Ollama or LM Studio: which should I use?

LM Studio is easier: a desktop app where you search, download and chat without a terminal. Ollama is a small open-source program you run with commands, and it is the one most other apps and agents plug into. Many people install both: LM Studio to try models, Ollama to build on.

Can I run AI locally without a graphics card?

Yes. Ollama, LM Studio, Jan, llama.cpp and LocalAI all run on the processor alone. Small models of 3 to 8 billion parameters are usable that way; bigger ones get slow. An Apple Silicon Mac uses its built-in graphics and shared memory, which is much faster than a PC processor alone.

Is a local AI app private?

The model itself runs on your machine, so what you type does not have to leave it. But some apps also offer cloud models that run on the maker's servers, and add-ons such as web search send your questions out. Use models without "cloud" in the name and check the app's settings if privacy is the reason you are here.

Tools · Local AI apps

Best apps to run AI locally (2026): Ollama, LM Studio, Jan, Open WebUI and more

thecontinuitylayer.com/tools/local-ai-apps

Start with LM Studio if you want an app with buttons, or Jan if you want the same thing in open source. Pick Ollama if you will connect other tools to your model, add Open WebUI on top for a ChatGPT-style page the household can share, and leave llama.cpp and vLLM for when you need full control or many users.

The best app to run AI locally depends on one question: do you want buttons, or something to build on? Every app here is free to use for local models. They differ on how easy they are, whether their code is open, and what they add on top of the model.

9 entries · Last reviewed 6 November 2026 · US dollars · No affiliate links

Compared at a glance

Prices and fees are the ones each vendor published on the day in the table; check the vendor before buying. Price read from each vendor's own page on 6 November 2026; 9 of 9 carried a figure that day. Where a vendor showed none, the cell says “not published”.

Local AI apps: name, what it is for, price, verdict and vendor link
Tool	Best for	Price	Verdict	Link
LM StudioDesktop app	Easiest first install	Free; Bionic+ $20/month, Pro $100/month	The easiest start: a polished app that finds, downloads and runs models, with a local server when you want one. The app itself is not open source.	lmstudio.ai ↗
OllamaRunner and local server	The standard base to build on	Free (MIT license)	The default engine most other local apps plug into: one command to run a model, and an OpenAI-compatible API on your machine.	ollama.com ↗
JanDesktop app	Open-source desktop chat	Free (Apache 2.0)	The open-source answer to LM Studio: a clean chat app that runs models offline, with a local API and MCP tools.	jan.ai ↗
Open WebUISelf-hosted chat interface	Your own ChatGPT for the house	Free to self-host	The most complete front end: accounts, documents, memory and web search on top of Ollama or any OpenAI-style API.	openwebui.com ↗
AnythingLLMDesktop app and server	Chat with your documents	Free (MIT); hosted price not published	The quickest route to a private assistant over your own files, with agents built in; multi-user needs the Docker version.	anythingllm.com ↗
llama.cppInference engine	Maximum control, any hardware	Free (MIT license)	The engine under much of local AI. More setup than Ollama, but every setting is yours, and new models often land here first.	github.com ↗
KoboldCppSingle-file runner	Stories and role-play	Free (AGPL-3.0)	One file, no install, with writing tools (memory, world info, character cards) the general apps don't have.	github.com ↗
LocalAISelf-hosted API server	Drop-in replacement for AI APIs	Free (MIT license)	One server that answers like OpenAI's, Anthropic's and ElevenLabs' APIs, for apps you can't rewrite; runs without a GPU.	localai.io ↗
vLLMServing engine	Serving many users	Free (Apache 2.0)	The serving engine for real traffic on rented or owned GPUs; overkill for one person on a laptop.	docs.vllm.ai ↗

Every local ai apps entry

Desktop app · LM Studio
LM Studio
Price
Free to run local models; paid plans for its agent and hosted models
Runs
GGUF models through llama.cpp, and MLX models on Apple Silicon
Beginners who want buttons, not a terminal
Details lmstudio.ai ↗
Runner and local server · Ollama
Ollama
Price
Free and open source (MIT); optional paid cloud models
Runs
Its own library of hundreds of open models, one command each
Anyone who will build on a local model: apps, agents, chat front-ends
Details ollama.com ↗
Desktop app · Jan (janhq)
Jan
Price
Free and open source (Apache 2.0)
Runs
Open models from Hugging Face through bundled llama.cpp; optional hosted models
People who want an open-source ChatGPT-style app that works offline
Details jan.ai ↗
Self-hosted chat interface · Open WebUI
Open WebUI
Price
Free to self-host (Open WebUI License)
Runs
Any Ollama or OpenAI-compatible backend, local or hosted
Households, teams and tinkerers who want their own ChatGPT in a browser
Details openwebui.com ↗
Desktop app and server · Mintplex Labs
AnythingLLM
Price
Free and open source (MIT); a hosted instance is sold
Runs
Built-in local engine, or Ollama, LM Studio, LocalAI and hosted APIs
People who mainly want to chat with their documents and run simple agents
Details anythingllm.com ↗
Inference engine · ggml-org
llama.cpp
Price
Free and open source (MIT)
Runs
GGUF models on almost any hardware: CPU, NVIDIA, Apple, AMD, Intel, Vulkan
Tinkerers who want the most control and the newest features first
Details github.com ↗
Single-file runner · LostRuins
KoboldCpp
Price
Free and open source (AGPL-3.0)
Runs
GGUF text models plus image generation, built on llama.cpp
Fiction writers and role-players
Details github.com ↗
Self-hosted API server · LocalAI
LocalAI
Price
Free and open source (MIT)
Runs
Text, images, voice, embeddings and video behind OpenAI-style APIs
Developers replacing paid AI APIs with their own server
Details localai.io ↗
Serving engine · vLLM project
vLLM
Price
Free and open source (Apache 2.0)
Runs
Most open models on NVIDIA, AMD and Intel GPUs, plus TPUs and others by plugin
Teams serving a model to many users at once
Details docs.vllm.ai ↗

Questions people ask

Ollama or LM Studio: which should I use?: LM Studio is easier: a desktop app where you search, download and chat without a terminal. Ollama is a small open-source program you run with commands, and it is the one most other apps and agents plug into. Many people install both: LM Studio to try models, Ollama to build on.
Can I run AI locally without a graphics card?: Yes. Ollama, LM Studio, Jan, llama.cpp and LocalAI all run on the processor alone. Small models of 3 to 8 billion parameters are usable that way; bigger ones get slow. An Apple Silicon Mac uses its built-in graphics and shared memory, which is much faster than a PC processor alone.
Is a local AI app private?: The model itself runs on your machine, so what you type does not have to leave it. But some apps also offer cloud models that run on the maker's servers, and add-ons such as web search send your questions out. Use models without "cloud" in the name and check the app's settings if privacy is the reason you are here.

How we pick: a tool is listed because people use it to run open models, never because it pays. No link on this page pays us today; if that changes it will be marked here. How links work on this site. New to open models? Start with Run your own AI, or install one in fifteen minutes with your first local model.