Chatbox AI is a solid client for your own API keys, with chats that stay on each device.
Chatbox AI from chatboxai.app (the AI client, not the website support-chat tool with a similar name) runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and the web. It is rated 4.6 from 683 ratings on the US App Store but 3.6 from 851 reviews on Google Play. People like that it takes almost any API key, from OpenAI and Anthropic to OpenRouter and local Ollama models. The catch: your chat history is stored locally on each device, and the hosted top models start at the $19.99 Pro plan. Zemith keeps your chats in your account on web, iOS and Android, and lets you use credits and your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Google key side by side from $15.99.
Zemith Plus gives you credits, your own API keys and built-in tools in one app for $15.99 a month.
- Plus is $15.99/month ($179.88/year) with 1.5M credits a month; Pro is $29.99/month ($299.88/year) with 3M.
- Add your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Google key on Plus or Pro: those chats bill to your provider account, use no Zemith credits, and unlock that provider's top models (Claude 5.5 Opus on Plus with an Anthropic key).
- Deep research with cited reports, finished Word, PowerPoint, Excel and PDF files, Creative Studio for images and video, and plugins for Notion, Linear, Airtable, Canva and Microsoft 365.
- Native iOS and Android apps plus the web app, with the same chats on every device.
Free plan · $0 today · Web, iOS & Android
Here is how Chatbox AI is rated in the two app stores.
US App Store, 683 ratings · read 14 Nov 2026
iPhone and iPad ratings for "Chatbox - Powerful AI Client" by Mediocre Apps lean strongly positive. One critical review we read, from 20 November 2025, describes an API error on a long Gemini chat.
Google Play, 851 reviews · 100K+ downloads · read 14 Nov 2026
Android reviews of "Chatbox AI: Powerful AI Client" are more split, with about one in five giving one star. A review from 28 October 2026 says the free quota ran out after two or three queries and reports errors with the reviewer's own API keys.
Scores and star shares read from the public US App Store and Google Play listings on 14 November 2026; Play shares are rounded from the listing's bars. Chatbox has no G2 or Trustpilot page that we could find for the AI client.
Switch between GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and DeepSeek in one chat; a provider whose key you added runs on that key, the rest on credits.
The three limits Chatbox users run into most.
Each device keeps its own chat history.
“Chatbox AI is decent, but each device has a different conversation history, despite using the same API key, which is a PITA.”Reddit, r/LLMDevs, User post, 9 May 2025
“Your chat history is stored locally, and your order information is securely stored on Stripe and the Chatbox backend database.”Chatbox AI Service FAQs, Official help center, Checked 14 Nov 2026
The hosted top models need the $19.99 Pro plan.
“Unlock more advanced model capabilities with Pro and above”Chatbox pricing page, Official plan comparison, Checked 14 Nov 2026
Knowledge base and MCP tools are desktop-only.
“Knowledge Base is a feature exclusive to the desktop app, which allows AI to understand and search your private documents.”Chatbox AI Service FAQs, Official help center, Checked 14 Nov 2026
How Chatbox AI compares with Zemith on price, models and built-in tools.
Public US prices and listed features, monthly billing, checked 14 November 2026.
