PIES Studio Hobby · free desktop edition
A free AI app builder that runs on your own computer.
PIES Studio Hobby is a free desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux that builds full applications from plain English, with a private AI that runs on your own computer. Free forever, no trial clock. Works offline.
What it is
The whole application, built from a description, on your desktop.
Most AI builders produce a front end in someone else's cloud. PIES Studio Hobby builds the complete application on your own machine and runs it there with a real database.
Data model and database
Tables, relationships and an ER diagram from a description. A real database runs inside the app.
Screens
Dashboards, forms, lists, charts and maps, generated and then yours to change widget by widget.
Events and functions
Business logic as plain steps: when a record is saved, if this, else that. Read it, change it, run it.
Sign-in and roles
Password sign-in, access groups and permissions enforced on the server of every app you build.
Documents and PDF
Templates for documents, emails and PDFs, filled from your data.
Mobile app
Switch an app to mobile and the same definition renders as a native app, previewed in a phone frame.
AI agents
Agents that watch your data and act on it, built and tested locally in your app.
Your source code
Export standard source code and run it without PIES. It is yours.
AI that runs on your machine
PIES Private AI Micro is included, free.
A language model that runs on your own computer. It makes no network calls, and we test that on every release. Your brief, your data and the apps you build never go to a cloud model unless you connect one yourself.
- Chat, and questions over your own data
- In-app chatbots for the apps you build
- Small edits, and building one screen, data model or event at a time
- Works with the network off, after a one-time model download
The honest limits
- A free PIES account is needed to download it, so we can tell you about updates. The app itself never needs to sign in.
- PIES Private AI Micro handles chat, questions over your data, in-app chatbots, small edits and building one screen, data model or event at a time. Whole-application builds need a bigger model: your own cloud AI key, or PIES Enterprise or PIES Cloud.
- Micro needs 12 GB of memory (16 GB recommended) and 6 GB of free disk for a one-time model download. It is fast on Apple Silicon Macs and slower, CPU-only, on Intel Macs, Windows and Linux.
- Hobby is for one person. Teams, roles, boards, hosted agents, Git push, production deployment from the Studio and the full governance and audit features are Enterprise.
- PIES Studio is not open source. Hobby is free to use; the source of the apps you build is yours.
Each locked feature shows a padlock in Hobby and says what unlocks it. Compare editions →
Requirements
macOS 13 or later (Apple Silicon or Intel), Windows 10 or 11 64-bit, or Linux x64. 8 GB of memory for the Studio alone, 12 GB minimum and 16 GB recommended with Private AI Micro switched on. About 3 GB of disk for the app, plus 6 GB for the optional local model.
Full details, checksums and the Windows signing note are on the download page.
How it compares
Different from Bolt, Lovable, Replit, Cursor and Bubble. Not better at everything.
Those tools build in the cloud with large, fast models and host your app for you. Hobby builds on your desktop with a local model, keeps everything on your machine, and gives you a complete application with its own database and sign-in. Read the honest comparison →
Questions people ask
Can I build apps with AI without sending my data to the cloud?
Yes. PIES Studio Hobby includes PIES Private AI Micro, a model that runs on your own computer and makes no network calls. Your brief, your data and the apps you build never leave your machine unless you choose to connect a cloud model.
Full answer →Does PIES Studio Hobby work offline?
Yes. Hobby runs entirely on your desktop with no server, no telemetry and nothing phoning home. The editor, the database, builds, all 35 templates and PIES Private AI Micro all work with no internet connection.
Full answer →How is PIES Studio Hobby different from Bolt, Lovable or Cursor?
Bolt and Lovable build web apps in your browser with cloud AI and host them for you. Cursor is an AI code editor. PIES Studio Hobby is a free desktop app that builds the whole application (database, screens, logic, sign-in, mobile, AI agents) on your own machine, with a private AI that runs locally. Each has strengths.
Full answer →Is PIES Studio Hobby really free? What are the limits?
Yes, free forever, with no trial clock and no card. The limits: a free account to download, one user, a local AI model that builds one screen or data model at a time (bigger builds need your own cloud AI key or Enterprise), and no teams, hosted agents or production deployment from the Studio.
Full answer →Is there a free AI app builder that runs locally on a Mac?
Yes. PIES Studio Hobby is a free desktop app for macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows and Linux that builds full applications from plain English, with a private AI that runs on your own computer. It works offline and needs a free account only to download.
Full answer →What do I need to run PIES Private AI on my computer?
PIES Private AI Micro, included free with PIES Studio Hobby, needs 12 GB of memory (16 GB recommended) and 6 GB of free disk. It is fast on Apple Silicon Macs and runs on the CPU only, at a few words a second, on Intel Macs, Windows and Linux.
Full answer →Need help? Join the PIES community on Discord → · Read the docs →
Free on your desktop. Yours to keep.
Download PIES Studio Hobby for macOS, Windows or Linux. A free account, then nothing to pay, ever. When you need a team or a server, Enterprise runs the same platform on your own infrastructure.