Hob

Hob is a free, MIT-licensed desktop app from Frigade that runs open-weight models such as Qwen, Gemma and gpt-oss entirely on your computer and can read and edit your files, fill in PDFs, run code in a sandbox and draw charts, as a local alternative to ChatGPT and Claude.

Why it matters

For people and small businesses who want ChatGPT-style help with documents and spreadsheets without sending files to a cloud AI provider or paying a subscription. Hob picks a model that fits your computer and handles the setup.

Highlights

• Picks the best open-weight model your machine can run (Qwen, Gemma or gpt-oss) and sets it up for you.
• Works with your files and folders: reads and edits documents, looks at images, runs code in a sandbox, draws charts and fills in PDFs.
• You choose which folders it can see, it asks before changing files, and file changes can be undone.
• Connects to Mail and Calendar on Mac and supports added connectors for apps like Notion and Linear.
• No account, no subscription and no telemetry per the site; web search is the only built-in online feature and can be turned off.unverified

Taken from the project's own README, docs or launch page. Claims about speed or accuracy are the maker's unless stated otherwise.

Worth knowing: Quality depends on your hardware; on smaller machines it uses a lighter model. The Windows build isn't signed with a Microsoft certificate yet, so SmartScreen warns on install. Connectors and web tools send data to those outside services.

Quick facts

Links

• Official site: https://hob.chat/
• Repository: https://github.com/FrigadeHQ/hob
• Release notes: https://github.com/FrigadeHQ/hob/releases
• Docs: https://github.com/FrigadeHQ/hob/tree/main/docs

Related ranking

See how established tools compare in Best AI Assistants for Everyday Work. New releases aren't scored until we review them against the rubric.

What we couldn't verify

• highlights[4] (no-telemetry claim is the maker's statement)

Checked 2026-10-28 from the tool's own pages. Prices and star counts change, so confirm on the official site. Listing here is not a ranking or an endorsement.