Ollama app icon

Ollama

Run open AI models locally on your Mac

MacFree, open source

The verdict

Over 9 million installs a month have made Ollama the usual way to run open models on your own Mac, where your prompts never leave the machine. It runs in the background and gives other apps and coding tools a local API to call, and now offers cloud models for when your Mac is too slow. LM Studio is friendlier if you want a chat window and model browser instead of a command line.

The Useful TechResearched and written with AI under our rulesUpdated 14 Oct 2026

Get it if

You want private AI on your Mac or need a local model for apps and coding tools.

Skip it if

You just want to chat with an AI, which ChatGPT or Claude do better with no setup.

What it helps you do

  • Run AI models with no internet
  • Keep prompts on your own Mac
  • Give your apps a local AI API
  • Switch to cloud models when local is slow

Plans and prices

  • Free

    Run models locally, plus starter cloud credits

  • Pro

    $20

    $20 a month or $200 a year, with $60 of cloud usage credits a month

  • Max

    $100

    $100 a month, with $300 of cloud usage credits a month

What changed

  1. Version 0.40.13

  2. Added to The Useful Apps

Pick something else if

All 8 Ollama alternatives

The details

Runs on
Mac
Requires
macOS 14 or later
Version
0.40.13
Open source
Code is public
Offline
Works without internet

Developer's websiteSpot a wrong price or fact?