I was paying $20/month for Claude and barely using it. Frustrated, I discovered free local models (Gemma, Llama) actually work great for most things. So I decided to try OpenWebUI.
Problem: OpenWebUI kept breaking. Random crashes, resource-heavy and setting up docker was honestly just annoying. I just wanted to chat with AI.
So I built Byte for myself.
A native macOS app (Windows/Linux coming soon) that runs free local AI models via Ollama, or brings your own API keys (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.). No server to manage, no crashes, just download and run. One App.
OpenWebUI is genuinely good. Both have similar features. The difference: Byte is simpler (one app download), more stable (native binary, not web server), and prioritizes the UX for people who just want to chat with AI without tinkering.
Byte is also made to be using customizable and have all the features you can do on your subscription based AI websites with more coming. One feature that will be coming is Execution where Byte will be able to do things on your computer like Claude Cowork.
**Landing Page:** [https://get-byte.app](https://get-byte.app)
**Contact:** [getbyteapp@gmail.com](mailto:getbyteapp@gmail.com)