Is Cherry Studio free to use?

Yes, the desktop application is free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license. However, you must bring your own API keys for cloud models or use local runtimes, meaning you pay the underlying model providers for usage.

Which AI models and providers does Cherry Studio support?

It supports over 300 models from more than 50 providers, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, and Azure. It also allows connection to local runtimes like Ollama and LM Studio.

Does Cherry Studio include features beyond basic chat?

Yes, it includes a local knowledge base with RAG capabilities for documents, an AI drawing module, a translation tool, MCP server support, and over 300 pre-built assistant personas.

Can I sync my chats and knowledge base across different devices?

No, there is no native cloud sync for chats or knowledge bases. Because the app runs locally, you must wire up your own storage solution to sync data between machines.

What are the main limitations of Cherry Studio?

Documentation and the marketing site are Chinese-first, making English a secondary language. Additionally, the AGPL-3.0 license may complicate commercial forking, and the app requires manual API key management.

Cherry Studio

Open-source desktop AI client that wires 300+ LLMs into one chat, knowledge-base, and agent workspace.

Free· Free and open source; bring your own API keysAgentsMulti-model7.2 / 10

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In short

Cherry Studio is a cross-platform desktop app that consolidates multiple LLM providers into a single interface. It is best for power users who want to manage various API keys locally while utilizing built-in RAG knowledge bases and agent features without a cloud account.

Best for

Pick Cherry Studio if you already pay for several model APIs and want one local desktop app to drive them, with a knowledge base and agents bolted on.

Skip if

Skip it if you want a hosted, account-based chat with team sharing, or a single-vendor experience like ChatGPT or Claude.ai out of the box.

Cherry Studio is a free, AGPL-3.0 desktop client for Windows, macOS, and Linux that puts 50+ AI providers and 300+ models behind a single chat UI. You bring your own API keys (OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Mistral, xAI, Azure, Bedrock, etc.) or point it at local runtimes like Ollama and LM Studio, and Cherry Studio handles conversation history, prompt presets, file attachments, code blocks, and side-by-side model comparison on top.

It is aimed at power users who already pay for multiple model APIs and resent juggling four browser tabs. Beyond chat, it ships a local knowledge base (embed PDFs, Word, web pages, and query them via RAG), an AI drawing module, a translation tool, MCP server support, and 300+ pre-built assistant personas. The desktop app itself costs nothing; you only pay whatever the underlying model APIs charge.

Development is active out of CherryHQ on GitHub (47k+ stars, TypeScript/Electron) and the project is backed by a Shanghai-based company. Caveats: documentation and the marketing site lean Chinese-first, the AGPL license is stricter than MIT if you plan to fork it commercially, and because everything runs locally there is no cloud sync of chats or knowledge bases between machines without you wiring up your own storage.

Editor's take

One of the strongest open-source multi-model desktop clients out there, and the project actually ships. If you live in a half-dozen LLM dashboards a day, Cherry Studio collapses them into one window without locking you into any vendor. Just expect to spend the first hour pasting API keys.

— The AI Tool Bible editorial team

Pros

✅ Single client for 300+ models from 50+ providers including local Ollama/LM Studio
✅ Built-in RAG knowledge base over your own documents
✅ Fully open source (AGPL-3.0) with a very active GitHub repo
✅ Cross-platform Electron desktop app, no cloud account required
✅ Supports MCP servers and 300+ pre-built assistant presets

Cons

⚠️ Documentation and site are Chinese-first; English is a second-class citizen
⚠️ BYO-API-key model means real usage cost lives with the upstream providers
⚠️ AGPL-3.0 license makes commercial forks awkward
⚠️ No native cloud sync of chats or knowledge bases across devices

Use cases

multi-model chatlocal knowledge baseai agentstranslationai drawingmcp client

Frequently asked

Is Cherry Studio free to use?: Yes, the desktop application is free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license. However, you must bring your own API keys for cloud models or use local runtimes, meaning you pay the underlying model providers for usage.
Which AI models and providers does Cherry Studio support?: It supports over 300 models from more than 50 providers, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, and Azure. It also allows connection to local runtimes like Ollama and LM Studio.
Does Cherry Studio include features beyond basic chat?: Yes, it includes a local knowledge base with RAG capabilities for documents, an AI drawing module, a translation tool, MCP server support, and over 300 pre-built assistant personas.
Can I sync my chats and knowledge base across different devices?: No, there is no native cloud sync for chats or knowledge bases. Because the app runs locally, you must wire up your own storage solution to sync data between machines.
What are the main limitations of Cherry Studio?: Documentation and the marketing site are Chinese-first, making English a secondary language. Additionally, the AGPL-3.0 license may complicate commercial forking, and the app requires manual API key management.