Ollama · LM Studio · Jan · GPT4All
What it's for Software to run an AI model directly on your own computer.
Why it matters
Your questions never leave the device: no server, no account, no telemetry, and it works offline. Quality depends on your hardware, but nothing leaks. Ollama and LM Studio are the easiest; Jan and GPT4All aim for maximum privacy.
For whom & when
Anyone who uses AI for even slightly personal topics and doesn’t want to hand them to a US server.
Install & use
For a gentle start, install LM Studio or Jan (a graphical interface, like a normal app).
Download a model offered in the app (for example Llama or Mistral), matched to your machine’s power.
Chat away: everything happens locally. Ollama is the command-line version for the more technical.