Hob is a free, open-source desktop app that lets you run an AI assistant entirely on your own computer. Rather than leaving you to hunt down and configure a local model yourself, it checks your hardware, picks a suitable open model, and sets everything up automatically. Once it’s running, you can use it much like ChatGPT or Claude: write, summarize, analyze spreadsheets, fill in PDFs, run code, and create documents from files in folders you choose to share. It can also connect to tools like Mail, Calendar, Notion and Linear if you want it to work with your apps.
To use Hob, download the installer for Mac (Apple silicon), Windows or Linux, open it, and let it pull its recommended model. It asks before changing any of your files, and you can undo edits afterwards. You’ll want at least 8 GB of RAM, though 16 GB is more comfortable and 32 GB or more gets you the strongest models, and you should leave 10 to 25 GB of free disk space for the app and model. Web search is the only built-in online feature, so switch it off in the privacy settings if you want to work fully offline.
