LM Studio

3.9Setuproll editorial score

LM Studio is a free desktop app that lets you download, browse, and run open-weight LLMs locally on Mac, Windows, or Linux. It includes a built-in chat UI and a local OpenAI-compatible server. No account, no CLI knowledge, and no cost beyond your own hardware.

LM Studio is a free desktop app for Mac, Windows, and Linux that lets you download and chat with hundreds of open-weight models from Hugging Face without any command-line setup. It includes a model browser built into the app, a built-in chat interface, and a local server that can stand in for the OpenAI API, so tools that support OpenAI can use it as a local backend. Most models load from GGUF files, which LM Studio handles automatically, and it lets you tune settings like context length, temperature, and GPU offload through a GUI. There is no account and no subscription.

Desktop app for downloading and running local LLMs with a built-in chat interface. Built by LM Studio, it is strongest as an AI models tool. You run it locally or self-host it and it is open source, so you can self-host or bring your own key. Reach for it when you need run local LLMs, model download, local chat UI.

Specs

ProviderLM Studio

AccessLocal

PricingOpen SourceFree

Open sourceYes

ContextModel-dependent

Best forBrowsing and chatting with local models on a desktop

Score3.9Setuproll editorial score

DomainsAI Models AI Coding

ReleaseActive, updated 2026

Pricing

Verified October 2026

FreeFree

Full access to the model browser, local chat, and local server. No account or credit card required.

LM Studio is free for personal use and does not require an account. Commercial use requires a paid license; check lmstudio.ai for the current commercial terms. Hardware is the main cost: most 7B models need a GPU with 8 GB of VRAM or more for a comfortable inference speed.

Full LM Studio pricing breakdown