Facts about each app come from its App Store page (US), checked on 19 October 2026.
iOS 27 runs on iPhone 11 and later, including the iPhone SE (2nd generation and later). Apple Intelligence does not: it needs an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, any iPhone 16 or later, or iPhone Air. So the iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 15 Plus, and the SE, are on the latest iOS without Writing Tools, Image Playground or Siri AI. These apps fill the gap in two ways: some run an AI model on the phone itself, offline; the others are cloud assistants that need the internet but are far more capable.
The ranking
- Pinku: offline and private, for iPhone 12 to 15.
- Locally AI by LM Studio: free offline chat.
- PocketPal AI: runs on the oldest iPhones, and its code is public.
- Private LLM: pay once, works on iPhone 11 and SE.
- ChatGPT: cloud all-rounder.
- Google Gemini: if you live in Google's apps.
- Claude: long writing and documents.
- Vibe by Mistral: the European option.
At a glance
| Where the AI runs | Needs | Price (US) | Rating (US) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Pinku | On the iPhone | iOS 18.6, iPhone 12 or later | Free; Pinku Pro in-app purchase | 4.7 (12) |
| 2. Locally AI | On the iPhone | iOS 18.1 | Free | 4.7 (1,805) |
| 3. PocketPal AI | On the iPhone | iOS 15.1 | Free; optional paid “Pals” from $0.99 | 4.1 (162) |
| 4. Private LLM | On the iPhone | iOS 17, A12 Bionic or later | $4.99 upfront | 4.2 (736) |
| 5. ChatGPT | Cloud | iOS 18.0, internet | Free; Go $8, Plus $19.99 a month | 4.8 (11.4 million) |
| 6. Google Gemini | Cloud | iOS 17.4, internet | Free; Google AI Plus $4.99, Pro $19.99 | 4.7 (2.36 million) |
| 7. Claude | Cloud | iOS 18.0, internet | Free; Pro $20 a month | 4.7 (282,163) |
| 8. Vibe by Mistral | Cloud | iOS 16.4, internet | Free; Vibe Pro $14.99 | 4.8 (1,318) |
Requirements, in-app purchase prices and ratings as shown on each app's US App Store page on 19 October 2026. The iPhone 12 limit for Pinku comes from its need for Metal 3, which Apple lists on iPhone 12 or later. Not every app is sold in every country: in Russia and mainland China, for example, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Locally AI are not in the App Store.
On the phone or in the cloud?
An app that runs the model on your iPhone works anywhere, keeps the conversation on the device and costs nothing per message. But the models that fit in a phone weigh 0.4 to 5 GB, and they are clearly weaker than ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude: they make more mistakes on facts, do not browse the web and handle shorter texts. Older iPhones also have less memory, so they run only the smaller models. The cloud apps are the opposite: much smarter, but every message goes to the company's servers and nothing works without a connection. Many people end up with one of each.
1. Pinku
Pinku runs open models (Gemma 3, Llama 3.2, Qwen3 and others) on the iPhone with Apple's MLX framework. You download a model once, and from then on every answer is generated on the phone, in airplane mode too. No account; chats are saved only on the device. Chats never leave your device; Apple's privacy label lists only purchase history and an anonymous user ID, used for Pinku Pro purchases. It only lists the models your iPhone has enough memory for, and checks free memory before loading one. The default model (Gemma 3 1B) is free; Pinku Pro, an in-app purchase, adds larger models, custom instructions, dictation and read aloud. Its interface is in eight languages, Russian and Chinese among them, and it also runs on Macs with Apple silicon. Limits: it does not run on the iPhone 11 or the SE (2nd generation), which lack Metal 3; its code is not public; and it reads no images or documents.
2. Locally AI by LM Studio
Free, no login, made by the company behind LM Studio for the Mac, with Data Not Collected on its privacy label and by far the most ratings of the offline apps here. It also analyses images. It needs iOS 18.1.
3. PocketPal AI
The offline app with the lowest requirement here, iOS 15.1, and the only one with public source code. It loads any GGUF model from Hugging Face, which gives you more choice and more ways to pick a model your iPhone cannot handle. Free, Data Not Collected; it sells optional character presets (“Pals”).
4. Private LLM
$4.99 once, with Family Sharing, Siri and Shortcuts, and Data Not Collected. It is the paid option that supports the iPhone 11 and iPhone SE (2nd generation): it asks for an A12 Bionic chip or later.
5. ChatGPT
The most rated AI app on the App Store by far. Free to start, with paid plans listed in the app (Go, Plus, Pro). It is the closest thing to a full assistant on an iPhone without Apple Intelligence, but it is a cloud service that keeps your conversations on its servers: its privacy label lists contact info, usage data and user content as data linked to you.
6. Google Gemini
Free, works from iOS 17.4, and its paid tiers come bundled with Google storage (Google AI Plus with 400 GB, Pro with 5 TB). The natural choice if your mail, calendar and photos are already at Google. Cloud only.
7. Claude
From Anthropic. Free to start, Pro at $20 a month. Strong at long writing, summaries and working through documents. Cloud only, and its privacy label lists contact info, identifiers and user content as data linked to you.
8. Vibe by Mistral
The app formerly called Le Chat, from Mistral AI, based in Paris: the only European company here. Free, Vibe Pro at $14.99, and the lowest requirement of the cloud apps (iOS 16.4). Cloud only.
What about Enclave?
Enclave is another good offline app, with optional cloud models in its Pro tier, but it now requires iOS 27. If your iPhone is on iOS 27 (iPhone 11 or later), it is worth a look; on iOS 18 or 26 it will not install.
Not sure what your iPhone does without Apple Intelligence? We explained what Apple Intelligence does offline and what goes to Apple's servers.
Questions people ask
Can I get Apple Intelligence on an iPhone 13, 14 or 15?
No. Apple Intelligence needs an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, an iPhone 16 or later, or iPhone Air. The iPhone 15, 15 Plus and older models can update to iOS 27 but do not get Apple Intelligence.
What is the best AI app for an iPhone without Apple Intelligence?
For an assistant that works offline and keeps chats on the phone, an on-device app such as Pinku (iPhone 12 or later), Locally AI, PocketPal AI or Private LLM. For the most capable answers, a cloud app such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude, which needs the internet.
Can an iPhone 12 run an AI model offline?
Yes. Apps like Pinku run small open models (around 0.4 to 2 GB) on an iPhone 12. Older iPhones have less memory, so the biggest models are not offered on them.
Do offline AI apps work on the iPhone 11?
Some do. Private LLM supports iPhones with an A12 Bionic chip or later, and PocketPal AI needs iOS 15.1. Pinku needs Metal 3, which Apple lists on iPhone 12 or later.
Is an offline AI app as good as ChatGPT?
No. A model small enough for a phone makes more mistakes, does not browse the web and handles shorter texts. Its advantages are privacy, working with no connection and no cost per message.