> Markdown twin of https://conduitllm.com/resources.html > Guides, comparisons, and release notes for Conduit — the local-first, bring-your-own-key desktop AI client. Everything we publish, in one place. --- Resources # Guides, comparisons, and what changed Everything we publish beyond the documentation — practical guides, honest comparisons, and notes on each release. Setting up a provider? See the [provider guides](https://conduitllm.com/providers.html). Weighing Conduit against another client? See [all comparisons](https://conduitllm.com/compare.html). ## Guides Step-by-step guides for real jobs — putting an MCP server in front of a customer, connecting tools, running Conduit well. - [API pricing vs a monthly subscription](https://conduitllm.com/api-vs-subscription.html) — How many messages a day before pay-per-token beats a $20 subscription? A calculator, plus why conversation length moves the answer more than volume does. - [How to demo an MCP server to a customer](https://conduitllm.com/mcp-distribution.html) — Hosting an MCP server is not a customer demo. Compare a hosted chat, Claude Desktop with an extension, and your own client — and what you can ship today. ## Provider guides How to use each model provider in Conduit with your own key — setup, what it costs, which features work with it, and its limits. - [Use the DeepSeek API in a desktop app](https://conduitllm.com/providers/deepseek.html) — Use the DeepSeek API in a free, open-source desktop app. Setup, peak and off-peak prices, thinking mode, tools, where your data goes, and current limits. - [Use OpenRouter in a desktop app](https://conduitllm.com/providers/openrouter.html) — Use OpenRouter in a free, open-source desktop app. Setup in four steps, what it costs, free-model limits, web search, and what doesn't work yet. ## Comparisons How Conduit differs from the alternatives, row by row — written so that every claim is checkable and the competitor wins the rows it actually wins. - [Conduit vs Msty](https://conduitllm.com/compare/msty.html) — A Msty alternative? Conduit vs Msty Studio, checked 3 Oct 2026 — licence, pricing, local models, MCP, and the rows Msty wins. Free and open source. - [Conduit vs Chatbox](https://conduitllm.com/compare/chatbox.html) — A Chatbox alternative? Conduit vs Chatbox, checked 3 Oct 2026 — licence, pricing, MCP, local models, mobile, and the rows Chatbox wins. Free and open source. - [Conduit vs TypingMind](https://conduitllm.com/compare/typingmind.html) — A TypingMind alternative? Conduit vs TypingMind, checked 24 Sept 2026: a free, open-source desktop app vs a paid-licence web app, and the rows TypingMind wins. - [Conduit vs Open WebUI](https://conduitllm.com/compare/open-webui.html) — An Open WebUI alternative built as a native desktop app, not a bundled server. Checked 24 Sept 2026, including the rows Open WebUI wins. Free and open source. - [Conduit vs LM Studio](https://conduitllm.com/compare/lm-studio.html) — Conduit vs LM Studio, checked 24 Sept 2026: LM Studio runs local models; Conduit is a free, open-source app for them and cloud models. Why many run both. - [Conduit vs Ollama's own app](https://conduitllm.com/compare/ollama.html) — Ollama ships its own chat app now. What it does, what a separate client adds, and why most people end up running both rather than choosing. - [Best MCP clients, compared](https://conduitllm.com/best-mcp-clients.html) — Which MCP client should you install? A checkable comparison of the desktop apps that speak MCP — Conduit, Claude Desktop, Cherry Studio, Jan and LM Studio. - [Conduit vs Claude Desktop](https://conduitllm.com/compare/claude-desktop.html) — A checkable comparison of Conduit and Claude Desktop — models, storage, MCP setup, platforms, licence and code signing, by the people who make one of them. ## Release notes What shipped in each release, summarised in plain language — including the limits, so the notes can be quoted without rounding a capability up. - [What changed in Conduit](https://conduitllm.com/changelog.html) — What changed in Conduit, release by release: a side rail and inspector, live-data pages, documents in chat, image generation — with the limits stated.