Jan

Free

jan.ai

Open-source, self-hosted AI desktop assistant providing local LLM execution, model customization, and complete offline privacy.

About Jan

Jan is an open-source, local-first artificial intelligence desktop client engineered as a private alternative to cloud-hosted chat platforms like ChatGPT. Built with a fierce commitment to data privacy, Jan runs 100% offline on a user's local computer, ensuring that conversations, uploaded files, and sensitive inquiries never leave the user's physical device.

The platform includes a built-in Hub for downloading popular open-source models like Llama 3, Mistral, and Gemma directly to local storage. Powered by Cortex, a high-performance C++ inference engine, Jan optimizes hardware performance across Apple Silicon, NVIDIA GPUs, and AMD hardware while also supporting connections to remote cloud APIs like OpenAI, Groq, and Mistral when desired.

Jan is completely free and open-source software under the AGPL license, available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It features an integrated local API server, extension architecture, and customizable assistant profiles, making it a favorite among privacy-conscious developers and researchers.

Key Features

Core capabilities and technical highlights of Jan

100% offline local inference architecture guaranteeing total privacy and zero data leakage to external clouds.

Integrated Model Hub providing one-click downloads for open-weight models including Llama, Mistral, and Gemma.

High-performance Cortex C++ inference engine optimized for Apple Silicon Metal, NVIDIA CUDA, and Vulkan.

Local OpenAI-compatible API server enabling external software to query local models via standard endpoints.

Popular Use Cases

How teams, developers, and creators get value from Jan

1Chat with local open-source AI models privately on your desktop without transmitting any personal data over the internet.

2Run a local API server on your workstation to connect private models with developer IDEs and automation scripts.

3Configure custom AI assistant personas with specialized system instructions, parameters, and prompt templates.

4Switch seamlessly between offline local models and high-speed cloud APIs like Groq or OpenAI within a single interface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions and answers regarding Jan

Is Jan free and open source?

Yes, Jan is 100% free and open-source software under the AGPLv3 license, with its complete source code publicly accessible on GitHub.

How does Jan ensure user privacy?

Jan stores all chats, models, and configurations locally on your filesystem and runs models locally on your computer with zero telemetry.

Can Jan connect to cloud AI providers?

Yes, while specialized in offline models, Jan also lets users input API keys for OpenAI, Groq, Mistral, and Anthropic to use cloud models in the same interface.

Does Jan have a local developer API?

Yes, Jan includes a local API server that exposes OpenAI-compatible `/v1/chat/completions` endpoints on localhost for developer integrations.

Which operating systems does Jan support?

Jan supports Windows, macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), and Linux distributions.