Cherry Studio Review

Cherry Studio is an open-source desktop AI client for accessing multiple LLM providers. The README lists 300+ pre-configured assistants and custom assistants, multi-model conversations, Markdown and code highlighting, Mermaid charts, translation, and global search, plus support for text, images, Office files, and PDFs, and WebDAV file management and backup. It includes a Model Context Protocol server, a knowledge base for querying your own documents, and an agent mode for multi-step tasks, and connects to 300+ models from 50+ providers, including local models. A separate Cherry Studio Mobile app covers iOS and Android. The README says shared team knowledge bases are only in the Enterprise Edition, a privately deployable platform with centralized model access, employee management, access control, and data backup, which the company says is partially released to customers.

Download the desktop app for Windows, macOS, or Linux, add your provider keys or local model endpoints, and start chatting; the project's documentation has moved to docs.cherryai.com.cn, which we could not read in detail, so check it for setup and knowledge-base requirements. The README describes the Community Edition as AGPL-3.0 and says commercial use is permitted under that license. The license file is the standard AGPL-3.0 text, whose key points are that unmodified use is unrestricted, modified versions that users interact with over a network must offer them the corresponding source (Section 13), and the entire modified work must be licensed under the AGPL when conveyed. The README offers a commercial license exempt from AGPL-3.0 by contacting bd@cherry-ai.com, and we could not confirm any user-count thresholds. The Enterprise Edition is sold by buyout or subscription with no public prices. The roadmap lists a plugin system, speech recognition, Notes, Deep Research, an MCP Marketplace, and Android and iOS apps, and the README states no version status or limitations (OpenAlternative lists v2.1.6).

Because it is a desktop client, chats, settings, and knowledge base files live on your machine, and you can sync backups with WebDAV. The 300+ assistants give you ready-made prompts for common tasks. This section reflects the README, license, and OpenAlternative; we did not use Cherry Studio ourselves.

• 300+ models from 50+ providers, including Ollama and LM Studio
• Multi-model conversations and agent mode
• Knowledge base for your own documents
• 300+ pre-configured assistants and custom assistants
• MCP server support, with a marketplace on the roadmap
• Rendering for Mermaid charts, code, Office files, and PDFs, with WebDAV backup

• One window for many providers, with local data storage
• Active development, with about 52,600 stars and commits within the hour of this review
• Free bundled models without an account, and bring-your-own-key support
• Strong document and diagram rendering for a chat client

• AGPL-3.0 for the Community Edition, so network use of a modified version must offer source, and some commercial uses need the separate commercial license
• Team knowledge bases and centralized management are Enterprise Edition features, which is only partially released and has no public pricing
• Desktop only, with mobile as a separate app
• Several roadmap items, such as a plugin system and Deep Research, are not yet shipped
• The README gives no limitations and no version-stability statement, and the main documentation site was not reachable for detail

The Community Edition is free. You can use your own API keys or bundled free models without an account. A commercial license that is exempt from AGPL-3.0 is available by contacting the vendor, and the Enterprise Edition is sold by buyout or subscription without public prices.

ChatGPT, Claude, and TypingMind are hosted or proprietary clients tied to specific vendors, and LM Studio is a proprietary local-model app. Cherry Studio is an open-source desktop hub across providers, with a knowledge base, assistants, and MCP, and your data stays local. Compared with Open WebUI and LobeHub, which are server-style web UIs, Cherry Studio is a desktop-first application.

• Users who want one desktop app for many AI providers and local models
• People who want a local knowledge base and ready-made assistants
• Teams that might later need a private Enterprise Edition

• Organizations that need a multi-user web deployment out of the box
• Companies that cannot accept AGPL-3.0 without buying a commercial license
• Users who want a mobile-first experience