LM Studio

LM Studio is a desktop application that allows you to discover, download, and run large language models (LLMs) locally on your computer. It provides a clean graphical interface for model management and chat, eliminating the need for cloud APIs or command-line tools.

Overview

LM Studio supports models in GGUF format and provides a local server compatible with the OpenAI API format, making it easy to integrate with existing applications. It uses llama.cpp under the hood for efficient CPU and GPU inference.

Key Features

  • Model Discovery: Browse and download models from Hugging Face Hub directly from the app
  • Local Inference: Run models entirely on your hardware — no cloud required
  • OpenAI-Compatible Server: Local API endpoint that mimics the OpenAI Chat Completions API format
  • Hardware Acceleration: Supports CUDA (NVIDIA), Metal (Apple Silicon), and Vulkan for GPU inference
  • Chat Interface: Built-in chat UI for testing and interacting with models
  • Multiple Model Formats: Supports GGUF and other llama.cpp-compatible formats

Licensing

LM Studio uses a freemium model:

  • Free Tier: The core application is free for personal use, with model downloading and local inference
  • Commercial: Commercial use requires a paid license. The app itself is free but certain features or redistribution may require licensing

See LM Studio Licensing for details.

Official Resources