6 Best Free Software to Run AI Models (LLMs) Locally

Here is a list of best free software to run LLMs locally. A local LLM is an AI chat model that runs entirely on your own computer. Nothing you type is sent to a server, it works offline, and there is no subscription. Open-weight models such as Llama, Qwen, Gemma, Mistral, DeepSeek and gpt-oss are now good enough for writing, summarizing, coding help and chatting with your own documents.

All the tools below are free. They differ in who they are made for: some are polished desktop apps for beginners, others are developer tools that expose an API for other programs. Performance between them is close because most use the same engine (llama.cpp) underneath, so pick based on how you want to work.

What you need:

• A reasonably modern PC or Mac. 8GB RAM runs small models (around 3B–4B parameters); 16GB or more is better for 7B–14B models.
• A GPU with enough VRAM, or an Apple Silicon Mac, makes answers much faster, but a CPU alone also works.
• Several gigabytes of free disk space per model.

Top Pick:

LM Studio is the easiest way to start: browse models, download one with a click and start chatting. Developers who want to plug local models into other apps should choose Ollama.

Comparison Table:

Software	Best for	Interface	Open source	Platforms
Ollama	Developers, other apps	Command line + API (basic app)	✓	Windows, macOS, Linux
LM Studio	Beginners	Desktop app	x	Windows, macOS, Linux
Jan	Privacy-focused users	Desktop app	✓	Windows, macOS, Linux
GPT4All	Chatting with local documents	Desktop app	✓	Windows, macOS, Linux
AnythingLLM	Document workspaces and agents	Desktop app	✓	Windows, macOS, Linux
Open WebUI	A ChatGPT-like web interface	Browser (self-hosted)	✓	Any (Docker/Python)

Ollama

Ollama is the most popular way to run local models from the command line. One command such as ollama run llama3.2 downloads the model and starts a chat. It also runs a local API server that is compatible with the OpenAI API, so hundreds of other apps, editors and AI agents can use your local models.

Ollama now ships a simple chat window as well, but its real strength is being the engine behind other tools. Several apps in this list, including Open WebUI and AnythingLLM, can connect to it.

Pros	Cons
One-command model downloads	Mainly a command-line tool
OpenAI-compatible local API	Fewer settings in its own chat window
Supported by most local AI apps

Home Page

LM Studio

LM Studio is a polished desktop app with a built-in model browser. It shows which versions of a model fit your hardware, downloads them and lets you chat right away. It can also run a local API server, supports Apple’s MLX engine on Macs and can use MCP tools.

LM Studio is free for personal use, and since July 2025 it is also free for use at work without a separate commercial license. The app itself is not open source.

Pros	Cons
Very beginner-friendly	Closed source
Shows which models fit your RAM/VRAM	Larger download than CLI tools
Free for work use, local API server, MLX on Mac

Home Page

Jan

Jan is a fully open-source ChatGPT alternative that runs offline. It has a clean chat interface, downloads models from Hugging Face and keeps all conversations on your computer. It can optionally connect to cloud models with your own API key if you want to mix local and online models in one app.

Pros	Cons
100% open source	Fewer advanced options than LM Studio
Clean ChatGPT-like interface
Optional cloud models with your own key

Home Page

GPT4All

GPT4All from Nomic is a desktop app with a feature called LocalDocs. Point it at a folder of PDFs, text files or notes, and it indexes them so the model can answer questions using your own files, all offline. It is a good fit if chatting with documents is your main goal.

Pros	Cons
LocalDocs for private document chat	Slower update pace than Ollama and LM Studio
Runs well on CPU-only computers	Smaller model catalog
Open source

Home Page

AnythingLLM

AnythingLLM organizes chats into workspaces, each with its own documents, settings and model. It can use a built-in model runner, Ollama, LM Studio or cloud providers, and it includes AI agents that can browse the web or run tools. The desktop version is free and runs as a single-user app.

Pros	Cons
Workspaces with their own documents	More settings to learn
Works with Ollama, LM Studio and cloud APIs
Built-in agent tools

Home Page

Open WebUI

Open WebUI is a self-hosted web interface that looks and works much like ChatGPT. You install it with Docker or Python, connect it to Ollama or any OpenAI-compatible API, and then use it from any browser on your network. It supports multiple users, document uploads, web search and more.

This is the best choice if you want to run models on one powerful machine and use them from other devices.

Pros	Cons
ChatGPT-like interface in the browser	Needs Docker or Python to install
Multi-user support	Not a standalone model runner
Very active development

Home Page

Run It on a Server Instead:

If you want your models available from anywhere, not just on your home network, you can run Ollama and Open WebUI on a VPS. Be realistic about what a cheap VPS can do: it has no GPU, so only small quantized models (roughly 1B to 8B parameters) run at a usable speed, and replies are slower than on a gaming PC. For larger models you need a GPU server, which costs far more.

A VPS with 8GB of RAM runs 1B–4B models; for 7B–8B models, 16GB is more comfortable. Hostinger’s KVM 2 (8GB RAM, 2 vCPUs) and KVM 4 (16GB RAM, 4 vCPUs) plans fit these sizes, and its VPS catalog includes a ready-made Ollama template with Open WebUI, so you don’t have to install Docker, Ollama and Open WebUI by hand. See Hostinger VPS plans.

The Hostinger link is an affiliate link. See our affiliate disclaimer.

Final Thoughts:

If you just want private AI chat on your computer, install LM Studio or Jan. If you want local models to power other apps, start with Ollama, and add Open WebUI or AnythingLLM on top when you want a richer interface or document chat.