Last updated: 2026-10-07
Msty Studio is a desktop app for Windows 10 and 11, macOS 11 and later, and Linux that connects three local engines (MLX, llama.cpp and Ollama) with hosted AI providers. Its split chats compare several models on one prompt. As of 7 October 2026, the vendor says SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certification are not yet complete.
About Msty
Msty is a desktop AI workspace that puts local and online models in one window. Its main product, Msty Studio, installs on Windows, on Macs with Apple silicon or Intel chips, and on Linux, and the vendor lists a free plan that covers chat with local and hosted models, Knowledge Stacks and Agent Mode. It sits in the same group as Ollama, LM Studio and Jan, but it is built around side-by-side comparison and team controls rather than a single model runner.
The core idea is a model hub. Studio connects to local inference engines, named on the vendor's pricing page as MLX, llama.cpp and Ollama, and to hosted providers, so you can send one prompt to several models in split chats and compare the answers. Around that sit persona and crew conversations, a prompt studio, a media studio, MCP tools and Knowledge Stacks, the vendor's name for its retrieval feature over your own files. If you already run models through llama.cpp or Ollama, Studio is a front end on top of them rather than a replacement.
The company now sells more than the desktop app. Msty Go runs scoped agents with Discord, Telegram and WhatsApp integrations and is in free beta, Msty Nexus is a model gateway for runtimes, keys and usage, and Msty Stack, a governed knowledge layer, is marked coming soon. For comparison, Open WebUI, AnythingLLM cover the browser-based team workspace and document chat, and GPT4All is the simpler offline option.
Who it suits: people who want one app to test local and cloud models against each other, researchers and analysts who work from their own documents, and small teams that need shared prompts and access control. Hosted assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude are the usual yardstick for the local models you test, and Hugging Face is where many of those open models are published. Developers who only want an API endpoint will find llama.cpp lighter. Our guide to local coding models covers which models are worth loading once the app is installed.
Pricing has a free Studio plan, a paid yearly Aurum plan that adds Studio Web and the advanced features, a one-time lifetime licence, and custom Teams plans from five seats. Regulated teams should ask the vendor for its current controls in writing before buying, because certification is still in progress.
Screenshots
Pricing
Studio is free to start. The Aurum tier is $149 per user per year and adds Studio Web, Azure and Bedrock providers and the advanced features. A lifetime licence is a single payment of $349 per user.
Enterprise and Teams plans are custom and need at least 5 seats. Msty Go is free in beta. ai 2026-10-07.
| Tier | Monthly price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Studio Free | Free | Core Studio Desktop features: model chat, persona and crew conversations, Agent Mode, Knowledge Stacks and the prompt, persona, skill and media studios, some with limits |
| Aurum | $12.42/mo | Billed at $149 per user per year. |
| Aurum Lifetime | Custom | One-time $349 per user payment for the Aurum feature set with lifetime updates |
| Enterprise and Teams | Custom | Custom pricing from 5 seats, with SSO, user and team management, role-based access control, audit log and shared team resources |
Key Features
- Local and online models in one hub: Connects hosted providers with local engines named by the vendor as MLX, llama.cpp and Ollama, so one app covers both.
- Split chats for model comparison: Sends one prompt to several models at once and shows the answers side by side, available on the free plan.
- Knowledge Stacks: Retrieval over your own files and notes, with limits on the free plan and full access on Aurum.
- Agent Mode and MCP tools: Lets a model call tools through the Model Context Protocol, with limited MCP use on the free plan.
- Personas, prompts and media studios: Reusable personas, prompts and skills plus a media studio, so repeated work does not start from a blank chat.
- Team controls on the Teams plan: SSO, role-based access control, an audit log and shared resources, sold from a 5-seat minimum.
Pros
- The free plan lets you compare local and hosted models in split chats and try Knowledge Stacks, so testing costs nothing.
- Plugs into MLX, llama.cpp and Ollama, so a local setup you already have carries over.
- Installers cover Windows, both Apple silicon and Intel Macs, and Linux as .deb or AppImage.
- A one-time lifetime licence at $349 per user avoids a yearly subscription for heavy users.
Cons
- Several features sit behind the $149 per user yearly Aurum plan, including Studio Web, Turnstiles, Insights and Forge Mode.
- No finished audit report exists yet, so buyers who need a SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certificate must wait or rely on a verbal description of the controls.
- The product line is spreading across Studio, Go, Nexus and Stack, and Stack is still marked coming soon.
- Local model speed depends on your own hardware, and the app does not change that limit.
Data Handling
- Training-data policy
- Msty does not train models. It is a client that sends prompts to the local or hosted models you choose, so each provider's own terms apply to hosted models.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Msty cost?
Msty Studio has a free plan. The Aurum tier is billed yearly at $149 per user and unlocks Studio Web, Azure and Bedrock providers plus the power-user features. Aurum Lifetime is a one-time $349 per user. Teams pricing is custom with a minimum of five seats, and Msty Go is free during its beta.
What does the free Msty plan include?
It covers desktop chat across both model types, split comparison, Agent Mode, and limited use of Knowledge Stacks, personas, prompts and MCP tools. Studio Web, Shadow Personas, Turnstiles, Insights and Forge Mode are not included. There is no stated time limit.
What are the best alternatives to Msty?
LM Studio is the closest desktop rival for browsing and running local models. Jan and GPT4All are simpler offline chat apps, and Open WebUI or AnythingLLM suit shared team workspaces and document chat. Choose Ollama or llama.cpp if you only need an engine.
Is Msty better than LM Studio?
They overlap on running local models. Msty adds split chats, personas, Knowledge Stacks and team plans around a mixed local and hosted model hub, while LM Studio is narrower and centred on discovering and running models. Try both on your own hardware, since speed depends on the machine.
How do you get started with Msty?
Download the Studio installer for Windows 10 or 11, macOS 11 or later, or Linux from msty.ai. Add a hosted provider key or connect a local engine such as Ollama, MLX or llama.cpp, then start a chat and open a split chat to compare two models.
Top Alternatives
- LM Studio: Pick Msty for split-chat model comparison and team controls; pick LM Studio for a focused local model browser and runner.
- Ollama: Choose Msty when you want a full workspace on top of local models; choose Ollama as the background engine and library.
- Jan: Pick Msty for personas, Knowledge Stacks and team plans; pick Jan for a plain offline chat app with no paid tier.
- AnythingLLM: Choose Msty for model comparison on the desktop; choose AnythingLLM when document chat and workspaces are the main job.
- Open WebUI: Pick Msty for a desktop app you install per person; pick Open WebUI for a self-hosted browser interface a whole team shares.