Don’t Hesitate — You’ll Only Know How Fun AI Can Be Once You Try It

# Exploring Open-Source LLM Applications — My Hands-On Impressions

I’ve always been cautious about open-source projects that rely heavily on **LLM APIs** — “API + prompt” never felt particularly innovative to me.

But lately, they’ve been popping up everywhere in my feed, so I decided to test a few.  
Turns out these **open-source LLM tools** are surprisingly easy to install and configure.

![image](https://blog.aitoearn.ai/content/images/2025/11/img_001-287.jpg)

After some experimentation, I realized that sticking only to **web-based chats** and **Claude Code** for coding feels outdated in today’s rapidly shifting AI landscape. Time to let go of my biases and keep an **open mind**.

During testing, there weren’t many “wow” moments, but I embraced imperfection — perhaps this is simply the path AI must take.

---

## 1. BrowserOS — An Open-Source AI Browser

![image](https://blog.aitoearn.ai/content/images/2025/11/img_002-273.jpg)

- **Primary language:** C++  
- **Stars:** 7.3k  
- **GitHub:** [github.com/browseros-ai/BrowserOS](https://github.com/browseros-ai/BrowserOS)

**Overview**  
BrowserOS is an open-source AI browser built on **Chromium**, capable of running AI agents locally. It’s an alternative to **ChatGPT Atlas, Perplexity Comet, and Dia**, keeping Chrome’s familiar UI and extension compatibility while adding:

- AI-powered browser automation  
- Intelligent web content Q&A  
- Support for custom LLM services or local models

**My experience**  
- Install & run: Easy, plug-and-play  
- Automation: Didn’t work well for me  
- Web-based Q&A: Decent performance (depends on model)  
- Tried Agent mode and Teach mode — both failed in my tests 😅

![image](https://blog.aitoearn.ai/content/images/2025/11/img_003-256.jpg)

**Conclusion**  
Good low-barrier way to try an AI browser. No need for OpenAI accounts or network workarounds.  
Agent-driven automation currently feels limited, working best only on demo sites like GitHub or Amazon.

---

## 2. Handy — Cross-Platform Speech Transcription Tool

![image](https://blog.aitoearn.ai/content/images/2025/11/img_004-241.jpg)

- **Primary languages:** TypeScript, Rust  
- **Stars:** 6.2k  
- **GitHub:** [github.com/cjpais/Handy](https://github.com/cjpais/Handy)

**Overview**  
Handy is a free desktop speech-to-text app built with **Tauri**, running fully local.  
Features:

- Clean UI and simple interactions  
- Press shortcut → start transcription  
- Inserts transcribed text directly into your active input field  
- Supports custom LLM services & prompts with AI post-processing (enable experimental mode via `ctrl/cmd+shift+d`)

**My experience**  
Minimal, practical, and effective for core tasks without unnecessary extras.

![image](https://blog.aitoearn.ai/content/images/2025/11/img_005-216.jpg)

**Conclusion**  
Great free transcription tool with optional AI enhancements.

---

## 3. Dayflow — macOS AI Activity Timeline Generator

![image](https://blog.aitoearn.ai/content/images/2025/11/img_006-198.jpg)

- **Primary language:** Swift  
- **Stars:** 4.4k  
- **GitHub:** [github.com/JerryZLiu/Dayflow](https://github.com/JerryZLiu/Dayflow)

**Overview**  
Dayflow records your screen (1 frame/s) and every 15 minutes uses AI to analyze footage, summarizing your activities.  
Old files auto-delete after 3 days to save space.

**使用感受**：轻量且静默运行，所有数据本地保存。  
![image](https://blog.aitoearn.ai/content/images/2025/11/img_007-188.jpg)  

**结论**：功能优秀，但目前仅支持 **Gemini API** 且只在 macOS 上可用。

---

## 4. AIRI — Open-Source AI Virtual Companion

![image](https://blog.aitoearn.ai/content/images/2025/11/img_008-174.jpg)

- **Primary languages:** Vue, TypeScript  
- **Stars:** 15k  
- **GitHub:** [github.com/moeru-ai/airi](https://github.com/moeru-ai/airi)

**Overview**  
AIRI brings anime-style virtual AI companions (waifu) to life with:

- Real-time text and voice chat  
- In-game companionship for *Minecraft*, *Factorio*, etc.  
- Web and desktop apps

**My experience**  
Easy to run from web instantly.  
For full immersion, you need text LLM plus voice, vision, audio, and memory services configured.

![image](https://blog.aitoearn.ai/content/images/2025/11/img_009-161.jpg)

**Conclusion**  
Web version is enough for casual try-outs — no install required.

---

## Key Takeaways from Testing

While testing dozens of projects, I found common issues:

- Forced binding to specific LLM services  
- No option to customize API endpoints  
- Network instability  
- Some paid-only features

From all tested, only the above **4 projects** struck a good balance — functional with minimal setup, requiring only your own API key.

---

## A Nod to Qiniu Cloud — Reliable LLM Services

Special thanks to **Qiniu Cloud** for free credit vouchers, allowing me to test worry-free.

![image](https://blog.aitoearn.ai/content/images/2025/11/img_010-151.jpg)

**Why Qiniu Cloud AI Model Inference Platform?**

- One-stop access to **50+ top domestic & global models**  
- OpenAI & Anthropic API compatibility  
- Supports streaming calls and MCP  
- Integrates easily with AI clients, IDEs, and CLI tools

**Sample API call:**

curl https://api.qnaigc.com/v1/chat/completions \

--request POST \

--header 'Authorization: Bearer <七牛云 AI API KEY>' \

--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \

--data '{

"stream": false,

"model": "g-2.5-pro",

"messages": [

{ "role": "user", "content": "你好!" }

]

}'

**Performance**  
Fast, stable service in my tests — see speed metrics from aiperf.top:

![image](https://blog.aitoearn.ai/content/images/2025/11/img_011-142.jpg)

---

## Free Token Invitation Program

![image](https://blog.aitoearn.ai/content/images/2025/11/img_012-128.jpg)

- **Promoter:** Invite 1 friend → get 5M tokens (no cap). Top-tier invites can earn up to **3 billion tokens** per reward.  
- **Invitee:** First-time experience → get 3M tokens, plus 10M bonus via referral (stackable).  
- **Token validity:** 2 years from issuance.

---

### Final Advice
Whether you’re a **casual AI user** or **developer building AI apps**, having a **stable, high-quality API key** is always valuable.