kitio.aiCherry Studio vs ReadyRunner
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Cherry Studio is completely free, while ReadyRunner is freemium.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Dozens of providers
- Local model support
- Knowledge bases
- Preset assistants
- MCP tools and agents
- Assistant chat
- ScratchPad
- Document chat
- Prompt library
- Bring your own API key
| Feature | Cherry Studio | ReadyRunner |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Free open-source desktop client for dozens of AI providers | Desktop and web ChatGPT client with scratchpad and document chat |
| Category | Chat assistants | Chat assistants |
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium |
| Starting price | Free | $8/mo |
| Free plan | Yes, fully free | Yes |
| Made by | CherryHQ | ReadyRunner |
| Based in | China | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Cherry Studio is completely free, while ReadyRunner is freemium.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
4 plans
Free
Free
- 10 messages a month
- No card needed
Dev
$8/mo
- Bring your own API key
Plus
$12/mo
- 150 GPT-3.5 messages
- 50 GPT-4 messages
Pro
$19/mo
- 1,000 messages
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Cherry Studio
- Completely free
- Very broad provider support
- Data stays local
- Setup needs your own API keys
- Many settings to learn
- Docs partly in Chinese
ReadyRunner
- Bring-your-own-key option keeps costs low
- Scratchpad is handy for editing code
- Works as desktop and web app
- Site only mentions GPT-3 and GPT-4
- Free tier is 10 messages a month
- Message limits on Plus and Pro plans
Which one should you choose?
Choose Cherry Studio if you want:
- Completely free
- Very broad provider support
- Data stays local
Watch out: setup needs your own api keys.
Choose ReadyRunner if you want:
- Bring-your-own-key option keeps costs low
- Scratchpad is handy for editing code
- Works as desktop and web app
Watch out: site only mentions gpt-3 and gpt-4.
Cherry Studio vs ReadyRunner FAQ
What is the difference between Cherry Studio and ReadyRunner?
Cherry Studio: Free open-source desktop client for dozens of AI providers. ReadyRunner: Desktop and web ChatGPT client with scratchpad and document chat. Both are chat assistants tools.
Is Cherry Studio or ReadyRunner cheaper?
Cherry Studio is completely free, while ReadyRunner is freemium.
Do Cherry Studio and ReadyRunner have free plans?
Cherry Studio: Yes, fully free. ReadyRunner: Yes.
Who makes Cherry Studio?
Cherry Studio is made by CherryHQ, based in China.
Who makes ReadyRunner?
ReadyRunner is made by ReadyRunner.
Which should I choose, Cherry Studio or ReadyRunner?
Choose Cherry Studio if you value completely free and very broad provider support. Choose ReadyRunner if you value bring-your-own-key option keeps costs low and scratchpad is handy for editing code.