Inkstone
Inkstone is a free, local-first AI roleplay app for Android and Windows.
What Inkstone is
Inkstone is a free, local-first AI roleplay app for Android and Windows. It keeps chats, characters, lorebooks, settings and other app data on the device, then connects to a model provider selected by the user for generation. Inkstone includes no bundled AI model, so users supply an API key for an OpenAI API-format provider such as OpenRouter, DeepSeek, Z.AI, NanoGPT, OpenAI or a custom endpoint. Users can create characters or import Character V2 cards from PNG images with embedded JSON or JSON files. Lorebooks add world-building context, including lorebooks embedded in imported characters. Prompt controls support community system modes or custom prompts, with a view of active entries. Ten themes and detailed appearance controls are included. The maker says there is no telemetry or usage tracking. Android secure storage protects API keys, which are sent only to the configured provider. Downloads require about 150 MB.
Good
- Local storage for chats and roleplay data
- Imports Character V2 PNG and JSON cards
- Lorebooks add world-building context
- Custom prompts and active-entry visibility
- No telemetry or usage tracking
Watch out
- Requires an API key for generation
- No bundled AI model
- Provider terms and privacy policies apply
- Android 8.0 or newer required
Who it suits
Inkstone suits roleplay users who want local data storage, custom characters and control over their model provider. It requires an API key for AI generation.
Verdict
Inkstone offers local-first roleplay with extensive character, lorebook and appearance controls at no app cost. Users must configure and pay any chosen model provider themselves and accept that provider’s terms.
Plans and prices
From Inkstone's own pricing page, checked 21 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Core app · bring your own AI provider/API key · premium theme keys sold separately |
| Inkstone | Free | Android or Windows · Android 8.0 or newer · requires an API key for AI generation |
The facts
Each one read from Inkstone's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Advanced writing
- Ghostwriting rewrites a draft in the character's voice using a separate AI request.checked 21 Oct 2026
- AI providers
- Inkstone does not include a bundled AI model; it connects to providers that support the OpenAI API format, including OpenRouter, DeepSeek, Z.AI, NanoGPT, OpenAI, and custom endpoints.checked 5 Oct 2026
- API behavior
- Requests contain the model, messages, generation parameters and stream flag, with streaming delivered through server-sent events.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Character cards
- The app imports character cards, supports the native V2 character standard, and lets users create, edit, clone and organize characters.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Characters
- Users can create characters and import Character V2 cards from PNG images with embedded JSON or JSON files.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Context summaries
- Automatic summaries compress older chat messages while retaining a configurable number of recent messages in full.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Context viewer
- An active-lorebook viewer shows which context is being injected and why.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Custom endpoints
- Any service implementing the OpenAI chat-completions request and response format can be configured, including Ollama, LM Studio and KoboldCpp.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Debugging
- Debug mode logs HTTP headers, status codes and timing in memory without recording message bodies or persisting logs to disk.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- The official documentation has ten chapters covering setup, navigation, providers, characters, chats, prompts, lorebooks, themes, settings and advanced features.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Downloads
- The download page requires about 150 MB of storage and says getinkstone.com is the only official source for Inkstone downloads.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Export limit
- The documented full-app export was described as backup-only with automated restore still forthcoming on that page.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Exports
- Full-app export creates a ZIP containing characters, lorebooks, prompts, personas and settings, while individual chats export as JSONL.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The official download page distributes an Android APK and a Windows release and recommends OpenRouter as an API provider.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Key protection
- API keys are kept in Android encrypted storage, excluded from exports and sent only in Authorization headers to the configured provider.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Key security
- The documentation says API keys are stored in Android platform-native secure storage and sent only in requests to the configured provider.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Latest release
- Version 1.0.0 was marked current on October 7, 2026.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Licence
- The maker's Reddit account states that Inkstone is closed source and is not planned to become open source in the foreseeable future.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: reliability
- The maker's survey reported rough edges and mobile hiccups, including one respondent who could not launch the app.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Local data
- The maker says chats, characters, lorebooks, settings, and other app data remain on the device, and the app includes no telemetry or usage tracking.checked 5 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Appearance
- Inkstone includes ten handcrafted themes and lets users customize colors, fonts, message bubbles, backgrounds, animations, and per-chat atmosphere.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Limit: missing platforms
- A Reddit commenter specifically criticized the lack of Mac, Linux and web builds and raised trust concerns because the project is closed source.checked 21 Oct 2026
Money
- Limit: multi-model cost
- The maker says Writer's Room can cost roughly four times as much per message because it makes several model requests and then an editor request.checked 21 Oct 2026
- Limit: setup cost
- Users must supply their own provider API key, and provider usage can generate separate charges.checked 21 Oct 2026
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