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LM Studio

Desktop app for running open-source LLMs locally.

Free accessFree plan
Paid fromCloud-Credits (optional)Cloud inference for frontier models

Category: Development & Code · Agent & RAG frameworks

Features

LM Studio is a desktop app that runs open language models (LLMs, large language models) locally via llama.cpp/MLX. Chat, agents, and offline transcription run on your machine; optional cloud inference covers frontier models.

The former requirement for a separate commercial licence was dropped in July 2025. For larger teams, Enterprise (SSO/single sign-on, model gating, private sharing) and a not-yet-priced Teams tier have been announced.

Prices and plans

TierPricePeriodWhat you get
KostenlosfreePermanentLocal LLM execution
Bionic Agent, offline voice transcription
Cloud-Credits (optional)nutzungsbasiertper 1 million TokenCloud inference for frontier models

Limits

LM Studio's desktop app is free indefinitely for personal and business use: models run entirely locally (via llama.cpp/MLX), no usage costs. Maker Element Labs optionally offers paid pay-as-you-go cloud credits for external model inference.

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FAQ

Is LM Studio available for free?

Yes. A permanently free plan is published, not a time-limited trial.

Where is LM Studio's vendor based?

Element Labs, Inc., based in USA. For data processing and privacy terms the vendor's own contract governs.

Is LM Studio still active?

Live-checked against the official vendor page.

How many plans are documented for LM Studio?

The catalog documents 2 plans with price, billing period, and included features.

Which use case is LM Studio categorized for?

LM Studio is listed in the catalog under “Development & Code.”

Where do the details about LM Studio come from?

Prices, limits, and product details are documented against the listed official vendor page.

How we compare

We compare free access, paid entry, plan limits, features and the listed official sources. Unsourced figures stay marked as not published.

Only confirmed entries appear in the catalog. Prices, plans and limits come from listed official vendor pages. Missing figures stay marked as not published. Result lists are alphabetical by default and can be switched to Free access first; neither is a quality ranking. The vendor page always wins.

Edited and checked by the AI Compare team

Sources

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