Conduit Download

Comparison

Msty alternative: Conduit vs Msty

We make one of these, so read this the way you would read any vendor comparison. Msty and Conduit are both desktop apps for using cloud and local models with your own setup, and both keep your data on your machine. The differences are the licence, what each one is built to produce, and who runs the local models. Msty details below were checked against Msty's own website and documentation on 3 October 2026 — if something has changed since, their sources are right and this page is wrong. Part of all Conduit comparisons.

The short answer

Use Msty if you want one app that downloads and runs local models itself (through built-in Ollama, MLX, and llama.cpp engines), you like its split chats, crews of personas, and agent mode, you want a browser version (Studio Web) or a team product with SSO and audit logs, or you would rather buy a lifetime licence than adopt an open-source release candidate. It is a more established product with a wider feature list than Conduit's.

Use Conduit if you want the source, under AGPL-3.0, and no paid tier at all; if you already run Ollama or LM Studio and want a client that turns chats into things you keep — personal apps, live Slides decks, answers cited from your documents, workflows that ask before acting; or if you want a developer-oriented MCP client with approval before a tool runs unless it is marked read-only.

Side by side

 ConduitMsty (Msty Studio)
Licence and source Open source, AGPL-3.0 Proprietary — Msty's terms grant "a non-transferable, non-exclusive, worldwide right to access and use" its services; we found no source repository or open-source licence for Studio
How you pay Free. You pay only your model provider Free plan ("$0 forever"); Aurum $149 per user per year, or $349 once for lifetime; Enterprise and Teams by quote with a five-seat minimum — at the time of checking
Platforms Windows, macOS (Apple silicon and Intel), Linux. Desktop only — no web version, no mobile app Desktop for macOS (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows 10/11 (x64), and Linux (AppImage and .deb); plus Studio Web, which requires an Aurum subscription
Local models Connects to Ollama or LM Studio, which you run yourself; Conduit does not run models Runs them itself — one Local Models area over built-in Ollama, MLX, and llama.cpp engines
Cloud providers 17 built in — Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, OpenCode Zen, Groq, DeepSeek, Mistral, xAI, Z.ai, Moonshot AI, Qwen, Together AI, Fireworks AI, LM Studio, Ollama, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint 13 listed — Anthropic, Cohere, Gemini, Groq, Mistral AI, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Perplexity, Together AI, SambaNova, xAI, Azure OpenAI, and Amazon Bedrock — plus any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, with your own API keys
MCP Local stdio and remote streamable-HTTP servers; one-click install from the official MCP registry; a tool asks before it runs unless its server marks it read-only, and approvals are reviewable Local servers and remote servers over Streamable HTTP; an Import Default Tools option, with a note that tools are not created, tested, or maintained by Msty. We found no documentation of per-call approval
Your documents Documents collections (text, Markdown, CSV, Word, PDF) searched with hybrid semantic and keyword retrieval; the passages an answer drew on are named, and clicking one shows the exact passage Knowledge Stacks, described as grounding answers in your own documents "with organized, source-aware retrieval"; Stack, a separate governed-knowledge product, is marked coming soon
What it builds and keeps Personal apps saved from a chat, live Slides decks you edit by asking, workflows that run on a schedule and stop to ask, image generation Features Msty lists for Studio: split chats, crew conversations, personas, agent mode, knowledge stacks, prompt, persona, and skill studios, media generation. Msty Go (free beta) adds agent workflows with Discord, Telegram, and WhatsApp integrations
Teams and admin None — one person's install, no accounts, no sync Enterprise and Teams plans list SSO, user and team management, role-based access, and audit logs
Data and telemetry Local SQLite database, optional encryption at rest, no account, no telemetry Desktop data stored locally on your device; the homepage says "zero product telemetry"
Install friction Installers are not code-signed yet — expect a SmartScreen or Gatekeeper warning on first launch Not checked — we did not verify Msty's signing status
Maturity Release candidate (1.0.0 not yet released) Established product with a shipping paid tier and a broader feature list

Where Msty is better

It runs your local models for you. Msty Studio's own documentation describes three built-in engines — Ollama, MLX, and llama.cpp — in one Local Models area. Conduit does not run or download models; it needs Ollama or LM Studio running next to it. If you want one install and nothing else, Msty is the simpler setup.

It reaches more places and more teams. Msty has a browser edition (Studio Web, on the paid tier) and a team and enterprise offering with SSO, role-based access, and audit logs. Conduit is a single-user desktop install with no web version, no accounts, and no admin console.

A wider set of chat tools. Split chats for comparing models side by side, crew conversations with several personas, and prompt, persona, and skill studios are all listed features of Msty Studio. Conduit's focus is elsewhere, and it does not replicate that list.

