Py Gpt
Free, open-source desktop AI assistant for Windows, macOS, and Linux with multi-provider chat, agents, RAG, voice, and media generation.
If you want a desktop AI client you can bend to your own workflow — swap providers mid-project, keep documents local, chain agents, schedule prompts — PyGPT covers more ground than most free tools in this category. Named strengths: multi-agent workflows with SKILL.md skills and AGENTS.md project instructions, LlamaIndex RAG with per-project indexes, MCP connectors, and a Python/Docker runner. The trade is setup: you bring your own API keys or install Ollama. Skip it if you want one-click simplicity or a managed team workspace with SSO — look instead at a hosted assistant bundled with your existing suite.
Verified 2d ago · liveness 75/100 · cite: rightaichoice.com/tools/py-gpt
- Privacy-minded users running a fully local Ollama setup with no external API keys
- Developers and researchers switching between GPT-6, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, and local models in one window
- Analysts running RAG across mixed document sets, screenshots, audio, and video with per-project indexes
- Power users automating recurring work via agents, skills, the crontab scheduler, and Python execution
- Anyone who wants a zero-install browser experience and won't run desktop software
- Users who need native mobile or tablet apps — installs documented here are desktop and pip/Snap only
- Teams requiring centralized user management, SSO, and consolidated billing
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Skip PyGPT if you want a zero-install browser chat or native mobile and tablet apps, since the install paths documented here are Windows, Linux, macOS, and pip/Snap desktop builds.
Cloud models bill through your own provider account, so heavy GPT-6, Claude, or Gemini use adds separate OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google charges on top of the $0 app.
The app itself is $0 under the MIT license, which undercuts paid desktop AI clients and hosted assistants charging per seat. Your real spend is variable: provider API usage for GPT-6, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or media generation, or $0 in model fees if you run Ollama locally on capable hardware. Optional Buy Me a Coffee memberships at $5/mo Bronze, $10/mo Silver, $25/mo Golden, and $50/mo Master fund development and add no product features.
In short
Py Gpt — Free, open-source desktop AI assistant for Windows, macOS, and Linux with multi-provider chat, agents, RAG, voice, and media generation. Best for Privacy-minded users running a fully local Ollama setup with no external API keys, Developers and researchers switching between GPT-6, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, and local models in one window, Analysts running RAG across mixed document sets, screenshots, audio, and video with per-project indexes. Free to start; paid plans from $5/mo.
What's new in Py Gpt
Checked todayAcross the latest 1 update: 1 changelog entry.
What people actually say about Py Gpt — is it worth it?
We ran a structured research pass across product reviews, community discussions, and post-purchase forum threads to surface the patterns vendors won't publish themselves. Below: the recurring strengths, the hidden costs people mention most, and the cohort that consistently regrets adopting this tool.
46 mentions across 3 sources (YouTube, GitHub, Lemmy) · researched Aug 30, 2026.
Average across the 3 sources that answered — each source counts once, not each post.
- +Multi-model support: GPT, Gemini, Claude, Ollama, and more in one app.
- +Runs fully local with your own API keys, keeping data private.
- +Chat with local files via LlamaIndex — supports many formats.
- +Vision mode with real-time camera capture for image analysis.
- +12 different operating modes, from agents to autonomous tasks.
- −'Free' is misleading — you still need to pay for API usage.
- −Setup is complex: dependencies like PyTorch often missing.
- −Microphone errors on Snap installs break voice features.
- −Mac M1 users struggle with compilation and installation.
- −Custom API endpoints require API key, annoying for local setups.
- • You must pay for API keys from providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) or run your own models, which incurs hardware/electricity costs.
