Ollama
thecontinuitylayer.com/tools/local-ai-apps/ollamaAnyone who will build on a local model: apps, agents, chat front-ends
Runner and local server · Ollama
Ollama runs open models on your computer with one command, such as ollama run gemma4. It keeps a library of ready-made builds, so you don't hunt for files, and it runs a local server that other programs talk to.
That server speaks a subset of the OpenAI API at localhost:11434, which is why so many chat apps, coding tools and agents support Ollama out of the box. It also offers cloud models with names ending in :cloud; those run on Ollama's servers and need an account, so skip them if everything must stay on your machine.
Specs
| Price | Free and open source (MIT); optional paid cloud models |
|---|---|
| Runs | Its own library of hundreds of open models, one command each |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux, Docker |
| Difficulty | Easy: a few terminal commands |
| API | Own REST API plus an OpenAI-compatible subset at localhost:11434/v1 |
| License | MIT |
| Cloud | Optional :cloud models run on Ollama's servers |
Good for
- Connecting chat apps, coding tools and agents to a local model
- Switching models quickly
- Scripting and automation
Not for
- People who never want to open a terminal (use LM Studio or Jan)
- Serving many users at once (use vLLM)
See also
- Jan · People who want an open-source ChatGPT-style app that works offline
- Open WebUI · Households, teams and tinkerers who want their own ChatGPT in a browser
- AnythingLLM · People who mainly want to chat with their documents and run simple agents
We last reviewed Ollama on 6 November 2026. Prices and specs change; check ollama.com before you buy or sign up. Figures we could not confirm on the vendor's own page read “not published” or “varies”.
Vendor source: https://github.com/ollama/ollama