MLX

Ollama

ollama/ollama

Popular

Easiest way to pull and run open models locally behind an OpenAI-compatible API; the default local runtime.

llama.cpp

ggml-org/llama.cpp

Popular

C/C++ LLM inference engine behind GGUF and most local tools; runs on CPUs, Apple Silicon and GPUs.

LM Studio

lmstudio.ai

Popular

Desktop app for discovering, downloading and running local models with a chat UI and local API server.

Jan

janhq/jan

Open-source, offline-first ChatGPT alternative desktop app running local models via llama.cpp.

LocalAI

mudler/LocalAI

Self-hosted, OpenAI-compatible API for running LLMs, image and audio models on consumer hardware.

llamafile

mozilla-ai/llamafile

Mozilla project that packages a model and llama.cpp into a single cross-platform executable.

KoboldCpp

LostRuins/koboldcpp

Single-file llama.cpp-based runner with a web UI, popular for local storytelling and roleplay.