LM Studio
Local & open models · Free
About
A desktop app for discovering, downloading and chatting with local open models, with a local server mode.
Key features
- Model browser and downloads
- Chat with documents
- Local API server
- Hardware compatibility hints
Best for
- — Non-developers running local models
- — Comparing quantised models
- Pricing
- Free
- Platforms
- macOS, Windows, Linux
- Last checked
- 2026-10-29
- Status
- Listed, not yet tested
Our take
Friendly GUI for local AI. Big models need lots of RAM or VRAM to run well.
Features and pricing change often — confirm on lmstudio.ai before you commit.
Alternatives to LM Studio
| Tool | Type | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| LM Studio (this) | Local & open models | Free | Non-developers running local models |
| Ollama | Local & open models | Open source | Private, offline AI |
| Jan | Local & open models | Open source | Open-source offline chat |
| ChatGPT | General assistants | Freemium | General writing and brainstorming |
| Claude | General assistants | Freemium | Long-document analysis |
| Gemini | General assistants | Freemium | Google Workspace users |
| Microsoft Copilot | General assistants | Freemium | Microsoft 365 users |