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5 more ways to get LM Studio
Other download sites
Run by third parties, not by Element Labs, Inc.. Prefer the official page above when it works.
Package managers
- Chocolatey
choco install lm-studio - Homebrew
brew install --cask lm-studio - Flathub
flatpak install flathub ai.lmstudio.lm-studio - PyPI
pip install lmstudio
About LM Studio
LM Studio searches Hugging Face from inside the app, downloads models, and runs them locally through llama.cpp or MLX. Beyond chat it serves those models on OpenAI-compatible endpoints, locally or across your network, so existing tools that expect an OpenAI API can be pointed at your own machine.
Recent versions add an agent called Bionic that can edit documents, do coding tasks and transcribe speech locally, plus MCP server support. The free plan covers local models and the agent; paid plans add the company’s hosted cloud models. The application itself is proprietary.
Strengths
- Search and download models from Hugging Face without leaving the app
- Serves local models on OpenAI-compatible endpoints, locally and over the network
- Runs on llama.cpp and MLX, so Apple Silicon is a first-class target
- Python and TypeScript SDKs plus an lms command line tool
- Connects MCP servers to local models
Limitations
- Closed source, unlike most of the local-AI stack it builds on
- Cloud features require an account and a subscription
- Large models still need serious hardware; the app cannot change that
Details
- Pricing
- FreemiumThe free plan runs local models and the built-in agent. Paid plans from $20 a month add hosted cloud models.
- License
- Proprietary
- Developer
- Element Labs, Inc.
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Trying several local models quickly, with a real interface rather than a terminal
- Categories
- Local AI tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (AI); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 6 sources on file.
Alternatives to LM Studio
Compare allSoftware that can replace LM Studio for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
Ollama
The simplest way to pull down an open language model and run it on your own machine, from one command or a desktop app.
Ollama is MIT-licensed open source and runs models from one command or a desktop app with a localhost REST API, with a simpler interface than LM Studio.
Jan
An open-source ChatGPT replacement that runs entirely offline, and can also front cloud providers when you want them.
Jan is Apache 2.0 licensed and runs local models offline while also fronting cloud providers, though it is still pre-1.0 and changing between releases.
GPT4All
A local AI chat app with document chat built in, from Nomic AI. Stable, MIT licensed, but not updated since early 2025.
GPT4All is MIT-licensed open source with LocalDocs document chat and CPU operation, but its latest release dates from February 2025.
Msty
Desktop workspace for chatting with local and hosted AI models in one place.
Msty runs local and hosted models with prompt libraries and knowledge bases in one desktop app, and like LM Studio it is closed source with paid features.
AnythingLLM
A desktop AI app that answers questions about your own documents, with no account and no API key needed.
AnythingLLM is MIT-licensed and combines chat, a vector database and document pipeline in one install, focused on document questions rather than model browsing.
KoboldCpp
A single executable that runs GGUF language models locally, with a web interface and no installation at all.
KoboldCpp is an AGPL-licensed single executable with OpenAI-compatible endpoints plus image and speech features, but you find model files yourself and the interface is dense.
TextGen
Chat with local language models using the TextGen desktop interface.
TextGen is an open-source AGPL-3.0 desktop interface for local models with text, vision and API access in portable builds.
llama.cpp
The C++ engine most local AI apps are built on, running language models on ordinary hardware.
llama.cpp is the MIT-licensed engine LM Studio builds on, offering a built-in server and basic web interface but a command-line-first workflow.
LM Studio as an alternative
Listings that name LM Studio as an alternative.
llamafile
Packages a language model and the code to run it into one executable file that works on several operating systems without installation.
LM Studio offers a desktop interface with Hugging Face model search and an OpenAI-compatible server, but it is closed source and requires installing the app.
LocalAI
Serve language, image and speech models on your own hardware.
LM Studio serves local models on OpenAI-compatible endpoints from a polished desktop app, but it is closed source and focused on language models.
Open WebUI
A self-hosted chat interface that talks to Ollama and any OpenAI-compatible API, so your local models get a proper front end.
LM Studio is a closed-source desktop app that downloads and runs local models itself and serves them over OpenAI-compatible endpoints, instead of a self-hosted multi-user web interface.
vLLM
High-throughput, memory-efficient inference and serving engine for LLMs.
LM Studio is a closed-source desktop app that serves local models on OpenAI-compatible endpoints over llama.cpp and MLX, aimed at trying models rather than production serving.
Witsy
Use AI models and MCP tools through a desktop assistant.
LM Studio is a closed-source desktop app that downloads and runs local models itself and connects MCP servers to them, with cloud features requiring a subscription.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
Chatbox
A desktop and mobile chat client for AI models, where you supply your own API keys or point it at a local model.
Cherry Studio
Use several AI providers from one desktop chat application.
