Jan vs Msty

Jan

• Running open models offline on your own computer
• People who want one desktop app for local and cloud models
• Developers who want a local OpenAI-compatible endpoint

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

Jan

• Desktop only, on macOS, Windows and Linux. Intel-based Macs are not supported.
• Local models need memory: Jan's Mac guide suggests 8GB of RAM for 3B models, 16GB for 7B models and 32GB for 13B models.
• Cloud models need your own API key from each provider, and those providers see the messages you send them.
• Cowork and the standalone Jan Agent are previews on nightly builds, and the memory feature is marked as coming soon.

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.

Jan

Local models

Downloads and runs open models such as Llama, Gemma and Qwen from Hugging Face using llama.cpp or MLX. The Hub shows whether each model fits your hardware.

Cloud providers with your own key

Connects to OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Mistral AI, Groq, OpenRouter and Azure OpenAI, or to any OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible endpoint, using an API key you supply.

Built-in web search

Web search and page fetch tools are on by default for models that support tool use. They run through a keyless Exa endpoint, so no API key or MCP server is needed.

Projects and assistants

Projects group conversations under shared instructions and files, and custom assistants keep their own instructions for recurring kinds of work.

Local API server

A built-in OpenAI-compatible server at localhost:1337 lets other applications use the models running in Jan, and Claude Code can be set to use them as its backend.

MCP connectors and Cowork preview

MCP servers add tools such as code execution and databases. Cowork, which works through multi-step tasks on files and commands, ships only in nightly builds as a preview.

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.

Jan

• Free$0

  The full desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux, with local models, cloud provider connections and the local API server.

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.

Jan

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.