Aspen: Private, Local AI That Runs on Your Machine

Overview

Aspen is a private artificial intelligence platform designed to bring the full power of AI into your home without compromising your privacy. It runs entirely on your local hardware, ensuring that your data never leaves your device, is never sent to the cloud, and is never used to train anyone else's models. The platform is currently in beta, actively improving based on user feedback.

Core Philosophy

The guiding philosophy behind Aspen is that no single company should own the intimate details of a person's life, including medical questions, financial plans, and private thoughts. Aspen offers an alternative to the traditional cloud-based AI model where users trade their data for convenience. With Aspen, you retain full ownership of your intelligence and data.

Benefits

Aspen offers several key advantages that set it apart from other AI tools. First, it provides complete privacy and security. Its architecture removes the need for a server, meaning there is no data collection, tracking, or analytics. Since everything runs on your local machine, your data never travels over the internet. Your conversations and documents are never used to train other models. The system also works offline, so you can use it in airplane mode or without an internet connection.

Second, Aspen is free forever on the devices you already own. There are no subscriptions or accounts required. It works on Mac and Windows computers, adapting to your hardware by running larger models on powerful machines and smaller ones on older PCs. Mobile users can access the AI running on their home machine through secure apps on their iPhone, iPad, or Android phone. You can also access it via a private web URL.

Third, Aspen supports the latest open-source models like Llama, Qwen, DeepSeek, and Mistral. It automatically switches to the best available model when a new version is released. Users can ask for webpages to be rendered in a preview panel, making it useful as a local coding assistant. You can also upload screenshots or photos for the AI to analyze without sending them anywhere. The system integrates with tools like GitHub through open connectors, keeping your tokens encrypted on your device. Developers can easily switch their applications to run privately by changing just two lines of code.

Finally, Aspen handles its own maintenance. Software updates and security patches install themselves overnight. If an update does not feel right, users can roll back to any previous version with one tap. The system also automatically updates to the best available open model.

Use Cases

Aspen is designed for anyone who values privacy and wants to use AI without giving up their data. It is perfect for people who need to discuss sensitive topics like medical advice or financial planning without fear of their data being leaked. Students and developers can use it as a local coding assistant to generate code or render webpages directly on their machine. Creative professionals can upload images and screenshots to get analysis or edits while keeping their work private.

The platform works well in environments without internet access, such as on airplanes or in remote locations. It is also suitable for developers who want to build applications that run privately on local hardware instead of relying on cloud services. The optional Aspen device is ideal for power users who want to run the largest AI models around the clock without using their personal computer. This dedicated hardware offers 1 Petaflop of AI performance and can support models with 200 billion parameters.

Pricing

Aspen is free forever on the devices you already own. There are no subscription fees or account costs. For power users, Aspen offers an optional dedicated hardware device. Preorders are available with a $1 deposit that holds your spot and is applied to the first payment. The exact final price for the hardware device is not specified in the available information.

Vibes

Aspen is currently in beta, and the team actively welcomes feedback from users. The community is encouraged to share what is working, what is not, and suggestions to make the platform ten times better. Users can anonymously share their savings compared to paying for cloud AI services, highlighting the real cost benefits of running local AI. The platform emphasizes a shift towards user-owned intelligence and a secure, offline-capable experience.

Additional Information

Aspen is an independent project by a small team. The software is not yet code-signed, which may cause Windows to display a "protected your PC" warning. To install, users can click More info and then Run anyway. If Windows Defender blocks the download, users can right-click the file, choose Properties, check Unblock, and then run it. The team is rolling out code signing to remove this warning entirely. Aspen does not require users to create an account to use the app. The optional hardware device features silent operation and dimensions of 5.9 inches by 5.9 inches by 2 inches.