Local / open modelsFree

LM Studio

Desktop app to download and run local models, with a local API.

Is it actually free? Free

The desktop app is free for personal and internal business use under its app terms; it is not open source. The optional Bionic+ plan ($20/month) adds private, US-hosted OSS models.

Pricing

Free app (not open source); optional Bionic+ $20/month for private, US-hosted OSS models.

Best for

Trying local models through a point-and-click desktop app.

Not great for

Anyone who needs an open-source license.

Alternatives

Local / open modelsFree

Ollama

Runs open models on your own computer with one command, on Mac, Windows and Linux.

Free? Free to download and use under the MIT license. Latest release checked: v0.40.4 (October 12, 2026). Model speed depends on your computer.

Local / open modelsFree

llama.cpp

The open-source C/C++ engine for running local models, continuously updated.

Free? Free under the MIT license. You build or download it yourself and run it from the command line or as a local server.

Last checked 2026-10-14 · Source: lmstudio.ai pricing ↗ · lmstudio.ai pricing ↗ · How we verify · Report an error