Ollama
The simplest app for a local chatbot. Pick a model, then talk.
Installer only · One-click app · Free
Help with homework
Explanations step by step, at your child's level.
The tools below run on your computer. Most of them are free, and the local work stays on your machine.
Works offline · Free options
Your computer
Describe your computer
Pick the closest line. Office PC and Mini PC are estimates. Linux and a home server stay in the list. We guess the specs, then hide models that would not fit. The guess stays cautious.
3 results
Most tools here are free.
Study & School 85% of ChatGPT level
Careful step-by-step answers
Runs in:Fits on:· needs ~9.1 GB · Free to download · License: MIT
Work & Office A step behind Gemma 3 12B, and a clear step ahead of a 3B toy model.
The default small chatbot for 2026. Quick, capable, and easy to find.
Runs in:Fits on:· needs ~5.2 GB · Free to download · License: Apache 2.0
HONEST COMPARISON
Local or cloud: Help with homework?
Reviewed Oct 2026
- Privacy: Local winsThe homework stays at home
- Cost: Local winsA free local chat is enough to talk it through
- Quality: Cloud winsTutor apps explain with fewer wrong turns
- Ease: Cloud winsA camera or a browser is faster
Local AI
A local chat can explain a problem on a family computer. It should explain, not hand in the answer.
- Homework stays off someone else's server
- A small model runs on a family laptop
- A parent can see the chat
Where it falls short
- It may just give the final answer
- It can be wrong and sound sure
Cloud & apps
Tutor tools are built to hint. Photomath and Khanmigo are clearer for school work.
- CChatGPTCloud AIFreemium
A fast explanation when you paste the question.
Best for: Any subject
The question is uploaded
- KKhanmigoTutorPaidPopular choice
Hints and questions instead of a finished answer.
Best for: ExplanationsSchool subjects
The chat is stored
- PPhotomathAppFreemium
Points the camera at a maths problem and shows steps.
Best for: Maths
The photo of the problem is uploaded
Our take
Talk a problem through locally if it should stay at home. Use a tutor app when you want hints and the question is ordinary school work.
Choose local if…
- The work is sensitive
- A parent wants to see the chat
Choose cloud if…
- You want step-by-step hints
- It is a maths photo
How to do it in 3 steps
- Open the model page and pick any app under Runs in, for example AnythingLLM, GPT4All or Jan. Each app page links to that maker's own guide.
- Open the Qwen3 8B page and check the traffic light for a few kinds of computer.
- Follow that official guide. This site does not add its own install steps.
Questions
- Does this upload my files?
- The local tools on this page don't upload your files. The cloud options in the comparison do.
- What does it cost?
- Most options are free. A few apps are a one-time purchase, and a few models need a computer with more memory.
- What if it will not fit?
- Use Check my computer, or turn on the lighter memory filters. A red light on the model page means the file is too big.
Not into local AI? Try these instead
Ordinary apps for study & school. These are normal links to the maker's site.