Applye
This oneA local-first desktop GUI, free, that knows the paperwork differs from country to country.
- Data never leaves your machine
- Free, MIT, your own AI keys
- Local paperwork, first-class
- Desktop only, no phone app
Compare
Four tools. Pick the honest one.
Three of these are good. Here is exactly when each of them beats Applye, and the one overlap none of them covers: a local-first desktop GUI, free, that knows the paperwork differs from country to country.
Cloud SaaS
Better if
You want polish, reminders and a phone in your pocket.
Trade-off
Your job search lives in their cloud, on a subscription.
career-ops
Better if
You are a developer who already lives in an AI coding CLI.
Trade-off
Terminal only, and no per-market paperwork logic.
Spreadsheet
Better if
You are tracking five roles and want zero setup.
Trade-off
Everything after "applied" is manual work.
The details, unabridged
11 differences
| Feature | Applye | Cloud SaaS | career-ops (CLI) | Spreadsheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, MIT | $9-40 / month | Free, MIT | Free |
| Where your data lives | Local SQLite on your machine | Their cloud | Local files | Cloud (usually) |
| Interface | Desktop app (GUI) | Web app | Terminal + AI coding CLI | Grid of cells |
| Audience | Everyone | Everyone | Developers | Everyone |
| AI cost model | Your own keys or CLI subscription, opt-in per call | Bundled into the subscription | Your CLI subscription | None |
| JD legitimacy check | Deterministic, 0 tokens | Varies | AI-based | Manual |
| CV tailoring | Multi-pass, you review every change | Yes | Yes (ATS PDF) | Manual |
| Auto-apply | Never, by principle | Some do | Never | No |
| Local paperwork (visa, DE Eigenbemühungen, per-market CV norms) | First-class | No | No | Manual |
| Open source | Yes | No | Yes | n/a |
| Works offline | Yes, core loop is 0-token | No | Partly | Partly |