BotTools / Productivity
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
LM Studio at a glance
| Category | Productivity |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Free for local models; Bionic+ cloud plan $20/mo, Pro $100/mo |
| Free tier | Yes |
| Pricing checked | 2026-10-28 |
| Official site | lmstudio.ai |
Good for
What LM Studio is used for
- Chat with open models on your own computer, with no internet needed once the model files are downloaded.
- Find and download models from Hugging Face inside the app, then run them with llama.cpp (GGUF) or, on Apple silicon Macs, MLX.
- Chat with your own documents, fully offline.
- Serve local models to other apps over OpenAI-compatible endpoints, on your machine or your network; there is also an lms command-line tool and Python and JavaScript SDKs.
LM Studio pricing and key facts
- Runs on macOS, Windows and Linux. On a Mac it needs Apple silicon (M1, M2, M3 or M4) and macOS 14.0 or newer; Intel Macs are not supported.
- 16GB or more of RAM is recommended on a Mac; 8GB Macs may work with smaller models and modest context sizes.
- Free plan ($0): run local models with llama.cpp and MLX, the Bionic agent, offline voice transcription and limited web search. Bionic+ ($20/mo) adds US-hosted open-source cloud models and web search; Pro is $100/mo.
From the official site, checked 2026-10-28: lmstudio.ai/docs/app, lmstudio.ai/docs/app/system-requirements, lmstudio.ai/pricing.
LM Studio FAQ
Can LM Studio run without internet?
Yes. LM Studio's docs say it can operate entirely offline once you've downloaded some model files.
Does LM Studio work on an Intel Mac?
No. On macOS it needs an Apple silicon Mac (M1 or newer) running macOS 14.0 or later.
Is LM Studio free?
Running local models is free. Paid Bionic+ ($20/mo) and Pro ($100/mo) plans add cloud models and more usage.
Task guides where LM Studio is the best pick
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Pricing changes often; confirm on the official site before buying.