AnythingLLM

Overview

AnythingLLM is a private AI assistant for asking questions of language models and working with your documents. Its desktop app can run on your computer without an account or API key, and it has no token limit. Documents can become an agent knowledge base while staying on the device. AnythingLLM also offers mobile, cloud, and self-hosted options, so the right setup depends on whether you want a local assistant, a mobile companion, or administration for a team.

The core is provided under the MIT License. For more options in this area, see Retrieval-Augmented Generation Tools and AI chatbots and assistants.

Key features

Document knowledge and model choice

Upload documents to build an agent knowledge base, with the data kept on the device in the local setup described by the product. Desktop features include file-system capabilities, web scraping and search, dynamic model selection, background jobs, and custom agent skills. A Developer API is available for functionality not already built into the product.

Model provider and runtime support ranges from local options such as Ollama, LM Studio, Local AI, KobaldCPP, and oMLX to hosted services including OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Anthropic, Cohere, Google Gemini Pro, Hugging Face, Together AI, OpenRouter, Perplexity AI, Mistral API, Groq, and generic OpenAI-compatible services.

Meeting Assistant

The desktop Meeting Assistant records and transcribes meetings, then summarizes and indexes them on the computer. It does not require a bot to join the call, and processing does not happen in the cloud.

Mobile assistant

AnythingLLM Mobile runs small models on the device. Its listed capabilities include web search, document chat, file generation, scheduled jobs, and memory.

Cloud administration and privacy controls

Cloud instances support multiple users with tenant isolation, fine-grained admin controls, and white-labeling. For self-hosted deployments, Mintplex Labs says it does not host, store, or access instance documents, chats, workspace settings, or embeddings; these remain on the user's infrastructure.

Telemetry is optional and anonymous, excludes document content and chat logs, and can be turned off in application settings.

Pricing

AnythingLLM uses a freemium model. Desktop is free at free, with no account, API key, or token limits. Self-hosted deployment with Docker is open-source, but its price is not listed.

Enterprise pricing is not listed, and its support SLA is custom.

Platforms

AnythingLLM is listed for Android, API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted deployment, web, and Windows. Native desktop builds are available for macOS with Apple Silicon or Intel, Windows with x64 or ARM, and Linux.

The Windows documentation targets Windows 11 and says the application is intended for a Windows Home user account; other Windows versions may not work.

Who it's for

AnythingLLM suits people who want an AI assistant that can work with their documents while keeping data on their own device or infrastructure. It is also relevant to users choosing between local model runtimes and hosted providers, and to teams needing cloud tenant isolation or administrative controls. Mobile users can use on-device models and the listed search, document, file, scheduling, and memory features.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Free desktop plan with no account, API key, or token limit.
• Pros: Document knowledge, meeting summaries, and indexing can stay local in the desktop setup.
• Pros: Wide support for local and hosted model providers, plus a Developer API.
• Pros: Cloud plans include multi-user administration features, and self-hosted data remains on the user's infrastructure.
• Cons: Windows support is specifically targeted at Windows 11, and other versions may not work.
• Cons: Basic and Pro require monthly payment, while Self-hosted and Enterprise prices are not listed.

Alternatives

For other tools in the retrieval-augmented generation space, consider Langflow, RAGFlow, Flowise, I3K RAG Enterprise, OpenRAG, Dify, Haystack Enterprise Platform, and Ragen.

Verdict

AnythingLLM combines local document knowledge and meeting assistance with options for mobile, self-hosted, and cloud use. Its free desktop plan makes it accessible without an account, API key, or token limit, while paid cloud tiers add private instances and, at Pro, priority resources and a 72-hour support SLA. Check the Windows requirements before choosing it for a PC, and compare the listed monthly plans with the self-hosted setup if keeping data on your own infrastructure is the priority.