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.
What is Byte?
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.
Why it’s different
- Native desktop app (Tauri) — Lightweight and fast, no bloat like electron
- Web search — get real-time info in chat
- Vision + multimodal – upload images, PDFs, files
- Council mode — run multiple models in parallel/debate
- Projects & Builds — organize conversations
- Slash commands — /summarize, /explain, /improve, /eli5, /compact
- Zero tracking — open source, MIT license, runs on your device
Why I built Byte
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.
Try it
Landing Page: https://get-byte.app
Contact: getbyteapp@gmail.com