fullmoon
Chat with private, local LLMs on Apple devices.
A polished local LLM app for Apple users who prioritize privacy and offline capability. The pre-loaded models are lightweight, limiting complex tasks, but it's perfect for casual chat and prototyping. If you need larger models or cross-platform support, look elsewhere.
- Privacy-focused users needing offline AI chat
- Apple device owners wanting local LLMs without cloud
- Developers testing lightweight quantized models on-device
- Students and researchers requiring private AI assistance
- Users needing cloud-based models or API access
- Windows, Android, or Linux users
- Those requiring large context windows or high-parameter models (>3B)
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In short
fullmoon — Chat with private, local LLMs on Apple devices. Best for Privacy-focused users needing offline AI chat, Apple device owners wanting local LLMs without cloud, Developers testing lightweight quantized models on-device. Free to use.
Viability Score
How likely is fullmoon to still be operational in 12 months? Based on 4 signals — momentum (how recently it shipped), wrapper dependency, revenue model, and web presence.
Last calculated: July 2026
How we score →Key Features
- Run LLMs fully offline
- Apple Silicon and Metal 3 optimized
- Pre-loaded models: Llama-3.2-1B, Llama-3.2-3B, DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-1.5B
- 4-bit and 8-bit quantization
- Customizable theme, fonts, and system prompt
- Shortcuts integration for automation
- Available on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS
- Open-source on GitHub
- TestFlight beta access
- Private – all data stays on device
About fullmoon
Fullmoon is a free, open-source app for running large language models locally on Apple devices including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS. It leverages Apple Silicon and Metal 3 for efficient on-device inference, keeping all data private and working fully offline. The app comes pre-loaded with quantized models like Llama-3.2-1B, Llama-3.2-3B, and DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-1.5B in 4-bit and 8-bit precision. Users can customize themes, fonts, and system prompts, and integrate with Shortcuts for automation. Designed for privacy-conscious individuals and Apple ecosystem enthusiasts, Fullmoon offers a simple, no-cloud alternative to hosted AI services. Its open-source nature invites community contributions. Unlike cloud-dependent tools, Fullmoon requires no internet connection once models are downloaded, making it ideal for secure or remote environments.
Behind the Verdict
Fullmoon nails the basics: a clean interface, solid Apple Silicon optimization, and a clear focus on privacy. It's one of the simplest ways to run local LLMs on an iPhone or Mac. The pre-loaded models—Llama-3.2-1B, 3B, and DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-1.5B—keep file sizes manageable, so even a 1.8 GB download feels reasonable. The 4-bit and 8-bit quantization options let you trade quality for speed and memory usage. Where it falls short is model selection: you're limited to the bundled options, and there's no way to import custom models. For developers testing small quantized models, that's fine. For anyone needing more capable models like Llama-3-8B or Mixtral, Fullmoon won't cut it. We'd reach for this when we need a quick, private AI assistant on a MacBook or iPad without tethering to a cloud service. The Shortcuts integration adds a nice automation angle—think summarize a webpage or draft a message using a local model. Compared to alternatives like Ollama or LM Studio, Fullmoon trades flexibility for simplicity and Apple-native polish. It's not for Windows, Android, or power users who need API access. If you're all-in on Apple and privacy, it's a solid choice. Just don't expect ChatGPT-level smarts from these small models.
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Use Cases
- Privately chat with an AI assistant while traveling or without internet.
- Get quick answers or draft text using local models on your iPhone or Mac.
- Test and compare small quantized models for latency and quality.
- Use shortcuts to automate text generation from local models.
- Demonstrate on-device AI to clients or students without cloud costs.
Models Under the Hood
as of 2026-07-15
Limitations
- Fullmoon only supports Apple devices and a small set of models (up to 3B params).
- It lacks API access, cloud sync, and model customization beyond the provided options.
- Internet required for initial model download.
Resources & Guides
Official links
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