Cherry Studio vs Msty
We give Cherry Studio a 3.4 GPA and Msty a 3.2, out of 4.0. Cherry Studio grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
How we grade them
| 3.4GPACherry StudioVery good | 3.2GPAMstyVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe Community Edition costs nothing: it's the full desktop app, open source under AGPL-3.0. The only paid edition is for companies that want central administration, and it's quoted on request. Just remember your model providers charge for usage separately. | BAurum is $149 a year, about $12.40 a month, which is typical money for an AI assistant. Lifetime is $349 once, a bit over two years of that. It's a licence for the app, mind: the models are ones you run yourself or connect from a provider. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole app is free on Windows, macOS and Linux, with nothing held back for a paid tier. No model credits come with it, though. You connect your own API keys, or run local models through Ollama or LM Studio. | AFree forever for personal use, with chat on local and online models, personas, Agent Mode and Knowledge Stacks. Most people at home could stay on it. Some features are marked Limited, and Msty's terms say work that earns revenue needs a paid licence. |
| Features | AChat across 50+ providers, with one question sent to several models at once. A Work agent that reads files and runs commands, MCP servers, a local knowledge base built from PDFs, Office files and web pages, plus image generation, side-by-side translation and Markdown notes. | ASplit Chats run models side by side on one conversation. Agent Mode takes on multi-step tasks with MCP tools, Knowledge Stacks answer from your own documents, and several personas can work a task together in one thread. Image generation is in there too. |
| Ease of use | CNothing works until you've added an API key from a provider, or set up a local model in Ollama or LM Studio. So there are accounts to wire together before your first chat, and a lot of app to learn after it. There's no rating on record to go by. | CYou supply the models, so there's setting up before the first chat: a local one that runs on your computer through Ollama, llama.cpp or MLX, or a hosted provider you connect yourself. After that both kinds sit in one organised list. There's no rating on record to go by. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, macOS and Linux, and it plugs into OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, Ollama and more. The phone apps are still in beta: Android comes as an APK, and iPhone and iPad through TestFlight. | BMac, Windows and Linux, plus a browser version that needs the paid Aurum licence. It hooks into Ollama, llama.cpp, MLX, Azure OpenAI and Amazon Bedrock. No phone app is listed, and your data doesn't sync between devices. |
| Best for | a free desktop app for your own AI keys | local and online models in one desktop app |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Cherry Studio and Msty. How we grade
Where they differ
- Only Cherry Studio lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Msty lists a web app.
- Cherry Studio is open source, according to its own site.
- Msty can be bought with a one-time purchase.
At a glance
| Cherry Studio | Msty | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $149 per user / year (Aurum), or $349 one-time (Aurum Lifetime) |
| Free plan | 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 forever for personal, non-commercial use: core Msty Studio Desktop features, including chat with local and online models, Agent Mode and Knowledge Stacks, some marked Limited. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Shanghai Qianhui Technology Co., Ltd. | CloudStack, LLC |
| Price read from | github.com | msty.ai |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Msty
- Individuals who want local and hosted models in one desktop app
- Privacy-sensitive work where data should stay on the device
- Buyers who prefer a one-time lifetime license to a subscription
Worth knowing
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.
Msty
- Msty's terms limit the Free tier to personal, non-commercial use; work that earns revenue requires an Aurum or Enterprise license.
- The browser version, Msty Studio Web, needs an Aurum license, and several Free-plan features, including Knowledge Stacks and MCP tools, are marked Limited.
- Data does not sync between devices, an Aurum license covers 2 desktop devices, and Enterprise & Teams plans start at 5 user seats.
- Msty states that formal SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certification are not yet complete.
Key features
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.
Msty
- Local and online models in one hub
- Runs local models through Ollama, llama.cpp and MLX and connects hosted providers, so both kinds sit in the same organized model list.
- Split Chats
- Runs models side by side on the same conversation so you can compare tone, depth and accuracy without losing context.
- Agent Mode
- Carries out multi-step, tool-aware tasks instead of single prompts. MCP tools are connected through the Toolbox, which is limited on the Free plan.
- Knowledge Stacks
- Grounds answers in your own documents and notes with organized, source-aware retrieval. The feature is marked Limited on the Free plan.
- Personas and Crew Conversations
- Personas are reusable assistants built in Persona Studio, and Crew Conversations put several of them in one thread to work on a task together.
- Data kept on your device
- Studio stores data locally and does not sync it between devices; Studio Web keeps its data in the browser's local storage. Msty says it sends no product telemetry.
Plans
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.
Msty
Free$0
Core Studio Desktop features for personal, non-commercial use: chat with local and online models, persona and crew conversations, Agent Mode and Knowledge Stacks.
Aurum$149
per user / year, billed yearly
A commercial license for one user on up to 2 desktop devices. Adds Msty Studio Web, Azure and Bedrock providers, Studio Assistants, Shadow Personas, Turnstiles and Insights.
Aurum Lifetime$349
per user, one-time payment
The Aurum feature set with lifetime access and updates, for one user on up to 2 desktop devices. Msty's terms say it is protected from later price increases.
Enterprise & TeamsCustom
Minimum of 5 user seats, with SSO, user and team management, role-based access control, an audit log and shared team resources.
Ways to pay less
Cherry Studio
No public discounts listed.
Msty
- Lifetime license
Aurum Lifetime for a one-time payment
Aurum Lifetime costs $349 per user once and includes lifetime updates and access, against $149 per user per year for the Aurum subscription.
- Other savings
Enterprise bundle across Msty products
Msty offers a single enterprise agreement that combines Studio, Go, Nexus and Stack, priced by seat count and deployment shape instead of as separate product plans.