| Capability | Chatbox Lite | Chatbox Pro | Zemith Plus | Zemith Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Monthly price (USD) Monthly / billed yearly | $3.99/mo ($3.50/mo yearly) | $19.99/mo ($16.70/mo yearly) | $15.99/mo ($179.88/yr) | $29.99/mo ($299.88/yr) |
Included usage Hosted models | 2M compute points a month, cleared at reset | 12M compute points a month, cleared at reset | 1.5M credits a month + non-expiring top-ups from $10 | 3M credits a month + non-expiring top-ups from $10 |
Hosted model access Without your own key | Standard models: GPT 5.6 Luna, Claude Haiku 4.5, Gemini 3 Flash, DeepSeek V4 | Adds Claude Opus 5.5, GPT 6.1 Sol, Gemini 4 Argon, Grok 4.7 and more | Claude 5.5 Sonnet, Grok 4.7, Kimi, Mistral, Qwen and more | Adds Claude 5.5 Opus, GPT 6.1 Sol, GPT 6 Astra, Gemini 4 Argon |
Your own API key Billed by the provider | Yes, instead of a plan: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, OpenRouter, DeepSeek, Ollama, LM Studio and more | Yes, same providers | OpenAI, Anthropic and Google keys next to your credits; a key unlocks that provider's top models | OpenAI, Anthropic and Google keys next to your credits |
Web search Live answers | Yes | Yes | Yes, plus deep research with cited reports | Yes, plus deep research with cited reports |
Images and video Generation | 25 AI images a month; no video listed | 100 AI images a month; no video listed | Creative Studio: Nano Banana, Flux 2, GPT Image; video with Veo 3.1, Kling, Seedance 2.5 | Creative Studio with more credits for video |
Documents and knowledge Read and organize files | File and image analysis; no knowledge base | File analysis + local knowledge base (desktop only) | File chat + Library projects with up to 50 sources, on web and mobile | File chat + Library projects with up to 50 sources, on web and mobile |
Finished files Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF | Not listed on the pricing page | Not listed on the pricing page | Yes: real DOCX, PPTX, XLSX and PDF files from chat | Yes: real DOCX, PPTX, XLSX and PDF files from chat |
Tools and apps Connect other services | No MCP | MCP services (desktop) | Plugins: Notion, Linear, Airtable, Canva, Microsoft 365 | Plugins + Cloud tasks and schedules |
Platforms and sync Where your chats live | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, web; chats stored on each device | Same, up to 5 devices per licence | Web, native iOS and Android; chats in your account on every device | Web, native iOS and Android; chats in your account on every device |
Our verdict: Chatbox is a capable key-first client; Zemith is the better everyday app if you want tools and synced chats.
- Chatbox does one thing well: a clean client that takes nearly any API key, including OpenRouter and local models, on desktop and phone. Its Free and $3.99 Lite plans are cheaper than any paid Zemith plan.
- Its limits show once you use it daily: chats stay on each device, the top hosted models need Pro at $19.99, and the knowledge base and MCP tools are desktop-only.
- Zemith Plus at $15.99 keeps your chats in sync on web, iOS and Android, runs OpenAI, Anthropic and Google models on your own key next to credits, and adds deep research, Office files, Creative Studio and plugins.
- Want the plan math in detail? Read our Chatbox AI pricing breakdown.
Questions people ask about Chatbox AI.
Is Chatbox AI any good?
For a bring-your-own-key client it is well liked: 4.6 from 683 ratings on the US App Store on 14 November 2026. Google Play is lower at 3.6 from 851 reviews, with complaints about the free quota and key setup errors.
Is Chatbox AI safe and private?
Chatbox says chat history and settings are stored locally on your device. Messages you send through its hosted Chatbox AI service go to its servers to generate replies; with your own key they go to the provider you connected.
Does Chatbox sync chats between devices?
Its help center says chat history is stored locally, and users have reported a different history on each device even with the same API key. Zemith keeps chats in your account, so they appear on web, iOS and Android.
Which platforms does Chatbox AI support?
Windows 10 or later, macOS 11 or later, Linux (x86_64 and ARM64), iOS, Android (Google Play or a direct APK) and a web app.
Is Chatbox AI the same as the Chatbox customer-support widget?
No. Chatbox AI (chatboxai.app, made by Mediocre, LLC) is a client for AI models like GPT, Claude and Gemini. A website live-chat tool with a similar name is a separate product.
Try Zemith free: your own keys, credits and every tool in one synced app.
Start free on ZemithRead these next to compare the other tools.
Founder of Zemith, the all-in-one AI workspace built for people who use GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and Creative Studio every day.
I spend my weeks testing model releases, pricing structures and real document, research and creative workflows across Web, iOS and Android.