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If you pay $20 a month for ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro or Google AI Pro, a lot of what you ask could be answered by open models like Qwen and DeepSeek for far less. Off Grid AI runs those models free on your own phone or computer today, and your chats never leave the device. When you want the full-size models, Off Grid AI Boost serves them on our GPUs from $4.99 a month, with prompts never stored. Boost is a pre-order and starts in January 2027.
The closed models are still better at some things, and this guide says which, so you can decide what to keep paying for.
| Download Off Grid AI for your phone | Download for Mac, Windows or Linux |
What do the big AI plans cost in 2026?
All four of the popular plans sit at about $20 a month. Prices are in US dollars, checked on 16 November 2026.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Plus | $20 | No yearly plan | OpenAI help page |
| Claude Pro | $20 | $200 ($17 a month) | Claude pricing |
| Google AI Pro (Gemini) | $19.99 | $199.99 | Google AI plans |
| Perplexity Pro | $20 | $200 | Perplexity |
| Off Grid AI, on your device | Free | Free | Off Grid AI |
| Off Grid AI Boost (pre-order) | From $4.99 (cohort 1) | From $49.90 | Boost |
ChatGPT Plus alone is $240 a year. Every one of these plans also has usage limits, and those limits change with the model and how long your chats are.
What do you give up with open models?
Be clear about this before you cancel anything.
- Hard reasoning and long coding work. The top closed models are still ahead on difficult maths, big multi-file code changes and long agent tasks.
- Built-in extras. ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini come with web search, deep research, file tools, voice chat and image generation in one place, tuned to work together.
- Size on your device. A phone runs a model with a few billion parameters. The full DeepSeek V4.1 Flash has more than 500 billion, per its model card. The small model on your phone is not the same model, and it won’t answer as well.
- Speed. On a phone or laptop, replies come slower than from a data centre, and reasoning models take a while to think first.
If most of your day is the first two, keep your plan. Open models won’t match it.
What open models handle well
Plenty of everyday work doesn’t need the biggest model: rewriting an email, summarising notes, explaining a concept, translating, brainstorming names or answering a quick question. Qwen handles many languages and writes decent code at small sizes. DeepSeek R1’s smaller “distilled” versions show their reasoning step by step.
They also suit the questions you’d rather not type into a cloud chat, like a health worry, your money or a contract. On your own device, those never reach a server.
Option 1: Run Qwen and DeepSeek free on your device, today
Off Grid AI is free and open source. It runs open models on your phone or computer, with no account and no internet after the model downloads.
On a phone (Off Grid AI Mobile, iPhone or Android):
- Install it from the App Store or Google Play.
- Tap Models, stay on the Text tab and tap Search models.
- Type
qwenordeepseek. The search hides any file your phone can’t load. - Tap a result, pick the Recommended size under Sizes and download it on Wi-Fi.
- Tap Chat now.
On a computer (Off Grid AI Desktop, Mac, Windows or Linux):
- Download it from the desktop page.
- Open Models and type
qwenordeepseekin Search models…. - Pick a file from Hugging Face results that fits your memory and tap Download.
- Select the model and start a chat.
Which size to pick:
| Your device | A good start | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Phone with 6 to 8 GB RAM | DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B, or Qwen 3 4B on 8 GB | 1.1 GB / 2.5 GB |
| Phone with 12 GB+ RAM | DeepSeek R1 0528 Qwen3 8B (marked Tight on 12 GB) | 5 GB |
| Computer with 16 GB | DeepSeek R1 0528 Qwen3 8B | 5 GB |
| Computer with 32 GB+ | DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B, or Qwen 3.6 35B A3B | 19.9 GB / 22 GB |
Sizes are the Q4_K_M files on Hugging Face (1.5B, 8B, 32B) and in the app’s catalog. Step-by-step guides: DeepSeek on iPhone, on Android and on Mac or Windows.
The free route costs nothing, so try it for a week next to your current plan and see how often you still reach for the paid one.
Need the full-size model?
Your phone or laptop can’t hold DeepSeek V4.1 Flash or the biggest Qwen. Off Grid AI Boost runs open models like Qwen 3.8 and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash on our own GPUs, with one API key for all of them.
- Price: one flat monthly price, from $4.99 a month for the first cohort ($9.99 regular), up to $99.99 ($199.99 regular). The cohort price holds for as long as you stay.
- Privacy: we don’t store your prompts or train on them.
- Timing: it’s a pre-order. You pay today, and your API key and plan start in January 2027.
- Limits: usage limits for each plan aren’t published yet, so don’t read it as the same usage as a $20 plan.
The Boost page says the same open models run in the Off Grid AI apps, and you choose where each one runs. Boost starts in January; pre-order to lock in half price.
Which should you pick?
| If you mostly… | Pick |
|---|---|
| Do hard coding, research or agent work every day | Keep ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro or Gemini |
| Write, summarise, translate and ask quick questions | Off Grid AI on your device, free |
| Ask private things you’d rather not send to a server | Off Grid AI on your device, free |
| Want full-size open models through an API at a fixed price | Boost pre-order, from $4.99 |
FAQ
Is DeepSeek or Qwen as good as ChatGPT Plus?
No, not on your phone or laptop. The small versions that fit a device are far behind the top closed models on hard tasks. The full-size open models get much closer, but closed models still lead on the hardest reasoning and coding.
Is DeepSeek private?
The model can be, the app isn’t. DeepSeek’s privacy policy says it stores personal data in China and uses your prompts to train its models unless you email to opt out. The open weights run on your own device with Off Grid AI, and then nothing goes to DeepSeek.
Do I need an account or an API key for the free option?
No. Off Grid AI runs without an account. You need internet only to download the app and the model.
Is Boost live today?
No. It’s a pre-order. Your API key arrives in January 2027, and your plan starts then.
Can I use both?
Yes. You can keep one paid plan for heavy work and move everyday and private questions to a free model on your own device.
Start with the free option: download Off Grid AI, search qwen or deepseek, and ask it the next thing you’d have typed into ChatGPT.