BotTasks / AI to run offline on your Mac
Best AI to run offline on your Mac
One decision, not a directory. Pricing checked 2026-10-28.
Best pick and alternative
LM Studio
Desktop app to download and run open AI models on your own computer, with a chat interface and a local OpenAI-compatible server.
Free tierFree for local models; Bionic+ cloud plan $20/mo, Pro $100/moProductivity
Ollama
Open-source (MIT) tool for running open AI models locally from the terminal or desktop app, with an API for your own apps and optional cloud models.
Free tierFree to run models locally; cloud models pay as you go or paid plans from $20/moProductivity
- Check your Mac: LM Studio needs Apple silicon (M1 or newer) and macOS 14.0 or later, and 16GB or more of RAM is recommended.
- Download LM Studio from lmstudio.ai and install it.
- While you're still online, search for a model in the app and download one sized for your Mac's memory.
- Load the model and chat; once the model files are downloaded, LM Studio can run entirely offline.
- Optional: start LM Studio's local server so other apps on your Mac can use the model through OpenAI-compatible endpoints.
Why LM Studio
LM Studio lets you find, download and chat with open models in a point-and-click app, runs them with MLX or llama.cpp on Apple silicon, and its docs say it can work entirely offline once you have the model files. Running local models is free.
When to choose Ollama instead
Choose Ollama if you're comfortable in the Terminal or want a local API for your own scripts; it's open source (MIT), free for local use, and also runs on Intel Macs (CPU only), which LM Studio doesn't support.
LM Studio vs Ollama: side-by-side comparison →
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Pricing at a glance
| Tool | Pricing | Free tier |
|---|---|---|
| LM Studio | Free for local models; Bionic+ cloud plan $20/mo, Pro $100/mo | Yes |
| Ollama | Free to run models locally; cloud models pay as you go or paid plans from $20/mo | Yes |
| Jan | Free and open source | Yes |
Pricing changes often; check the official site before buying.
FAQ
What is the best AI to run offline on your Mac?
Our pick is LM Studio: Desktop app to download and run open AI models on your own computer, with a chat interface and a local OpenAI-compatible server. Pricing: Free for local models; Bionic+ cloud plan $20/mo, Pro $100/mo.
When should I choose Ollama instead?
Choose Ollama if you're comfortable in the Terminal or want a local API for your own scripts; it's open source (MIT), free for local use, and also runs on Intel Macs (CPU only), which LM Studio doesn't support.
Does LM Studio have a free plan?
Yes. LM Studio: Free for local models; Bionic+ cloud plan $20/mo, Pro $100/mo.