Free Software Collection
Free Tools to Run LLMs Locally
Running a model locally no longer needs a GPU cluster or a subscription. But the tools people compare side by side actually sit at different layers — one is an engine, two are desktop apps, one is a self-hosted web interface. Picking the wrong layer is a more common mistake than picking the wrong product. This collection sorts them by which layer you are missing. All figures verified August 2026 against official release pages.
4 curated recommendations
Selection Criteria
- Core features are free permanently, not a time-limited trial.
- No account required to download or use.
- Runs fully offline, with models and conversations staying on your machine.
- Licences are recorded from the actual LICENSE file, not the repository page's auto-detection.
Recommended Tools
Ollama
Run large language models on your own machine, one command away
- Open Source
- Offline
- Cross-platform
- No Ads
LM Studio
Run local LLMs in a desktop GUI — free for personal and commercial use
- Offline
- Cross-platform
- No Ads
- No Sign-up
Jan
An open-source ChatGPT alternative that runs 100% offline on your own machine
- Open Source
- Offline
- Cross-platform
- No Ads
Open WebUI
A self-hosted web interface for local LLMs, usually placed in front of Ollama
- Self-hostable
- Offline
- Cross-platform
- No Ads
FAQ
- Which of the four should I install?
- It depends on which layer you are missing. If you never want to touch a terminal, install LM Studio or Jan — one app is enough. If you want a local model wired into an editor, a script or your own program, install Ollama, whose local API is the de-facto standard interface. If you want browser access or want to share it with a few people, Ollama plus Open WebUI is the usual pairing.
- What hardware do I need?
- A 7B-class model typically adds 4-5 GB of disk on top of the app, and it can fall back to CPU when VRAM is short — just slower. Check disk space first: Ollama's Windows installer alone is 1492 MB because it bundles CUDA and ROCm runtimes, against 174.6 MB on macOS and just 55 MB for Jan on Windows.
- Is Open WebUI open source?
- Strictly speaking, no. Its licence is BSD-3-Clause plus a fourth clause forbidding alteration or removal of Open WebUI branding. Restricting modification fails the OSI definition, making it source-available. There is an exception, though: deployments with 50 or fewer end users in any rolling 30-day period may change the branding, so personal and small-team use is effectively unaffected.
- LM Studio is closed source — does commercial use cost money?
- No. It has been free for both personal and commercial use since July 2025, with no licence request or form, and no account needed to download models. A paid Enterprise tier exists for organizations wanting SSO and model gating, which is irrelevant to individual users.