LM Mini vs. Private LLM
Both apps run open-source LLMs on Apple devices without sending chats to the cloud. LM Mini goes further with Android, LM Studio integration, group chat, MCP tools, and a free tier — often at a lower price.
| Feature | LM Mini | Private LLM |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iOS, iPadOS, Android | iOS, iPadOS, macOS |
| Pricing | Free tier + LM Mini Pro subscription | One-time purchase (~$10–15) |
| On-device models | GGUF (all devices) + MLX (Apple Silicon) | Proprietary OmniQuant/GPTQ catalog |
| LM Studio / remote desktop | Local Wi‑Fi + Share with phone on Mac | Not supported |
| Android | Full native app | Not available |
| Group chat (multi-model) | Yes — debate, roleplay, writing rooms | No |
| MCP & tool calling | Web search, MCP servers, tools | Limited Shortcuts integration |
| Image generation | Stable Diffusion + ComfyUI from phone | No |
| Cloud providers | OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, OpenRouter, … (Pro) | On-device only |
| Apple Shortcuts | App Intents + lmmini:// URL scheme | Deep Siri / Shortcuts integration |
| macOS native app | LM Mini on the Mac App Store | Native macOS app + context menu |
| Custom model import | Hugging Face GGUF URLs (Pro) | Curated catalog only |
| Family Sharing | App Store standard | Explicit Family Sharing support |
When LM Mini is the better choice
- You already use LM Studio and want mobile + remote access from anywhere.
- You need Android or want one app across phone and tablet ecosystems.
- You want group chat, MCP tools, web search, or ComfyUI image generation.
- You prefer starting free and upgrading to Pro only for cloud/search features.
- You want to import custom GGUF models from Hugging Face.
When Private LLM may fit better
- You want a one-time purchase with no subscription option at all.
- You need a native macOS menu-bar / context-menu rewriter without LM Studio.
- You only use Apple devices and prefer their curated OmniQuant model pack.
Apple Shortcuts
Both apps integrate with Siri and Shortcuts. LM Mini offers 24+ workflow pages with Ask, Search, Summarize, Translate, Voice Chat, and CallKit actions plus a documented lmmini://shortcut/... deep-link API.
Try LM Mini free
On-device AI, LM Studio Connect, voice, widgets, and Apple Shortcuts — iOS and Android.
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