Overview: Cherry Studio is a cross-platform desktop AI client that connects many cloud and local model providers in one interface. It includes chat, assistants, knowledge features, translation, and other productivity tools.
What beginners can do: Beginners can manage several assistants, switch models without changing apps, compare outputs, and later connect local services such as Ollama.
Recommended start: Download the release for the correct operating system, add only one provider first, and run a harmless test prompt. After that, configure model names, shortcuts, and knowledge features one at a time.
Requirements and cost: Cloud providers require separate accounts, keys, and billing. Local models require another local runtime and enough disk and memory.
Who it suits: Useful for non-developers and developers who regularly switch among several model services and prefer a desktop client.
Limits and safety: Provider compatibility, available models, and costs change independently. Community and enterprise editions have different licensing arrangements; the community edition is AGPL-3.0. Never paste API keys into chats or screenshots. Use the application's provider settings, set spending limits at the provider, and remove keys from old devices before migration or resale.
Project and license: Repository content is provided under AGPL-3.0 community edition; check the current LICENSE before reuse. Repository: https://github.com/CherryHQ/cherry-studio