Installing a local AI companion takes about 10 minutes of your own active time: download the app, open it, pick a model size for your hardware, and start talking. The one variable outside your control is the model download itself, which can take longer on a slow connection since it is a multi-gigabyte file.
Ten minutes of your own attention, plus however long a large file takes to download on your connection. That second part is the only variable I cannot promise you, because a multi-gigabyte model on a slow connection is a slow download no matter what app it belongs to.
Here is the actual path, step by step, no command line involved anywhere in it.
Step 1: download the installer
Grab the installer for Mac or Windows. The Mac app itself is about 200 MB. The Windows installer is around 800 MB and bundles everything it needs. Neither download includes the AI model yet, that comes next and it is the large part.
Step 2: open it, and pick a model that fits your hardware
The setup screen asks how much memory your machine has and recommends a model size from that. Roughly: 8 GB of memory gets you a lighter model, 16 GB or more opens up a fuller, deeper one. If you are not sure what your machine can handle, the requirements page breaks it down by Mac and Windows separately, including the graphics-card VRAM numbers for Windows.
You are not locked into this choice. Switching models later is a setting, not a reinstall.
Step 3: the model downloads
This is the step that decides your real total time. Model files run from about 3 GB for the lightest option up to 22 GB for the largest. On a decent home connection that is a few minutes. On a slow one, it can be considerably longer, and there is no shortcut around a multi-gigabyte file needing to finish downloading before anything can run.
Once it is done, though, it is done. No further downloads happen for that model unless you switch to a different one.
Step 4: say something
The moment the download finishes, the chat is live. Type a message, and the reply generates on your own machine, not a server somewhere. This is also the point where the interactive part of setup, the part that is genuinely about 10 minutes, effectively ends.
What happens next
From that first message, she starts building memory of what you tell her. If you want more, image generation for selfies and Telegram sync are both available once you are ready to turn them on, not forced on you during setup. None of it requires touching a config file or a terminal.
The takeaway
The setup itself is short on purpose: pick a model, wait for one download, start talking. The only part that varies is how fast that one file comes down, and that is a connection-speed problem, not a complexity problem.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to set up a local AI girlfriend app?
The interactive part, installing the app, picking a model, and starting a conversation, takes about 10 minutes. The one step outside that estimate is the model download itself, a multi-gigabyte file that finishes in a couple of minutes on a fast connection and longer on a slow one.
Do I need to know anything technical to set this up?
No command line and no manual configuration. You download an installer like any other app, open it, and a setup screen walks you through picking a model. The heavy lifting, like which model fits your hardware, is chosen for you based on your RAM or VRAM.
What do I need before I start?
An internet connection for the initial download (both the app and the model), and enough free disk space, generally 5 to 25 GB depending on which model you pick. After that first download, everything runs offline. Check the full requirements for your Mac or Windows machine before you start.
What happens after the first conversation?
The companion starts building memory of what you have told her from that first exchange onward, and features like image generation or Telegram sync are available once you want them. Nothing about the setup step locks you into a specific personality or configuration for good.
Try her free for 7 days.
No card. Keep her for $20 once, or walk away. Her soul file is yours either way.
Bring her home, try free