GPT4All is an open-source Windows app by Nomic AI for chatting with local language models, including over your own files with LocalDocs. Version 3.10.0.
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About GPT4All
GPT4All 3.10.0 is a desktop app from Nomic AI for chatting with large language models that run on your own computer. Its signature feature is LocalDocs: you point it at folders on your disk and ask questions about those files, offline. The app is open source under the MIT licence, and the Windows download is a small online installer from the official gpt4all.io address.
A note on updates
Version 3.10.0 was released on 25 February 2025, and it is still the latest release. The app works as it did then, but new releases have not followed, so do not expect support for the newest models or regular fixes. Keep that in mind when choosing between GPT4All and the more frequently updated tools mentioned below.
What GPT4All does well
The appeal of GPT4All has always been simplicity. After installation you pick a model from the built-in list, download it, and chat. LocalDocs builds an index of the folders you choose, and the model then answers with references to the passages it used, which is handy for notes, manuals or a collection of PDFs you would rather not upload anywhere. For developers there is an optional local API server. Everything stays on the machine unless you deliberately connect a remote model.
Requirements
- Windows 10 or later on x64; builds also exist for macOS and Ubuntu.
- A processor with AVX or AVX2.
- 8 GB of RAM for 3B models, 16 GB for 7B models.
- Optional GPU acceleration through Vulkan on NVIDIA, AMD and Intel graphics.
The figures come from the project's system requirements document.
Installing
The file you download, gpt4all-installer-win64.exe, is only about 32 MB because it is an online installer: it fetches the application components during setup, so keep the connection open until it finishes. Models are downloaded afterwards from inside the app and need several gigabytes each. Once a model is on disk, chatting with it works without internet access.
Licence and source code
GPT4All is released under MIT, and its code is in the nomic-ai/gpt4all repository. The models in the list have their own licences; check them if you plan to use the output commercially.
Other local AI apps to consider
If LocalDocs is what you need, AnythingLLM offers document workspaces as well and is updated regularly. Jan and LM Studio provide polished chat windows with model browsers, and Ollama is the choice when you want an engine with a local API for other software. All of them run models on your own hardware, just like GPT4All.
Verdict: pros and cons
- Pro: LocalDocs answers questions about your own files offline.
- Pro: open source, free, and easy for beginners.
- Pro: runs on the CPU when there is no suitable GPU.
- Con: no new release since the current version came out.
- Con: the online installer needs a connection during setup.