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Menlo Research0.8.7Reported

Jan: what’s new in 0.8.7 and our verdict

Open-source alternative to ChatGPT that runs open models locally or connects to cloud models like GPT and Claude.

Official site

Release Ruler for Jan: marked at its Reported release date on the timeline of every AI model we track.

At a glance

Evidence
Reported
Released
Oct 20, 2026
Last verified
Oct 25, 2026
Pricing
Partly verified
Best for
local LLM tools and model platforms

Evidence and ranking

Evidence behind this verdict

  1. Sources read2 cited sources, latest fetched Oct 25, 2026. (done)
  2. Facts re-checkedLast verified Oct 25, 2026. (done)
  3. Not run by us yetWe have not run it, so this is labelled Reported. (not done)

Where we rank it (editorial)

Listed here but not yet ranked. Ranks are editorial picks, not benchmark scores.

Pricing: No pricing page read. (checked 2026-10-25)

Our verdict

Open-source alternative to ChatGPT that runs open models locally or connects to cloud models like GPT and Claude.

Good for

  • People who want a private local chat app
  • Users who want one app for local and cloud models

Skip if

  • You need a hosted multi-user team product

Status: Reported. This write-up is based on official release notes and docs; we have not run this release ourselves yet.

Best for

Key facts

Jan's site describes an open-source ChatGPT alternative that runs open models locally or connects to online models and remembers your context. The repository's license file is Apache-2.0 and release 0.8.7 was tagged Oct 20, 2026.

  • License: Apache-2.0 (per LICENSE file)
  • Platforms: Desktop app
  • Pricing model: Free and open source
  • Free tier: Free; cloud model use is paid to the provider you connect
  • Paid plans: None listed
  • GitHub: janhq/jan: 45,086 stars on 2026-10-25, last push 2026-10-26
  • Latest release we saw: 0.8.7, 2026-10-20
  • How to start: Download Jan from jan.ai and choose an open model or connect a cloud provider.
  • 0.8.7 (2026-10-20): the newest release listed on the official page or repository when we read it on 2026-10-25.

How to set it up: Get started with Jan

These steps come from the vendor's own pages as read on 2026-10-25. We have not run Jan.

  1. Get access

    Download Jan from jan.ai and choose an open model or connect a cloud provider.

  2. Check the limits and costs first

    Free; cloud model use is paid to the provider you connect. No pricing page read.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Open source
  • Works with cloud and local models

Cons

  • Hardware limits local model size

Alternatives and comparisons

  • Ollama: The common way to run open models locally on macOS, Windows and Linux, with a cloud option and an MIT-licensed open-source core.
  • LM Studio: Desktop app for running open models locally; the homepage now leads with Bionic, an agent for work and code.
  • Open WebUI: Self-hosted AI platform: a web interface that connects to Ollama and OpenAI-compatible models, under its own Open WebUI License.
  • Cohere: Enterprise AI company: Command models, Rerank and the North platform.

See all alternatives to Jan

FAQ

What is Jan?

Jan's site describes an open-source ChatGPT alternative that runs open models locally or connects to online models and remembers your context. The repository's license file is Apache-2.0 and release 0.8.7 was tagged Oct 20, 2026.

Is Jan free?

Free; cloud model use is paid to the provider you connect. No pricing page read. Checked 2026-10-25; prices change, so confirm on the vendor's page.

What license is Jan under?

Its license: Apache-2.0 (per LICENSE file). Read from the project's own pages on 2026-10-25.

What we have not verified

  • Performance by model

Sources

Last verified · Agentic Weekly

  • Cohere: Enterprise AI company: Command models, Rerank and the North platform.
  • DeepSeek: Model API that works with the OpenAI and Anthropic SDK formats and can back agent tools such as Claude Code, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode.
  • Hugging Face: The hub where the ML community shares models, datasets and apps, with PRO, Team and Enterprise tiers.

How to cite this page

Agentic Weekly, "Jan 0.8.7: what's new, verdict & setup", last updated 2026-10-25, https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/jan

Keep the Reported or Tested label when you quote a verdict. Plain-text version: https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/jan.md. More for AI assistants: /ai, /tools.json, /llms.txt.