Looking for an actual privacy-first substitute for ChatGPT or Claude Desktop, Software Developer & Creator Christian at FrigadeHQ just launched Hob on Hacker News. It’s a completely free, MIT-licenced desktop app for Mac, Windows, and Linux that can run open-weight models like Gemma 4 and GPT-OSS directly on the computer.
Snippets of Why to Ditch the Cloud
Most of the desktop AI apps send our personal files and chat history straight to remote company servers. All of us want a private alternative; so subjecting this, Christian at FrigadeHQ introduced Hob.
Advanced On-Device AI. Fully Offline. Your Data Stays Local
Hob works just like ChatGPT or Claude, but with a major difference in its data management. ‘Your data never leaves your computer’ is what it claims. Whether one is reading through a thick PDF, checking code for errors, or organising a spreadsheet, all of this happens directly on your own processor. No unauthorised monitoring, no stored history on remote servers, and low to zero privacy risks.
Instead of charging monthly subscription fees, Hob downloads top-performing open AI models (like Gemma 4 and GPT-OSS) and runs them locally on our device. It automatically picks the best model for our hardware and works completely offline. If we ever need live web data, we can turn search on or keep it switched off for complete privacy.
For more information, Click Here.
