Hob

Hob is a local AI application that runs open-weight models on your computer to read files, write code, and work offline.

Hob is a free and open-source desktop application that runs open-weight AI models locally on your computer. It handles model setup automatically, selecting the best model based on your system memory. Hob reads and edits local files and folders, looks at images, runs code in a sandbox, draws charts, fills in PDFs, and connects to email and calendars. It works with local documents and supports 32 languages. The application runs entirely on your device, keeping chats private with no telemetry, though optional web search and user-added connectors can access external services.

Hob at a glance

Best for: Software engineer, Student
Runs on: macOS, Windows, Linux
Pricing: Free plan
Released: October 2026
Category: AI chat assistant
Website: hob.chat

Key features

Runs AI models locally on your computer
Reads, edits, and works with local files and folders
Runs code in a sandbox and draws charts
Fills out PDFs and works through documents
Connects to email, calendars, and other apps
Supports 32 languages automatically
Includes optional web search

Use it for

Fill out PDFs and work through documents
Analyze data and work with spreadsheets
Run code and write documents
Research topics using local files

Alternatives to Hob

Ollama — Run open models locally or in the cloud with private prompts
LM Studio — Runs open source language models locally with real-time voice transcription.
Z.ai — Free access to GLM, an open-weight model family strong at coding
Open WebUI — Run AI on your own terms with complete data privacy and self-hosting control.
Off Grid AI — Runs locally on your hardware to keep all your work data completely private.
Jan — Runs 100 percent offline on your computer.
OpenBot — Runs AI agents locally using existing subscriptions or local models.
OpenCharm — It gives your existing AI agent a physical or desktop face, voice, and dedicated key.
KernelAI — Runs 53 open-weight models offline with no account or subscription required.
Chatbox — Chat with multiple AI models and local documents using your own API keys.
RikkaHub — Integrates a Linux workspace for AI agents on Android devices.
rootmode — Decentralized peer-to-peer network with no account needed and fully encrypted prompts.

All Hob alternatives