Anvil
An offline AI assistant for iPhone that runs chat and image generation entirely on-device, no account required.
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Anvil is the right pick for iPhone users who want a private, fully offline AI assistant and are willing to accept the real capability ceiling of a phone-sized model. Compared to ChatGPT or Claude, the on-device Gemma 4 E2B model is noticeably less capable on complex reasoning tasks, and the app requires an iPhone 15 Pro or newer to run at all. Anyone on an older device, or anyone who needs the reasoning depth of a cloud model, should skip it.
What is Anvil?
Anvil is an iOS AI assistant that runs its language and image models entirely on the device, requiring no internet connection after the initial model download. The chat model is Gemma 4 E2B via LiteRT LM; the image generator, called Anvil Dream, is an SDXL Lightning variant running in Core ML on the Neural Engine, producing 1024x1024 images. Core features include offline chat, voice input, notes, tasks, photo and document analysis, and optional web search. No account or login is required at any point.
The app is distributed as a public beta through Apple TestFlight and requires an iPhone 15 Pro or newer due to memory constraints. Beta testers receive Anvil Pro access at no charge. It is developed and maintained by an independent developer. Web search and iCloud backup are available as optional features and are the only components that send data outside the device.
How we scored Anvil
Capability lands at 15 because Gemma 4 E2B, while genuinely impressive for an on-device model, is measurably weaker than the cloud models that ChatGPT and Claude run; the hardware gate (iPhone 15 Pro or newer only) further limits who can access those capabilities at all. Ease of use scores 19 because the no-account, no-login setup is genuinely frictionless and the feature set is clearly scoped, though the TestFlight distribution adds a small onboarding step most users are unfamiliar with. Value scores 22 because the current beta is entirely free with Anvil Pro included, which is hard to argue with, though the score is tempered by the unknown post-beta pricing. Delivery scores 10 because the app is a solo-developer beta with no published roadmap, no announced pricing, no confirmed social presence, and no substantial independent review corpus to verify claims; the promise is credible but the delivery track record is too thin to score higher.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- Fully offline after the initial Wi-Fi download, including chat, voice, image generation, and document analysis, with no account or login ever required.
- Anvil Dream generates 1024x1024 images on the Neural Engine in Airplane Mode, a capability no cloud-dependent competitor in this directory can match offline.
- Beta testers get Anvil Pro at no charge, meaning there are currently zero message limits, zero image caps, and zero cost to try the full feature set.
Where it falls short
- Requires an iPhone 15 Pro or newer due to memory requirements; the app will not run on any older or non-Pro iPhone, cutting out a large portion of the iOS user base.
- Gemma 4 E2B is a small model by necessity, and it produces noticeably weaker results than cloud models on multi-step reasoning, long-form writing, and coding tasks.
- Built and maintained by a single independent developer with no published roadmap, no announced post-beta pricing, and no guarantee of continued updates if the project stalls.
Key features
Anvil pricing
Free public beta on TestFlight. Every beta tester receives Anvil Pro access at no charge. Post-beta pricing has not been publicly announced.
| Plan | Price | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (Anvil Pro included) | Free | Full Anvil Pro access for all TestFlight beta testers at no charge. Includes offline chat, voice, notes, tasks, photo and document analysis, Anvil Dream image generation, optional web search, and optional iCloud backup. Requires iPhone 15 Pro or newer. |
Pricing reflects what we saw at time of review (2026-10). Always confirm current pricing on the tool's own site.
Who should use Anvil?
Anvil fits a specific kind of user well: someone who travels frequently and cannot rely on a data connection, someone in a profession where sending queries to a cloud service raises compliance or confidentiality concerns, or a technically curious iPhone owner who wants to see what on-device inference actually feels like in daily use. The no-account requirement is a genuine convenience for people who are tired of creating yet another login.
If you need strong reasoning on complex writing, coding, or analysis tasks, look at Claude or ChatGPT instead. Both are available on iOS, both have free tiers, and both run far larger models than any phone can currently hold. Claude in particular handles long documents and detailed reasoning at a level Anvil's on-device Gemma 4 E2B model cannot match.
Skip it if: Anyone on an iPhone older than 15 Pro, or users who need cloud-level reasoning depth.
Anvil alternatives
Frequently asked questions
What iPhone do I need to run Anvil?+
An iPhone 15 Pro or newer is required. The app will not run on older models or non-Pro iPhones due to memory constraints.
How much does Anvil cost?+
It is currently free in public beta on TestFlight, and every beta tester receives Anvil Pro access at no charge. Post-beta pricing has not been announced.
Does Anvil send my data to the cloud?+
No. Chat, voice, notes, tasks, photos, and document analysis all run on-device. Web search and iCloud backup are optional and off by default; those are the only features that touch the internet.
What AI model does Anvil use for chat?+
Gemma 4 E2B running through LiteRT LM. It is a small model sized to fit on a phone, which means it is less capable than cloud-hosted models on complex tasks.
Can Anvil generate images offline?+
Yes. Anvil Dream is an SDXL Lightning variant running in Core ML on the Neural Engine, producing 1024x1024 images entirely on-device, including in Airplane Mode.
Do I need to create an account?+
No account or login is required at any point. You install via TestFlight and the app works immediately.
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