LM Studio
Free tierRun AI models locally and privately on your own hardware
Free tier available·All audiences·Powered by Local open models (llama.cpp, MLX) and US-hosted open source models (Kimi K3, GLM 5.3, DeepSeek V4 Flash/Pro, GLM 5.2)·API available
Key strengths
Natively local LLM inference with llama.cpp and MLXZero Data Retention (ZDR) cloud servicesReal-time local voice transcriptionAgentic capabilities for work, coding, and computer controlSupport for frontier open models (DeepSeek, Kimi, GLM)
Free tier + paid plans · from $20 USD/mo
United States
Self-hostable
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Recent changes
- Plans updated: Free plan ($0) includes local LLMs, Bionic Agent, offline voice transcription, LM Link for up to 5 devices, and limited web search. Bionic+ is $20/month with US-hosted open source models and web search. Pro is $100/month with 5× usage limits and early access to new features. Team/organization billing available.
- Models updated: Local open models (llama.cpp, MLX) and US-hosted open source models (Kimi K3, GLM 5.3, DeepSeek V4 Flash/Pro, GLM 5.2)
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LM Studio — Technical Overview
LM Studio is a freemium, self-hostable AI agent platform that runs large language models (LLMs) natively on local hardware using llama.cpp and MLX inference backends. It exposes a local API, enabling developers to integrate local LLM inference into their own tooling and workflows without routing requests through third-party cloud infrastructure.
Key technical characteristics:
- Local inference engines: llama.cpp (cross-platform) and MLX (Apple Silicon-optimized)
- API available: Yes — local API endpoint for programmatic access
- Self-hostable: Yes, with full offline capability
- Cloud tier: Optional US-hosted open source models (Kimi K3, GLM 5.3, DeepSeek V4 Flash/Pro, GLM 5.2) with Zero Data Retention (ZDR) guarantees
- Agentic layer: Bionic Agent supports computer control, coding assistance, and task automation
- Voice transcription: Real-time, offline voice-to-text pipeline
- Device sync: LM Link supports up to 5 devices on the free plan
- Open source: Yes (5,359 GitHub stars)
- Founded: 2024 | HQ: United States
Pricing tiers:
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Local LLMs, Bionic Agent, offline voice, LM Link (5 devices), limited web search |
| Bionic+ | $20/month | US-hosted open source models, full web search |
| Pro | $100/month | 5× usage limits, early feature access |
| Team | Custom | Organization billing available |
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