LM Studio
A local-model desktop lab with chat, documents and tools; free forever, but your hardware is now the cloud.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-14
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Free tier / Free tool)
- License
- proprietary, free
- Hosting Model
- Local (on your machine)
- Platforms
- desktopone-click install
- Installation
- Download the macOS, Windows or Linux desktop installer
- Operational Setup
- The installer is clean, but the user must choose and download a model large enough for the task and small enough for their RAM
- Where Your Data Lives
- Chats, attached documents, presets and downloaded model weights stay in LM Studio's local application data; local chat and RAG can run fully offline
- The Catch / Trade-off
- It is primarily a local-model runner and lab, not a full replacement for BoltAI's agents, reusable workflows, and Mac-wide productivity hooks.
Replaces 4 paid apps
up to $59.99/mo ($720/yr) in subscriptions
LM Studio FAQ
Common questions
Is LM Studio free and open source?+
LM Studio is a free tool that runs on local. A local-model desktop lab with chat, documents and tools; free forever, but your hardware is now the cloud.
What paid software does LM Studio replace?+
LM Studio serves as a free replacement for 4 paid SaaS applications: BoltAI, ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, saving up to $59.99/month ($720/year) in subscription bills.
How do you install and set up LM Studio?+
Installation: Download the macOS, Windows or Linux desktop installer. Setup notes: The installer is clean, but the user must choose and download a model large enough for the task and small enough for their RAM
What is the catch or trade-off with LM Studio?+
It is primarily a local-model runner and lab, not a full replacement for BoltAI's agents, reusable workflows, and Mac-wide productivity hooks.