-source codebase under the MIT License, self-hosted with Docker or deployed to Vercel on your own infrastructure.

• Free$0

  The hosted app: everything in Open plus advanced multi-model, Personas and interface features. You bring your own API keys.

• Pro$9

  per month, billed yearly ($108); $10.99 billed monthly

  Everything in Free plus cloud backup of personas and chats, sync across devices with 1 GB of storage, email support and priority access to new features.

• BusinessCustom

  Custom deployments, team management and SLA guarantees, arranged by contacting Big-AGI.

NextChat

• Open source$0

  The MIT-licensed web app, deployed to Vercel in one click or self-hosted, plus desktop clients for Windows, macOS and Linux. You supply your own API keys.

• Hosted creditsPay as you go

  Hosted models on nextchat.club are paid for with prepaid credits and no subscription. Prices and credit amounts are shown at checkout after sign-in.

• Enterprise EditionCustom

  Private deployment with brand customization, central management of AI resources, permission control, a company knowledge base and security auditing.

Big-AGI

• Annual discount

  Save 18% with yearly billing

  Pro is $9 a month when billed $108 a year, compared with $10.99 a month on monthly billing.

NextChat

No public discounts listed.