LM Studio · Independent

LM Studio (with Bionic)

Point-and-click local AI: download, load and chat, no commands. An all-in-one desktop app that finds, downloads and runs open models with no commands, using llama.cpp (GGUF) and Apple MLX. It includes Bionic, its built-in agent, and a local API server on port 1234.

✓ Last verified October 15, 2026 from official sources

Pricing

Free for local models (includes the Bionic agent). Optional Bionic+ $20/mo for US-hosted cloud open models.

Best for

Beginners who want point-and-click local AI. Mac users who want MLX speed.

Privacy · Skill

Local and works offline after download. Bionic+ cloud inference is optional (US-hosted, zero data retention per LM Studio). Skill level: Beginner.

What it's great at

First-time local model users
MLX models on Apple Silicon

What it can do

Discover tab to search and download models; Chat tab to load and talk to them
Runs GGUF models everywhere and MLX models on Apple Silicon Macs
Developer tab "Start server": OpenAI-compatible API at http://localhost:1234/v1 (also Anthropic-compatible)
Works fully offline once a model is downloaded

Example tasks to try

Download a Gemma model in Discover and chat with it offline

Start in 5 minutes

Download LM Studio from lmstudio.ai
Open Discover and download a model sized for your memory
Load it in Chat; for other apps, switch on Start server in the Developer tab (port 1234)

Go to LM Studio's official page →

Watch out for

Needs an Apple Silicon Mac on macOS 14+; Intel Macs aren't supported.

Compare it

LM Studio vs Ollama vs Open WebUI: running local models

Similar agents

Anthropic

Official sources

Prices change often. Confirm on the vendor's page before you buy. We're independent, and no vendor pays for placement.