Hob is a free, open-source desktop AI assistant designed to run on a user’s own computer rather than relying on hosted services. It presents itself as an alternative to Claude and ChatGPT, using open-weight models such as Gemma and gpt-oss. The app supports Mac, Windows, and Linux, and is intended to keep work private and remain usable offline. Rather than requiring users to choose and configure a model themselves, Hob selects a suitable model for their computer and handles setup.
The project emphasizes practical work with files and information, including filling out PDFs, processing documents, and analyzing spreadsheets. Its example shows Hob examining a sales spreadsheet, charting revenue by region, and summarizing notable patterns. The stated minimum is 8 GB of memory, with Apple silicon Macs specifically mentioned alongside Windows and Linux machines. The repository is released under the MIT license, making its code available for use and modification. In essence, Hob aims to make locally run AI more approachable by combining model selection, setup, and everyday document-focused tasks in one desktop application.
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