Short answer
- Never used a terminal? Start with LM Studio: search, download and chat inside one app.
- Want something light that other apps can use, or have an Intel Mac? Pick Ollama.
- Both are free for local use, and you can install both.
Not sure your computer is up to it? Try our “What can my computer run?” checker.
| LM Studio | Ollama | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free for local use |
| How you use it | Point-and-click desktop app with built-in model search (Discover) | Simple app plus one command to download and chat; many other apps plug into it |
| Mac | Apple Silicon only, macOS 14+; recommends 16 GB+ (8 GB works with small models). No Intel Macs. | Yes |
| Windows | Recommends 16 GB RAM and 4 GB+ VRAM; CPU with AVX2; also Snapdragon X laptops | Yes |
| Linux | AppImage (Ubuntu 20.04+) | One-line installer |
| Our experience | Not tested yet (research-based) | We ran Qwen 3.5 0.8B on a CPU-only Linux server. (see the transcript in our guide). |
Facts from each app's official pages and our local AI guide, last checked Oct 15, 2026. We haven't tested LM Studio or the Mac and Windows versions of Ollama.
Which models should I download?
Either app can run the same open models. On an 8–16 GB computer, a good first pick is Qwen 3.5 4B or Gemma 4 E2B (4.6 GB). See the full memory table in our guide or answer 3 questions in the checker.
Sources
- Ollama: download (Mac, Windows, Linux): last checked Oct 15, 2026
- Ollama model library: last checked Oct 15, 2026
- LM Studio: system requirements: last checked Oct 15, 2026
- LM Studio: changelog: last checked Oct 15, 2026
Prices and plans change often. Always confirm on the official site before you buy.