All alternatives › ChatGPT
Indie alternatives to ChatGPT
11 products made by independent developers and small teams that do what ChatGPT does, 10 of them with a free plan. Free and open-source options come first.
At a glance
| Product | Price | Open source | Self-host | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek | Free | – | – | Web, iOS, Android |
| Jan | Free | Yes | – | Mac, Windows, Linux |
| AnythingLLM | Free plan | Yes | Yes | Mac, Windows, Linux, Self-hosted |
| Le Chat | Free plan | – | – | Web, iOS, Android |
| LM Studio | Free plan | – | – | Mac, Windows, Linux |
| Msty | Free plan | – | – | Mac, Windows, Linux |
| Ollama | Free plan | – | Yes | Mac, Windows, Linux |
| Open WebUI | Free plan | Yes | Yes | Self-hosted, Web |
| Perplexity | Free plan | – | – | Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows |
| Poe | Free plan | – | – | Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows |
| TypingMind | Paid | – | – | Web |
The alternatives
3. AnythingLLM
All-in-one AI app for chatting with your documents
AnythingLLM is a desktop and self-hosted app for RAG over documents, AI agents and multi-user chat with local or cloud models.
Free plan · Mac, Windows, Linux, Self-hosted · Website ↗
8. Open WebUI
Self-hosted chat interface for local and cloud LLMs
Open WebUI is an extensible web UI for Ollama and OpenAI-compatible APIs with RAG, multi-user accounts and tools.
Free plan · Self-hosted, Web · Website ↗
9. Perplexity
AI answer engine with cited sources
AI assistant that searches the web and answers questions with citations to its sources.
Free plan · Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows · Website ↗
11. TypingMind
Chat UI for AI models using your own API keys
A chat interface for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other models using your own API keys, with prompts, plugins and team features.
Paid · Web · Website ↗
Questions
Is there a free alternative to ChatGPT?
Yes. 10 of the 11 indie alternatives listed here have a free plan or are free: DeepSeek, Jan, AnythingLLM, Le Chat and 6 more.
Is there an open-source alternative to ChatGPT?
Jan, AnythingLLM and Open WebUI are open source.
Can I self-host an alternative to ChatGPT?
Yes: AnythingLLM, Ollama and Open WebUI can run on your own server.
Which ChatGPT alternatives work on Mac, Windows, iPhone or Android?
On Mac: Jan, AnythingLLM, LM Studio and 4 more. On Windows: Jan, AnythingLLM, LM Studio and 4 more. On Linux: Jan, AnythingLLM, LM Studio and 2 more. On iPhone and iPad: DeepSeek, Le Chat, Perplexity and 1 more. On Android: DeepSeek, Le Chat, Perplexity and 1 more. On the web: DeepSeek, Le Chat, Open WebUI and 3 more.
What makes these alternatives to ChatGPT “indie”?
They are built by independent developers or small teams rather than large companies. Each one is listed because it does the same core job as ChatGPT.
Ask your AI instead
Add Indie Alternatives to ChatGPT, Claude or Cursor and ask “a cheaper ChatGPT alternative that works on my Mac” in your own words, with your budget and platform. Set it up
Related
- Alternatives to GitHub Copilot · 6
- Alternatives to Heroku · 14
- Alternatives to Auth0 · 13
- Alternatives to WordPress · 11
- Alternatives to Pingdom · 9
- Alternatives to UptimeRobot · 7
- Alternatives to Amazon SES · 6
- Alternatives to Contentful · 6
Browse: AI · Self-Hosted · Developer Tools
Made one? List your product, it's free.