Comparisons / Ollama vs LM Studio vs Jan: run AI locally

Ollama vs LM Studio vs Jan: run AI locally

Choosing a tool for running AI models on your own computer? Here is how Ollama, LM Studio and Jan compare on price, free tier and what each is best at. Prices come from each vendor's pricing page; the check date is shown under each source.

	Ollama	LM Studio	Jan
Paid entry plan	Free locally (cloud Pro $20/mo) ✓ checked	Free for home and work ✓ checked	Free (open source) ✓ checked
Free tier	Yes: Running models on your own hardware is unlimited; cloud models get a small monthly starter allowance	Free	Free
Open source / local	Open source: MIT	Runs locally (Proprietary app, free for personal and internal business use)	Open source: Apache 2.0
Best for	Running open models like Llama, Qwen, Gemma, DeepSeek and gpt-oss on your own computer	Easiest desktop app to download and chat with local models privately	Open-source, offline ChatGPT-style desktop app
Category	AI assistants	AI assistants	AI assistants
Pricing source	ollama.com checked 2026-10-23	lmstudio.ai checked 2026-10-23	jan.ai checked 2026-10-23
	Visit Ollama →	Visit LM Studio →	Visit Jan →

How to choose

Pick Ollama if you need: running open models like Llama, Qwen, Gemma, DeepSeek and gpt-oss on your own computer. You can start on the free tier.
Pick LM Studio if you need: easiest desktop app to download and chat with local models privately. It is free to use.
Pick Jan if you need: open-source, offline ChatGPT-style desktop app. It is free to use.

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“Verified” means the listed price appeared on the vendor's pricing page during our automated check. “Unconfirmed” means the page could not be read automatically (often a bot block or a price that renders with JavaScript); confirm on the vendor page before buying. Plans and regional pricing change. Some links are affiliate links (disclosure).