Which AI model fits my iPhone, iPad or Mac?

Disclosure: we make Pinku. This tool uses Pinku's public model catalog (updated 19 October 2026) and the rule the app itself uses to decide which models to list.

All models at a glance

✓ Fits · ≈ At the limit · – Too big. At the limit: Pinku compares the model with the memory the device reports, which is a little below the advertised figure, so the model may or may not be listed. Pinku's developers ask new candidate models five factual questions on a Mac (capital of France, days in a leap year, author of Don Quixote, chemical symbol for gold, largest planet). It is five questions, not a benchmark.

How Pinku decides what your device can run

Pinku lists a model only if its download is at most 60% of the device's memory. That is why the table says, for example, that Qwen3 8B (4.7 GB) needs 7.9 GB.

Before loading a model, the iPhone and iPad app also checks how much memory is free at that moment, so a listed model can still be refused if other apps are using memory. Closing them helps.

Pinku needs iOS or iPadOS 18.6 or later and a device with Metal 3, which Apple lists for iPhone 12 or later, iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation), iPad Air (4th generation), iPad mini (6th generation), iPad (9th generation) or later. On a Mac it needs Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later. The iPhone 11 and the iPhone SE (2nd generation) cannot run it.

Memory of each iPhone

Apple does not publish how much memory an iPhone has. These figures come from Wikipedia's list of iPhone models, which cites teardowns and regulatory filings, read on 23 October 2026. iPad and Mac memory is on Apple's tech specs page for each model.

Which models are free

Downloading Pinku and chatting with the default model, Gemma 3 1B, is free. Pinku Pro, a yearly subscription or a one-time purchase, lets you choose any other model.

Get Pinku on the App Store

Questions people ask

Can my iPhone run Qwen3 8B?

Pinku lists Qwen3 8B (4.7 GB) when the device has at least 7.9 GB of memory. That means 12 GB iPhones (iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone Air, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone Duo). On 8 GB iPhones it is right at the limit and may not be listed.

What is the best model for an iPhone with 4 GB of memory?

On 4 GB iPhones (iPhone 12, 12 mini, 13, 13 mini, SE 3rd generation) Pinku lists models up to about 2.2 GB: Gemma 3 1B, Llama 3.2 1B and 3B, Qwen3 0.6B and 1.7B, LFM2.5 1.2B and SmolLM3 3B. Qwen3 4B is at the limit.

Do these models work without internet?

Yes. You download a model once inside Pinku; after that every answer is generated on the device, in airplane mode too.

Why does my iPhone not show a model this tool says fits?

The device reports slightly less memory than its advertised size, and Pinku also checks free memory before loading. Models marked at the limit can go either way.

Related guides

• How does local AI work on iPhone? On-device models, memory and what runs where (2026)
• How to use AI offline on a plane or while travelling (iPhone, 2026)
• Is it safe to tell ChatGPT private things? What AI chat apps keep, and how to keep it on your phone (2026)
• Best Ollama alternatives for Mac and iPhone in 2026 (Reditor)