privstory vs Janitor AI
Janitor AI is popular for being flexible about which model backs a character, but that flexibility comes with setup: it runs in a browser, and getting good results often means wiring up an external API or a proxy. privstory is a native app that brings its own models and runs them on your machine, so there's nothing to configure and nothing routed through a third party.
| Feature | Janitor AI | privstory |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Janitor AI's site, plus an external model backend | Your own computer, one native app |
| Account | Required to use it | None needed, no sign-up |
| Where your chats are stored | On their servers and whatever backend you connect | A local database on your disk, fully private |
| Pricing | Free to use; models via your own paid API key or a proxy | One-time license, models included in the module |
| Message limits | Set by whichever backend you connect | None, your hardware is the only limit |
| Content moderation | Depends on the model and backend; the platform is cloud | No server-side filter; the module you pick decides |
| Works offline | No, the site and the backend both need a connection | Yes, after a one-time model download |
| Image generation | Limited; focused on text chat | Local portraits and scenes on your GPU |
Why people go looking for a Janitor AI alternative
The two frictions people mention are setup and dependency. Getting consistent quality often means bringing an external model, an API key you pay for, or a proxy you configure, which is a barrier for anyone who just wants to talk to a character, and a moving part that can break.
And even when it's working, the conversation still travels: to Janitor AI's site, and then to whatever backend you pointed it at. For people who chose Janitor AI to get away from a walled garden, the fact that their messages still pass through servers they don't control is the thing left to fix.
What privstory does differently
There's nothing to wire up. A module bundles the chat model, the image model, and the prompts that drive character and scene creation. You import a module, download its weights once, and it runs on your machine, no API key, no proxy, no external endpoint.
Because the model is local, the conversation has nowhere to travel. It's generated on your hardware and stored in a local database, and after the one-time download the whole thing works offline. You still get to choose the model, by choosing or building a module, without any of it running on someone else's server.
Who should stay on Janitor AI
Janitor AI's flexibility is real: it can point at a wide range of models, including large ones no consumer machine can run locally, and it works from any browser. privstory is bounded by your hardware, the models it runs are the ones your machine can handle, and its library lives on that one machine.
If you want access to a frontier-scale model, or you're comfortable managing an API key to get it, the cloud approach reaches further. privstory is for people who'd rather have a self-contained local app with nothing to configure and nothing leaving the device.
Common questions.
Do I need an API key or proxy with privstory?
No. The models come with the module you choose and run locally. There is no external API to sign up for, no key to paste, and no proxy to configure.
Can I pick the model like on Janitor AI?
Yes, by choosing or building a module. A module bundles the chat model, the image model and the generation prompts. The difference is that the model runs on your machine rather than through an external endpoint, so it's bounded by your hardware.
Is anything sent to a server?
No. The conversation is generated and stored on your device. The only network access is the one-time model download and, if you enter a license key, a lightweight license check.
Does privstory run large models like the cloud backends?
It runs what your hardware can handle. A module supplies its own models, so the practical ceiling is your GPU and memory rather than a remote server's.