Ollama
Runs open AI models like Gemma, Qwen and DeepSeek on your own machine or in the cloud.
- Stars
- 186k
- Forks
- 18.9k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Go
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Ollama is a tool for downloading and running open-weight AI language models locally, with a simple command line and a REST API. The README says it also offers cloud access and can connect to coding tools and assistants such as Claude Code, Codex and OpenClaw. People use it to try models privately or to build apps that call a model through a local API.
- Run a model such as Gemma 4 from the terminal with a single command
- Send chat requests to a local REST API at localhost:11434
- Call models from Python or JavaScript using the official client libraries
- Launch an integration with a coding tool such as Claude Code or OpenCode
- Connect a community chat interface like Open WebUI to a local Ollama instance
Great for
- Developers who want a local model API for their own apps
- People who want to chat with open models without sending prompts to a hosted service
- Users who want to connect a coding assistant to a local or self-chosen model
- Students experimenting with different open models from a terminal
Not ideal for
- People who need the most capable closed frontier models, since this focuses on open models
- Users with limited disk space or memory, because model files can be large and need capable hardware (the README does not give specific requirements)
- Non-technical users who want a polished desktop app with no terminal use, although the README mentions a download option for macOS and Windows
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
macOS and Linux install
curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | shWindows install (PowerShell)
irm https://ollama.com/install.ps1 | iexInstall Python client
pip install ollamaInstall JavaScript client
npm i ollama - 2
Run it
- Install Ollama using the command for your operating system
- Run `ollama` in a terminal to be prompted to run a model or connect an app
- Run `ollama run gemma4` to chat with the Gemma 4 model
- Or send a request to the REST API at http://localhost:11434/api/chat
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use `ollama launch` with a supported integration such as Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode
- Browse the model library at ollama.com/library for other models
- Use the Python or JavaScript libraries to build your own apps on the local API
- Try a community web or desktop interface such as Open WebUI or AnythingLLM
- Read the Modelfile and API documentation to customize models
Downloads
Strengths
- Simple install and run commands across macOS, Windows, Linux and Docker
- Official Python and JavaScript libraries plus a documented REST API
- Large community with many integrations listed in the README
Trade-offs
- The README is truncated and does not state hardware requirements or model sizes
- Some features, such as cloud access and specific integrations, depend on Ollama's own services and documentation that is only partly described here
- Model quality and licensing depend on each individual model, not on Ollama itself
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ollama (this) | 186k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers who want a local model API for their own apps |
| llama.cpp | 133k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who want to run open-weight models locally without a cloud API |
| mindshub | 39.8k | App | intermediate | 13 days ago | Knowledge workers who want to automate reading and writing tasks like reports and recurring workflows |
| OmniRoute | 83.8k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who use several AI coding tools and want one place to configure providers |
| DeepSeek-Reasonix | 36k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers who want an AI assistant to make multi-step changes in a local project |
| magpie | 28.2k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | People who use more than one AI coding agent and want one place to manage their models |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.