Cherry Studio vs PyGPT
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Where they differ
- Only Cherry Studio lists iOS and Android apps.
- PyGPT also covers AI search.
In commonFree planmacOSWindowsLinuxOpen sourceLocal-firstAI featuresChat assistantAI agents
At a glance
| Cherry Studio | PyGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | Not published | Free |
| 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. | PyGPT is free and open source under the MIT license. Cloud models are used with your own provider API keys, and those providers bill their usage separately. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Shanghai Qianhui Technology Co., Ltd. | Marcin Szczygliński |
| Price read from | github.com | pygpt.net |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 9, 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
PyGPT
- Technical users who want one desktop app for many model providers
- Running agents that can execute Python and work with local files
- Pairing a chat interface with local Ollama models at no cost
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.
PyGPT
- Cloud models need your own API keys, and each provider charges for usage separately.
- macOS has no prebuilt app: it is installed from PyPI with Python 3.10 to 3.13, or run from source.
- Local models are not built in; they run through a separate Ollama installation and need compatible hardware.
- It is a desktop application only, for Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit Linux and macOS.
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.
PyGPT
- Cloud and local models
- Works with OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Perplexity Sonar and Hugging Face models through your own API keys, and with local models such as Llama, Qwen or Mistral served by Ollama.
- Multi-agent workflows
- Agents run as a primary agent, an orchestrator or a swarm of workers. Portable SKILL.md skills can be imported from GitHub or disk, and AGENTS.md files add project-specific instructions.
- RAG and conversation memory
- LlamaIndex indexes files, web pages, images, audio, video and past conversations into built-in vector stores, with a separate index per project and short- and long-term memory.
- Python, system tools and MCP
- Models can run Python, IPython and system commands in a built-in sandbox or Docker, call MCP servers through a Connectors manager, search the web and run scheduled tasks.
- Voice, vision and generation
- Realtime voice, speech recognition and speech synthesis through several providers, analysis of images and camera input, and image and video generation with models such as Imagen, Veo and Sora.
- Profiles and built-in tools
- Profiles keep separate settings, history and files. The workspace includes a notepad, a painter, a calendar with day notes, a web browser, presets, plugins and themes.
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.
PyGPT
Free$0
The full desktop app for Windows, Linux and macOS, including agents, RAG, plugins, MCP connectors and every work mode.