Viability Score
How well maintained and how widely used is Py Gpt? Built from what the vendor actually publishes (docs, changelog, tutorials, integrations, pricing), whether the site is live, and how much real users discuss it. How we calculate this
Last calculated: October 2026
How we score →Key Features
- Chat mode with OpenAI GPT-6 / GPT-5 / GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Sonar, and Hugging Face
- Run local models via Ollama, including DeepSeek, Qwen, gpt-oss, Gemma, Mistral, and Llama
- Model editor and importer for custom models, providers, and OpenAI-compatible endpoints
- Multi-agent workflows: primary agent, orchestrator, swarm, and dynamically managed worker agents
- Import portable SKILL.md agent skills with catalog browsing and GitHub/local import
- Apply project-specific AGENTS.md instructions to agent workflows
- LlamaIndex RAG over files, webpages, images, audio, video, and past conversations
- Built-in vector stores, embeddings, and isolated per-project indexes
- MCP (Model Context Protocol) support with a built-in Connectors manager
- Python/IPython and system command execution with built-in sandbox and Docker support
- Crontab task scheduler for recurring automated prompts and tasks
- Realtime voice plus speech recognition and speech synthesis across multiple providers
- Vision support for image attachments, screenshots, and camera captures
- Image generation with gpt-image, Imagen, Gemini, Nano Banana, and Grok
- Video generation with models such as Veo and Sora, plus Computer Use mode
About Py Gpt
PyGPT is a free, open-source desktop AI assistant written in Python and released under the MIT license. The homepage lists the latest release as v2.9.1, and the newest dated changelog entry in this run covers v2.8.18 (build 2026-09-15), distributed as a Windows MSI, Linux zip and AppImage, pip install pygpt-net, Snap, and a Microsoft Store listing, with SHA-1 checksums for the Windows and Linux binaries. It behaves like a chat client, except it runs on your machine and you choose the models behind it: OpenAI GPT-6 / GPT-5 / GPT-4, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, xAI Grok, DeepSeek, Perplexity / Sonar, Hugging Face, any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, or local models through Ollama such as DeepSeek, Qwen, gpt-oss, Gemma, Mistral, and Llama. If you stay fully local, no external API key is required; cloud providers use your own credentials. What surrounds the chat window is the real draw. Work modes include Chat, Agents, Realtime + audio, Research, Completion, Image and Video generation, Computer use, Experts, and legacy Agent / Autonomous modes. Agent workflows cover a primary agent, orchestrator, swarm, and dynamically managed worker agents, with portable SKILL.md skills and project-level AGENTS.md instructions. LlamaIndex RAG indexes files, webpages, images, audio, video, and past conversations, backed by built-in vector stores, embeddings, and isolated per-project indexes. MCP support arrives through a Connectors manager, and there is a Python/IPython and system-command runner with sandbox and Docker options plus a crontab task scheduler. Voice runs both directions — speech recognition, speech synthesis, and realtime voice — while vision covers image attachments, screenshots, and camera captures. Image generation spans gpt-image, Imagen, Gemini, Nano Banana, and Grok; video generation uses models such as Veo and Sora. It suits privacy-minded desktop users, developers and researchers who switch providers mid-project, and power users automating recurring work. The trade is setup: you bring API keys and read the documentation, and cloud or media-generation usage bills at provider API rates rather than through PyGPT.
Behind the Verdict
PyGPT's pitch is breadth inside one free desktop app, and the homepage backs it with specifics rather than adjectives. Six work areas are listed: models, multi-agent workflows, RAG, Python/MCP/automation, voice/vision/generation, and a configurable workspace. The model list is unusually wide for a free client — OpenAI GPT-6 / GPT-5 / GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Perplexity / Sonar, Hugging Face, OpenAI-compatible endpoints, and local Ollama models including DeepSeek, Qwen, gpt-oss, Gemma, Mistral, and Llama — plus a model editor and importer so custom providers are not walled off. Where it genuinely goes beyond a chat wrapper: multi-agent workflows (primary agent, orchestrator, swarm, worker agents), portable SKILL.md skills with catalog browsing and GitHub/local import, AGENTS.md project instructions, LlamaIndex RAG across files, webpages, images, audio/video and conversation history with isolated project indexes, an MCP Connectors manager, and a Python/IPython and system-command runner with sandbox and Docker support. The crontab scheduler turns prompts into recurring jobs, which is the kind of thing most desktop clients leave to the operating system. The workspace details are also more considered than you would expect at $0: multiple profiles with separate settings, history and files plus profile import/export; reusable presets for models, prompts, RAG, tools and workflows; a built-in Notepad, Painter, Indexer, calendar, browser and Agent Workflow monitor; themes with profile-level CSS/QSS overrides; translations; and accessibility features including keyboard shortcuts, voice control and spoken UI feedback. Weaknesses worth naming. The surface is large, and the seed notes a learning curve — agents, RAG indexes, MCP connectors and the Docker sandbox all want configuration before they earn their keep. Cloud and media-generation usage bills at provider API rates, so the $0 app price is not a $0 running cost. It is a desktop and Python product; the homepage describes Windows, Linux and macOS installs, and there is no evidence of native mobile or tablet apps. Team-level administration — centralized user management, SSO, consolidated billing — is not part of what is documented here. The donation page is separate from the product price and worth understanding: Buy Me a Coffee memberships at $5/mo Bronze, $10/mo Silver, $25/mo Golden and $50/mo Master fund development and unlock exclusive posts, with the supporter's name featured in the app's "special thanks" section. None of those tiers unlock product features — the app is MIT-licensed and free to download either way.
