Best Private AI Apps for Windows and Linux With No Subscription in 2026 (Pay Once or Free, Runs on Your PC)

The best private AI app for Windows and Linux with no subscription is Off Grid AI. The desktop app is free and runs chat, images, voice and document answers on your own PC. Pro adds meeting notes, dictation, screen memory, time tracking and Computer Use, on both Windows and Linux, for $119 once.

You pay that once and it covers up to 5 devices. Nothing goes to a cloud model unless you add one. We make Off Grid AI, so every rival fact below links to that app's own page, checked 14 November 2026.

Get Pro for $119 once · Download Off Grid AI

Why this list is different

Most "best AI app" lists start on a Mac, so half the picks never install on your PC. Every app below was checked for a Windows build and a Linux build separately, and for what it costs after you install it.

Off Grid AI Desktop (OGAD) 0.0.56 is the stable build today. It bundles Pro into the Windows and Linux packages, and every Pro feature is listed for both. Windows needs x64. Linux needs x64 and Ubuntu 24.04 or newer.

The table, checked 14 November 2026

Rival facts come from the pages linked in each row. GPT4All's own pages don't state a price; the app is MIT licensed.

Pick by the job you want done

Chat with a private model

Every app in the table except Handy and Screenpipe does this for free. Jan says it "runs 100% offline on your computer" and ships Windows, Linux .deb, AppImage and Flatpak builds. LM Studio runs on Windows and Linux, x64 or ARM, and needs AVX2 on x64. GPT4All adds LocalDocs for chatting with your files, but its Linux build is x86-64 only. Ollama says running models on your own hardware "is always unlimited", and it's a runtime with an API, so it suits you if you live in a terminal.

Off Grid AI's free app also makes images on your GPU, speaks answers out loud and answers from your documents, using CUDA on NVIDIA cards and Vulkan on AMD and Intel. Its OpenAI-compatible API listens on port 7878 with keys off by default, so turn on Require an API key in Gateway before you share a Wi-Fi network.

Meeting notes without a bot

Off Grid AI Pro records Zoom, Meet and Teams calls with system audio and your mic, spots the call on its own, and writes the transcript on your PC with whisper.cpp. Nobody sees a bot join, and the recording stays on your disk. That's the same on Windows and Linux in 0.0.56.

Screenpipe also transcribes audio locally and has meeting features. Its free plan keeps a limited history on one device, and the full history is $21 a month or $250 a year, so you're back to a subscription.

Dictation into any app

Handy is free, MIT licensed and works on Windows and Linux. On Linux it needs xdotool on X11, and its README calls Wayland support "limited", with wtype or dotool for typing.

Off Grid AI Pro's Voice works with Alt+Space on Windows and Linux. Hold it to talk or tap it to toggle, and the text lands at your cursor. It keeps every recording in a searchable library, and you can drop in any audio or video file to get a transcript.

Screen memory: find what you saw

Off Grid AI Pro's Replay saves your screen as you work and lets you scrub back to the doc or number you saw. A local vision model reads the frames on Windows and Linux, and by default the heavy analysis runs overnight, from 03:00 to 08:00. On GNOME with Wayland, the default on Ubuntu, the app asks you to turn on its Off Grid AI Capture extension so it can see which window is in focus.

Screenpipe runs on macOS, Windows and Linux and keeps "raw history" local by default. Its own docs say cloud transcription, AI providers and sync "can send selected data elsewhere", so check which you turn on.

Time tracking with no timers

Off Grid AI Pro's Reflect shows where your day went, by app, project and person, built from the screen history Replay already saved. It's computed on your PC and listed for Windows and Linux in 0.0.56. None of the other apps on this list sells itself as a time tracker.

Computer use: an assistant that does the clicks

Off Grid AI Pro acts on websites and desktop apps with Web Use and Computer Use, with your approval, and the 0.0.56 build has Computer Use for both Windows and Linux. LM Studio advertises "computer control" in its Bionic agent, but its page offers only a Windows x64 download of Bionic and doesn't name Linux.

What a year costs

• Off Grid AI Pro: $119 once for up to 5 devices. Meetings, dictation, screen memory, time tracking, Computer Use, Clipboard, Vault and Sync are all in it.
• Screenpipe Basic: $250 a year, per its pricing page.
• Msty Studio Aurum: $149 a user a year, or $349 per user once, per its pricing page.
• LM Studio Bionic+: $20 a month, per its pricing page.

If chat is all you need, stay free. Jan, LM Studio's free plan, Ollama, GPT4All and Off Grid AI's free app all run models on your PC at no cost.

Get set up on Windows or Linux

1. Download Off Grid AI. On Windows, run the .exe. On Linux, pick the AppImage or the .deb for Ubuntu 24.04 or newer.
2. Open Models and download a chat model that fits your RAM. This needs internet once.
3. Ask something you'd never paste into a cloud chatbot. It runs offline from here.
4. When you want meetings, dictation or screen memory, buy Pro, paste your licence key and the Pro tabs open in place.

FAQ

What is the best private AI app for Windows and Linux with no subscription?
Off Grid AI. The desktop app is free and runs chat, images, voice and document answers on your own PC. Off Grid AI Pro adds meeting notes, dictation, screen memory, time tracking and Computer Use on Windows and Linux for $119 once, on up to 5 devices.

Is there a free, private ChatGPT alternative for Linux?
Yes. Off Grid AI, Jan, LM Studio, GPT4All, Msty Studio Free and Ollama all run open models on a Linux PC at no cost. Off Grid AI's Linux build needs x64 and Ubuntu 24.04 or newer.

Can I get private meeting notes on Windows or Linux without a monthly fee?
Yes. Off Grid AI Pro records Zoom, Meet and Teams calls with system audio and your mic, then transcribes them on your PC with whisper.cpp. It is a one-time $119 with no meeting bot. Screenpipe also captures meetings, but its full history is $21 a month.

Do Off Grid AI Pro features work on Linux?
Yes. The stable OGAD 0.0.56 build bundles Pro on Windows and Linux, unlocked by your licence key. Meetings, Replay, Reflect, Voice, Clipboard, Vault, Day and Computer Use are all listed for Linux in that build.

Does local AI need a GPU on Windows or Linux?
No, but it helps. Off Grid AI uses CUDA on NVIDIA cards and Vulkan on AMD and Intel, and picks a model that fits your memory. Model downloads need internet once; after that, chat runs offline.

Related guides

• How to run local AI on Linux in 2026
• How to run local AI on your Windows PC in 2026
• Best AI meeting notetakers without a bot in 2026
• Best AI apps with a lifetime deal in 2026

Get Off Grid AI Pro once and keep your meetings, screen and voice on your own PC.