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Asiden Review: Windows 11 AI Desktop Companion With Local and Optional Cloud AI

·6 min readBy Hans Kuepper · Founder of PromptQuorum · Discovery engine for open-weight & open-source AI

Asiden is a closed-source, early-access Windows 11 companion app with 3D and Live2D characters that, according to its maker, keeps chat and memory on your PC by default. Local mode needs an NVIDIA GPU with 8 GB of VRAM, and the optional cloud features send data off the PC.

Key Takeaways

  • Maker: Asiden Labs Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales, described on its own site as a solo developer; the product is early-access software.
  • Pace: the changelog runs from version 0.24.0 on 7 September 2026 to version 0.32.2 on 18 October 2026.
  • Characters: four signature companions (Mei, Lily, Jae and Sasha), ten further personality presets and a custom personality wizard; Lily and Sasha also have Live2D looks.
  • Steam: a store page exists but lists the release as coming soon; the website and Itch.io editions can be bought now.

📍 In One Sentence

Asiden is a closed-source Windows 11 desktop companion that shows a 3D or Live2D character, remembers what you tell it and can look at your screen when you allow it.

💬 In Plain Terms

You buy a licence key, install a large signed Windows program, and it downloads one local language model sized for your graphics card. After setup, chat, memory, speech and screen vision can work offline; paid cloud plans add hosted models.

📌Note: This review is based on asiden.ai and its linked legal pages, the download server's response headers and the Steam store page, checked on 24 October 2026. It involved no hands-on use, network inspection or benchmarking.

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Asiden is an early-access AI desktop companion for Windows 11 from Asiden Labs Ltd, which its site describes as a solo developer. According to the maker, chat, memory, voice and screen vision run locally on an NVIDIA GPU, with optional paid cloud AI. This review reflects asiden.ai, its pricing, privacy and safety pages and its changelog, as checked on 24 October 2026.

Asiden Review: Windows 11 AI Desktop Companion With Local and Optional Cloud AI

What Is Asiden?

Asiden is a desktop companion for Windows 11: a named character that sits on your desktop, talks by text or voice, builds memories over time and can look at your screen when you choose. The site presents four signature companions, Mei, Lily, Jae and Sasha, each with a short personality sketch, plus ten further personality presets and a wizard for writing your own.

The maker is Asiden Labs Ltd (company number 17312549, registered in England and Wales). The app is for adults aged 18 or over; the safety page says it uses age self-certification, not age verification, and the terms prohibit explicit sexual content.

Where Your Chats Run

By default Asiden runs on your PC: the maker says local chat, memory, speech and screen vision keep your conversations and on-screen context on the machine, and cloud models are optional.

  • Local model. On first run the app measures your GPU and recommends one Gemma model for both chat and screen vision. The download is roughly 4-19 GB, and activation and that download need an internet connection.
  • Offline. After activation and setup the maker says local chat, memories, voice and vision keep working without a connection; updates, downloads and web searches still need one.
  • Local voice and video. Version 0.31.0 (9 October 2026) added Pocket, 23 male and female voices that run locally; version 0.26.0 added local video analysis with a compatible Gemma model.
  • Cloud, optional. Plus and Premium add hosted chat, voice, vision and video, paid in Sparks; the privacy section below covers what those requests send.

Get It

Platform
Where to get it
Windows 11 (64-bit)Signed installer, 4.09 GB; paid licence key needed
SteamStore page (release listed as coming soon)
Itch.ioItch.io page (linked from the site; not opened here)
Other systemsNo Windows 10, Mac, Linux or phone version (per the site)
Minimum PC16 GB RAM, NVIDIA GPU with 8 GB VRAM, 25 GB free
Recommended PC32 GB RAM, NVIDIA GPU with 16 GB VRAM, 40 GB free
Websiteasiden.ai
Privacy policyPrivacy Notice (updated 8 October 2026)

Version reviewed: 0.32.2, released on 18 October 2026, the newest changelog entry (a code-signing fix). The installer on the download server carries the same date, so this is the app's most recent update and no stale warning applies. Setup needs an internet connection; the published GPU requirement is NVIDIA, and the site says the app checks your hardware on first run.

Pricing

The app costs $10 once during early access: a purchase, not a subscription or trial, with unlimited local conversations afterwards. The site calls this the early-access price and says it may change, while what you have already bought stays bought.

Plus ($15 per month, 1,250 Sparks per paid renewal) and Premium ($30 per month, 3,000 Sparks) are optional and add managed cloud chat, voice, vision and video. Sparks pay for those cloud features; local use does not spend them. Paid cloud plans are capped at 100 subscribers during early access, and the site lists prices in US dollars only.

