runtime · Jan (janhq)

Jan

Jan is an open-source (Apache-2.0), offline-first desktop assistant — a ChatGPT-style app whose models run 100% locally, so no data leaves your machine. It ships a built-in model Hub for one-click downloads and a familiar chat UI, and it is the most privacy-conscious of the local options: you can work fully offline, then optionally add an OpenAI, Anthropic, or Groq key per thread if you want to call a cloud model from the same app. For a biology student it is the tool for sensitive work — draft notes about unpublished results with the network off — combining privacy, openness, and a friendly interface.

  • free
  • self-host
  • Open source

What it can help with

  • offline chat
  • desktop assistant
  • local llm
  • privacy focused
  • model hub
  • hybrid cloud
  • open source