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Real-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas Py Gpt actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
You install PyGPT on Windows, point it at Ollama for local Llama and Qwen models, and index a folder of PDFs and spreadsheets with LlamaIndex RAG into a dedicated project index.
Outcome: Questions are answered from your own documents without sending them to a cloud provider or holding an external API key.
You configure a preset with a primary agent and Python tool access, then register a crontab entry that runs a summarisation prompt against a project workdir every morning.
Outcome: Recurring reports and file processing happen on schedule with sandbox or Docker isolation instead of manual prompting.
You enable speech recognition and speech synthesis, attach screenshots and camera captures through vision support, and navigate with keyboard shortcuts while the app speaks UI feedback.
Outcome: Hands-free control and spoken feedback make the assistant usable without reading every on-screen element.
Use Cases
- Chat with local PDFs, Word docs, and code files using LlamaIndex RAG and per-project indexes
- Generate images and video with gpt-image, Imagen, Nano Banana, Veo, and Sora from the desktop
- Automate file processing and web scraping via plugins and the crontab task scheduler
- Use speech recognition and speech synthesis, plus realtime voice, for hands-free control
- Turn on-screen actions into speech for accessibility, with keyboard shortcuts and spoken UI feedback
- Run Python and IPython code in real time through the built-in interpreter and sandbox
- Chain a primary agent, orchestrator, or swarm with portable SKILL.md skills on a project
- Query Google, GitHub, DuckDuckGo, and Bing alongside local documents in one context
Models Under the Hood
as of 2026-10-18
Limitations
- You supply your own provider API keys for cloud models, so usage bills at each provider's API rates rather than through PyGPT.
- Local models run via Ollama and depend on your own hardware.
- PyGPT is a desktop application for Windows, Linux, and macOS (also installable via pip install pygpt-net), with no mobile app in the evidence.
- The feature surface is wide — agents, SKILL.md skills, RAG indexes, MCP connectors, Python/OS tools, and a scheduler — which can present a learning curve.
as of 2026-10-09
Verification history
We have re-verified Py Gpt 9 times since . Each pass re-reads the vendor's own pages and re-checks every listed field against that evidence; passes where nothing had changed are marked as such.
- — re-checked, vendor evidence unchanged
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
Showing the 6 most recent of 9 verification passes.
Free to cite with attribution — this page re-verifies continuously.
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
Plans compared
For each published Py Gpt tier: who it actually fits, and what it adds vs. the previous tier. Cross-reference the cost calculator above for projected annual outlay.
Free (MIT open source)
$0
Ideal for
Solo developers, researchers, and privacy-minded desktop users who will install the app and bring their own API keys or run local Ollama models.
What this tier adds
Starting tier: full app for Windows, Linux, and macOS under the MIT license, with every work mode, RAG, MCP, Python execution, voice, and media generation included at $0.
