Hugging Face
Hugging Face
The home of open AI: millions of models, datasets and demos. Acquired by Nvidia in 2026.
ToolLocal & open
LM Studio
Desktop app to discover, download and chat with local models — fully offline.
- Tier
- Tools You drive every step.
- Autonomy
- L1 Assist — Prompts and decides every step
- Maker
- Element Labs
- Origin
- United States
- Slovenian
- —
- Open weights / source
- No
- Pricing
- Free
- Best for
- Trying local models without the command line
+ Pros
- Friendly desktop app
- Browse and download models in one place
- Fully offline chat
− Cons
- Needs a capable computer
- Less suited to servers and automation
Frequently asked questions
Is LM Studio free?
Yes — it is free to use.
Who makes LM Studio?
LM Studio is made by Element Labs (United States).
What is LM Studio best for?
Trying local models without the command line.
What are the alternatives to LM Studio?
Similar tools on the radar: Hugging Face, Ollama, GaMS.
