Ollama

OllamaSince 2023-01

Ollama allows users to run large language models directly on their local hardware, providing privacy and speed without relying on cloud services. It supports a variety of models and is optimized for both CPU and GPU usage. The tool is ideal for developers and researchers who need offline access to AI capabilities.

Ollama simplifies the deployment of LLMs by providing a straightforward interface for local execution. The company focuses on making AI accessible and efficient for individual and enterprise use.

LM StudioSince 2023-04

LM Studio is the premier desktop application for discovering, downloading, and running large language models locally on your personal computer. With a polished visual interface, LM Studio makes running models like Llama 3.3, DeepSeek-R1, Mistral, and Qwen as simple as a single click, keeping all personal conversations, code, and documents 100% private and offline on your hardware. Whether running on Apple Silicon with unified memory or dedicated Nvidia/AMD GPUs, LM Studio automatically configures optimal hardware acceleration (Metal, CUDA, ROCm, Vulkan) for smooth, high-speed local inference.

Beyond conversational chat, LM Studio includes a built-in local developer server that exposes OpenAI-compatible `/v1/models` and `/v1/chat/completions` endpoints on localhost. This enables developers to connect IDE extensions (Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf) and local agent pipelines directly to offline models. It features comprehensive support for GGUF model formats from Hugging Face, multi-model side-by-side benchmarking, GPU layer offloading controls, and system prompt presets.