Is Aspen free?Yes. The app is free forever on the devices you already own: Mac, Windows, and iPhone. No subscription, no account. The Aspen device is a separate, optional product you can preorder, but you never need it to use Aspen.
Then what is the $10,000 Aspen device?It is a dedicated machine for people who want to run the largest models around the clock without using their own computer. Think of the free app as the product for almost everyone, and the device as the high end for power users. The app runs well on a modern Mac or PC, and the better your machine, the better it runs. The device is simply the top of that range.
Does my data leave my computer?No. Everything runs on your own hardware. There is no cloud and no server in the middle. Your conversations are never sent anywhere and never used to train anyone’s model.
Will it run well on my Mac or PC?On a modern Apple Silicon Mac or a capable PC, yes. Aspen detects your hardware and picks a model that fits it. The more memory and the newer the chip, the larger the models you can run and the faster they go. On older machines it still works, just with smaller models.
What models does Aspen run?The latest open models, including Llama, Qwen, DeepSeek, and Mistral. When a better one comes out, Aspen can update to it automatically.
Is there an iPhone app?Yes. Aspen Local AI is free on the App Store. It connects to the AI running on your own computer, so you can chat with your private models from your phone, anywhere.
Can I use it as an API for my own apps?Yes. Aspen exposes an OpenAI-compatible API. Change the base_url and api_key, two lines of code, and your tools run against your own private AI. Works with the ChatGPT and Claude SDKs.