The Steam edition is described as using prepaid Sparks bought through Steam instead of the website plans, and an Itch.io purchase already covers the local app.

Features Listed by the Developer

Everything below comes from asiden.ai and its changelog; none of it was tested.

  • Characters. 3D models, Live2D looks for Lily and Sasha (version 0.32.0, 17 October 2026) and imported VRM models; appearance, personality and memories are separate settings.
  • Memory. Distilled memories saved on your drive that you can inspect, correct, add to and reset per companion; the site warns that recall is not guaranteed to be correct.
  • Screen awareness. Optional: snip a region or switch on ongoing vision in Settings. The site mentions game recognition and downloadable game wiki packs, with coverage varying by game.
  • Proactive chat. Proactive Chattiness runs from Reserved to Non-stop, and Pause stops the companion listening, watching and replying.
  • Voice. Push-to-talk or hands-free microphone input; cloud studio voices are limited to 30,000 characters per account each calendar month, and local voices remain available.

Privacy Policy and Data Flow

The privacy notice (last updated 8 October 2026) says Asiden is local by default: local chat, memory and screen context stay on your PC, and information leaves it only when you choose a networked feature such as activation, purchase, cloud chat, cloud voice or cloud vision.

Managed cloud requests go through the maker's proxy, hosted on Microsoft Azure in the UK, to Venice AI or OpenRouter and a downstream model provider; cloud speech goes to ElevenLabs. The notice says the proxy is designed not to save prompt or reply content and that conversation content is not used to train the maker's own models, but also that this is not end-to-end encryption and that providers apply their own retention. A cloud request can include relevant saved memories and, if you enabled it, a selected screenshot. Local screen vision is off until you enable it, and cloud vision is off by default.

📌Note: Asiden is closed source, so none of this can be checked in code, and PromptQuorum has not inspected network traffic. Companion chats can be personal: read what a cloud request can contain in the notice before switching cloud features on.

Who Should Use It

  • Windows 11 gamers and desktop users with an NVIDIA GPU of 8 GB VRAM or more who want a character that comments on what they play or work on.
  • People who want local-first chat and memory without a per-message fee and accept early-access software.
  • Users with weaker hardware who are comfortable with cloud AI and would use Plus or Premium instead of the local model.

What We Could Not Verify

  • Hands-on behavior. Answer quality, voice quality, speed, VRAM use, offline operation and the effect on games were not tested.
  • Privacy in practice. The statements come from the maker's notice and site; no network traffic was inspected and no independent audit was found.
  • AMD and Intel graphics. The published requirement is an NVIDIA GPU; the site says only that the app measures your hardware on first run.
  • Itch.io listing. It is linked from the site, but the page sat behind a bot check and was not read.
  • Steam edition. The store page lists the release as coming soon, so the Steam version and its credit system cannot be checked yet.
  • Source and signing. The app is closed source with no public repository; the installer is described as signed with a published checksum, but neither was verified here.
  • Safety features. The safety page describes on-device crisis checks and a fixed response; how well they work was not tested, and the app is not a therapist or an emergency service.

Competitors and Alternatives

Backyard AI

Platforms:
Windows, macOS
Price / license:
Freemium / Closed source
Key difference:
Local character chat and roleplay desktop client
Articles about Backyard AI (4)

Also mentioned in:

Castmates

Platforms:
iOS
Price / license:
Freemium / Closed source
Key difference:
Offline character chat on the iPhone

Competitor details change often; confirm each app's current price, license and platforms on its own listing.

Compare in directory

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Asiden without a subscription?

Yes. The subscriptions only unlock managed cloud features, and the maker says cancelling leaves the app, local mode and your memories on your PC. Relevant memories may already have been included in past cloud requests.

Is Asiden on Steam?

A Steam page exists but lists the release as coming soon. It describes a buy-once edition with optional prepaid cloud credits.

Is Asiden suitable for children?

No. The maker says it is for adults aged 18 or over and relies on self-certification, not age verification.

Verdict

Asiden is a young, frequently updated Windows 11 companion whose pitch is local chat and memory for a one-off price, with paid cloud AI as an option. Its limits are early-access status, a solo developer, closed source, an NVIDIA-only local mode, a very large download, and privacy and safety statements that come from the maker. It suits NVIDIA-equipped Windows users who want to try a persistent companion; anyone who needs open source or other platforms should compare RisuAI or Backyard AI.

Sources

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