# LM Studio: what's new, verdict & setup Canonical: https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/lm-studio · First covered by us (no vendor release date published): 2026-10-25 · Last verified: 2026-10-25 · Evidence: Reported (not run by us) · Vendor: LM Studio · Official site: https://lmstudio.ai/ > Desktop app for running open models locally; the homepage now leads with Bionic, an agent for work and code. ## Verdict **Desktop app for running open models locally; the homepage now leads with Bionic, an agent for work and code.** Good for: - People who want a desktop app for local models Skip if: - You need an open-source app (see Jan or Ollama) Status: Reported. Written from official release notes and docs; we have not run this release ourselves. Pricing: Not verified. No pricing page was read; check lmstudio.ai. (checked 2026-10-25) ## Best for - [Best AI tool for local LLM tools and model platforms](https://theagenticweekly.com/best/llm-platforms) (#-): Desktop app for running local models, now with an agent called Bionic. ## Key facts LM Studio's homepage describes Bionic as LM Studio's agent for open models: natively local, built for creativity, work and code, able to create and edit documents, run coding tasks and automations, and transcribe speech in real time. - License: Proprietary application (license terms not read) - Platforms: Desktop (platform list not read) - Pricing model: Not verified - Free tier: Pricing not published on the page we read - Paid plans: Not stated - How to start: Download from lmstudio.ai and pick a model inside the app. - Catalog entry: facts read from the vendor's pages on 2026-10-25. We do not track release notes for this entry. ## How to set it up: Get started with LM Studio These steps come from the vendor's own pages as read on 2026-10-25. We have not run LM Studio. 1. **Get access.** Download from lmstudio.ai and pick a model inside the app. 2. **Check the limits and costs first.** Pricing not published on the page we read. No pricing page was read; check lmstudio.ai. ## Pros and cons Pros: - Local-first - Desktop app Cons: - License and pricing not verified here ## Alternatives - [Ollama](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/ollama): The common way to run open models locally on macOS, Windows and Linux, with a cloud option and an MIT-licensed open-source core. - [Jan](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/jan): Open-source alternative to ChatGPT that runs open models locally or connects to cloud models like GPT and Claude. - [GPT4All](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/gpt4all): Local chatbot from Nomic that runs open-source models on your device; the latest GitHub release we saw is v3.10.0 from Feb 2025. - [Cohere](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/cohere): Enterprise AI company: Command models, Rerank and the North platform. - [DeepSeek](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/deepseek): Model API that works with the OpenAI and Anthropic SDK formats and can back agent tools such as Claude Code, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode. - [Hugging Face](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/hugging-face): The hub where the ML community shares models, datasets and apps, with PRO, Team and Enterprise tiers. - [LiteLLM](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/litellm): Python SDK and proxy that gives one OpenAI-style interface to many model providers. - [llama.cpp](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/llama-cpp): LLM inference in C/C++: the open-source engine many local-model tools build on; MIT-licensed with near-daily build tags. - [Open WebUI](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/open-webui): Self-hosted AI platform: a web interface that connects to Ollama and OpenAI-compatible models, under its own Open WebUI License. - [OpenRouter](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/openrouter): Unified API to many models with fallbacks; a Free tier with 25+ free models and 4 free providers. - [Replicate](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/replicate): Cloud API for running and fine-tuning open models, with per-use pricing. - [Together AI](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/together-ai): AI cloud for open models: serverless inference, fine-tuning and GPU clusters, priced per token. ## FAQ ### What is LM Studio? LM Studio's homepage describes Bionic as LM Studio's agent for open models: natively local, built for creativity, work and code, able to create and edit documents, run coding tasks and automations, and transcribe speech in real time. ### Is LM Studio free? Pricing not published on the page we read. No pricing page was read; check lmstudio.ai. Checked 2026-10-25; prices change, so confirm on the vendor's page. ### What license is LM Studio under? Its license: Proprietary application (license terms not read). Read from the project's own pages on 2026-10-25. ## What we have not verified - Release date (none published on the pages we read; the date shown is the day we first covered this entry) - Pricing - License - Platforms ## Sources - [LM Studio](https://lmstudio.ai/) (fetched 2026-10-25) ## How to cite Agentic Weekly, "LM Studio: what's new, verdict & setup", last updated 2026-10-25, https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/lm-studio Keep the Reported or Tested label when you quote the verdict.