Buy Me a Coffee — Bronze
$5/mo
Buy Me a Coffee — Silver
$10/mo
Buy Me a Coffee — Golden
$25/mo
Buy Me a Coffee — Master
$50/mo
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where Py Gpt's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
The app itself is $0 under the MIT license, which undercuts paid desktop AI clients and hosted assistants charging per seat. Your real spend is variable: provider API usage for GPT-6, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or media generation, or $0 in model fees if you run Ollama locally on capable hardware. Optional Buy Me a Coffee memberships at $5/mo Bronze, $10/mo Silver, $25/mo Golden, and $50/mo Master fund development and add no product features.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of Py Gpt — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
Privacy-minded local users: roughly 30–60 minutes to install PyGPT and pull your first Ollama model, with no API key needed. Developers and researchers using cloud providers: about 20 minutes plus however long your provider takes to issue a key. Power users wiring agents, RAG indexes, MCP connectors, or the crontab scheduler should budget an afternoon of reading documentation first.
Switching to or from Py Gpt
How to bring data in from common predecessors and how to get it back out — written for the switcher, not the buyer.
- →From a browser chat client: install the Windows MSI, Linux AppImage/zip/Snap, or pip install pygpt-net, then bring your own OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google API key.
- →From a local Ollama setup: point PyGPT at your existing Ollama endpoint and reuse the DeepSeek, Qwen, gpt-oss, Gemma, Mistral, or Llama models you already pulled.
- →From a single-vendor desktop client: add your other providers through the model editor and importer, then switch models per conversation without reinstalling.
- ↗To a managed team workspace: export conversation history and files from PyGPT profiles, then move to a tool with centralized user management and SSO.
- ↗To a browser-only assistant: copy your prompts and presets out manually, since PyGPT settings, profiles, and RAG indexes are desktop-local.
- ↗To a different local-model front end: keep your Ollama models in place and repoint the new client at the same endpoint.
Integrations
Resources & Guides
Tutorials & Learning
YouTube returned 6 videos for “Py Gpt”, and we withheld 6: 6 could not be judged, because “Py Gpt” is a single word that other videos use for other things. We are showing none, because we could not prove any of them are about Py Gpt.
Official links
Tools that pair well with Py Gpt
Common stack mates teams adopt alongside Py Gpt, with the specific reason each pairing earns its keep.
Chatbox
Chatbox is a multi-model AI chat client with a local knowledge base and a Work Mode desktop agent that runs code and finishes tasks.
Meta AI
Meta AI is a free AI assistant for chat, real-time web search, and image generation inside Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and
ChatPlayground AI
Compare AI models side-by-side from one prompt — up to four answers in parallel columns.
Featured Head-to-Head Comparisons
Py Gpt vs Truleo
Truleo and PyGPT serve completely different worlds. Choose Truleo if you work in law enforcement and need an all-in-one intelligence platform to connect RMS, CAD, jail calls, and body cameras—turning hours of manual searches into automated leads. Pick PyGPT if you're a developer or privacy-minded user who wants a free, locally-run desktop assistant that supports dozens of AI models (including the latest GPT-5, o4) with vision, voice, and code execution. They are not competitors; the decision hinges on your role.
Py Gpt vs Presto Voice
Py GPT and Presto Voice serve entirely different worlds. Choose Py GPT if you're an individual or developer wanting a free, local, multi-model desktop AI with vision, code execution, and multimedia generation – no cloud dependency. Choose Presto Voice if you run a QSR chain and need a specialized, enterprise-grade voice AI to automate drive-thru ordering, upsell confidently, and integrate with existing POS systems – recent partnerships like Dairy Queen (2026) validate its real-world traction.
Py Gpt vs Locus Robotics
Py GPT and Locus Robotics serve completely different needs. If you're an individual wanting a free, open-source desktop AI assistant with multi-model support, Py GPT is the clear choice. If you're a warehouse operator needing flexible AMR automation to boost picking productivity 2-3x, Locus Robotics' RaaS model is purpose-built. No overlap—pick based on your domain.
Alternatives to Py Gpt
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Chatbox
Chatbox is a multi-model AI chat client with a local knowledge base and a Work Mode desktop agent that runs code and finishes tasks.
Meta AI
Meta AI is a free AI assistant for chat, real-time web search, and image generation inside Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and
ChatPlayground AI
Compare AI models side-by-side from one prompt — up to four answers in parallel columns.
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