A lifetime option, and a longer track record. If you prefer to pay once, Msty offers a lifetime licence ($349 at the time of checking). It is an established paid product; Conduit is a release candidate with unsigned installers.

Where Conduit is better

You can read, change, and build it. Conduit is AGPL-3.0 with public source and no paid tier. Msty Studio is proprietary software licensed for use.

It makes things you keep. A chat can become a personal app that keeps working after you delete the chat — it can store data, take settings, and call your model once you allow it. A deck is one live Slides file you edit by asking, with version history, a presenter window, and export to a single HTML file. Answers from your documents name the passages they drew on.

Workflows that ask before they act. Conduit workflows run on a schedule, but turning a schedule on first lists everything the workflow will be allowed to do for you to approve, and a run that needs more pauses and asks. MCP tools that change things prompt you first, and you can review the approvals you have given.

No paid tier to hit. Everything in Conduit is in the one free app. Msty's paid Aurum tier adds Studio Web, Azure and Bedrock providers, and advanced tools, and its team plans start at five seats.

What Conduit does not do

Stated plainly, because a comparison that only lists wins is an advertisement:

Which one should you use?

If you want an established, polished local-model workspace that does the model management for you, with an optional paid tier and a team story, Msty is a reasonable choice and nothing here should talk you out of it. If you want an open-source, no-paid-tier desktop client for your own keys and local servers that builds apps, decks, and cited answers you keep, install Conduit. The two do not conflict: both keep data locally, and trying one costs a download.

Download Conduit

More comparisons: all Conduit comparisons. Closest in spirit are Conduit vs Chatbox, another desktop client for your own keys, and Conduit vs LM Studio and Conduit vs Ollama's own app, which cover the local-model engines Conduit connects to. Weighing MCP support across clients? Best MCP clients, compared.

Questions

Is there a free, open-source alternative to Msty?

Yes, and Conduit is one. It is free, licensed AGPL-3.0, and its source is public, with installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Msty Studio has a free plan too ("$0 forever" on its pricing page at the time of checking), but it is proprietary: Msty's terms grant a non-transferable right to access and use the software, and we found no source repository or open-source licence for Studio. The paid Aurum tier ($149 per user per year, or $349 once) adds Studio Web and a few advanced tools, and Msty's team plans start at five seats. Conduit has no paid tier.

Is Msty free?

Msty Studio has a free plan: according to its pricing page, desktop chat with local and online models, personas, crews, agent mode, knowledge stacks, and the prompt, persona, and skill studios cost nothing. Paid Aurum adds Studio Web, Azure and Bedrock providers, assistants, and advanced tools such as turnstiles, insights, and forge mode — $149 per user per year, or a $349 lifetime licence at the time of checking. Enterprise and Teams plans are quoted individually with a five-seat minimum. You pay your own model providers either way when you use cloud models.

Does Msty run local models, and does Conduit?

Msty does it itself: its documentation describes one Local Models area for models running through three built-in engines — Ollama, MLX (for Apple hardware), and llama.cpp. Conduit does not run models. It connects to a local server you already run, Ollama or LM Studio, alongside its cloud providers. If you want one app that downloads and runs the model for you, Msty is the stronger fit; if you already run Ollama or LM Studio, Conduit adds documents, apps, decks, and workflows on top.

Does Msty support MCP servers?

Yes. Msty Studio's documentation says it supports local MCP servers that run on your machine and remote servers over Streamable HTTP, and offers an Import Default Tools option, with a disclaimer that those tools are not created, tested, or maintained by Msty. Conduit is also an MCP client: local stdio and remote streamable-HTTP servers, a one-click install from the official MCP registry, and a prompt before any tool that changes something runs. We did not find how Msty handles per-call approval in its documentation, so we make no claim either way.

Where do Msty and Conduit keep my data?

Both keep it on your machine. Msty's documentation says desktop data is stored locally on your device, while Studio Web stores data in your browser with no sync between devices, and its homepage says "zero product telemetry". Conduit keeps chats, documents, apps, and decks in a local SQLite database with optional encryption at rest, has no account and no backend, and sends no telemetry. Neither is a cloud-sync product: Conduit has no sync between machines at all.

Is Conduit affiliated with Msty?

No. Conduit is an independent open-source project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Msty. "Msty" is their name and product, used here only to describe it accurately.

Sources for the Msty rows, checked 3 October 2026: Msty's own homepage, pricing, Msty Studio, and terms pages, and its documentation: Studio overview, online providers, local models, and tools (MCP). Conduit rows are checkable against the documentation and the source. Found an error? Tell us and we will fix it.

Related