AI Tool Profile

LM Studio

LM Studio is a desktop app for discovering, downloading, running, and serving local language models.

Before you choose · Choose an AI setup

LM Studio: workflow and access check

Download and try a local model, then test its API if needed.

Scope
Desktop app and locally served model
Source check
Next review
Maintenance owner
Kingy AI editorial (Curtis Pyke)

Dated source review · Official-source review; no new hands-on test

This review covers the notes below. Earlier prices, tests and Product Facts retain their original dates.

LM Studio documents downloading local models, chat, and serving models through local or network endpoints. It supports llama.cpp models and MLX on Apple Silicon. LM Studio documentation

The macOS requirements specify Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or later, recommend at least 16 GB RAM, and state that Intel Macs are unsupported. LM Studio system requirements

Check before choosing: Check supported hardware and runtime, then record model file, context and measured output. General system requirements do not prove a particular model fits.

Return to Choose an AI setup → · Browse retained reviews and tests

Review scope and source notes

Earlier article text, prices, tests and Product Facts keep their original dates and scope. This check covers only the cited notes here; it does not refresh the whole profile or its machine-readable facts.

Checked by: Codex-assisted official-source review. Task fit is editorial guidance. Test the exact plan, model and route with your own fixture.

Commercial relationship: Not established by this source review. Existing article disclosures still apply.

Maintenance history

  • 2026-09-20 · source recheck · Source recheck
AI-generated editorial image of an AI tool scorecard interface with source, pricing, demo, API, and limitation checks

Kingy AI Product Facts

LM Studio

Current statusUnknown

Company
Not yet reviewed
Primary job
Run local LLMs in LM Studio and expose them through its local API server.
Audience
Not yet reviewed
API
Available
Evidence
Source-backed; review due
Latest source check
September 6, 2026
See all tracked product factsPricing, platforms, dependencies, data claims, regions, and timeline

Sources and checks

Coverage
3 of 87 tracked fields currently verified
Sources
4

Source-check dates apply to the tracked facts. Editorial updates elsewhere on this page may have a different date.

Plans and pricing units

Not yet structured in this Kingy record.

Where it runs

Linux
AvailableOfficial sources: System Requirements
Linux — Install or access
https://lmstudio.ai/downloadSource: Download LM Studio
Linux — Minimum version
Ubuntu 20.04Source: System Requirements
Local Runtime
Available
Macos
AvailableOfficial sources: System Requirements
Macos — Install or access
https://lmstudio.ai/downloadSource: Download LM Studio
Macos — Minimum version
macOS 14.0Source: System Requirements
Windows
AvailableOfficial sources: System Requirements
Windows — Install or access
https://lmstudio.ai/downloadSource: Download LM Studio

Developer access

API access
Available

Stack and integrations

Model / provider dependencies
Not yet reviewed
Integrations
Not yet reviewed

Data and regions

Vendor data-use claim
Not yet reviewed
Vendor retention claim
Not yet reviewed
Regions
Not yet reviewed

Launch and latest material update

Launch
Not yet reviewed
Latest material update
Not yet reviewed
Review history
  1. LM Studio — Correction published

    Kingy published an approved correction to this Product Facts record.

    View published revision
  2. LM Studio — Verification refreshed

    Kingy reconfirmed the published facts against the cited sources.

    View published revision
  3. LM Studio — Product Facts updated

    Kingy published an approved change to this Product Facts record.

    View published revision
Technical evidence and revision history
Embed “Facts tracked by Kingy”

This label is not a security certification, audit, or product endorsement. It reports the facts Kingy currently supports and when they were last checked.

LM Studio is a desktop app for discovering, downloading, running, and serving local language models.

What you can do with it

Use LM Studio to run a downloaded model on your computer, or serve it to another application through a local API. Its developer tools support chat and text generation, streaming, structured JSON output, embeddings, and model management. The available behavior depends on the model and configuration you choose. LM Studio developer documentation.

Check your computer first

On a Mac, LM Studio requires Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or newer; Intel Macs are currently unsupported. The documentation recommends at least 16 GB of RAM, while noting that smaller models and modest context sizes may work on an 8 GB Mac. Windows supports x64 and ARM systems, with AVX2 required on x64. Linux supports x64 and ARM64 and is distributed as an AppImage; the documented Ubuntu minimum is 20.04. These requirements do not guarantee that a particular model will fit or run quickly. Current system requirements.

Offline use and developer access

LM Studio says it can operate entirely offline once you have the model files. Its developer stack includes TypeScript and Python SDKs, a REST API, and OpenAI- and Anthropic-compatible endpoints. Choose the interface your application actually uses; compatibility does not identify the model behind it. Offline operation · API and SDK options.

Pricing reviewed September 21, 2026

Local model use remains available on the Free plan. The current Bionic pricing page lists:

  • Free: $0. Includes local models, Bionic Agent, offline transcription, LM Link for up to five devices and limited web search.
  • Bionic+: US$20/month. Adds optional cloud models, web search and page extraction.
  • Pro: US$100/month. Includes Bionic+ features with five times its usage limits.

Cloud credits cover usage beyond the included allowance. The page does not state exact token allowances, per-model rates or credit prices. Centralized team billing through inference credits is available; team subscriptions are still described as coming soon. The Enterprise page provides a contact route without a public price.

LM Studio removed its separate workplace-license requirement in July 2025. The August 23, 2026 app terms permit personal and internal business use, subject to their conditions; downloaded models retain their own licenses. Hardware and electricity costs remain separate.

Under those terms, paid subscriptions renew unless cancelled before renewal. Included usage does not roll over unless expressly stated, and credits may have expiry conditions disclosed when offered. Kingy reviewed public sources only; checkout totals, account allowances and paid usage were not tested.

What this record does not establish

This documentation review does not provide a Kingy performance benchmark, a model-specific memory guarantee, or a complete cost estimate. Check the selected model’s requirements and terms alongside the application documentation.

Related records: Ollama · Open WebUI.

Launch History

AI Local Models

LM Studio 0.4.0 launch

LM Studio introduced version 0.4.0 with server deployment, parallel requests, continuous batching, a new REST API endpoint, and a refreshed UI.

Recheck due Free: Yes API: Yes Open: No
Clear use caseVideo demoBeginner-friendlyDeveloper-friendly
Launch readiness
7.1 / 10
Demo evidence
Not scored yet
Creator-story fit
Not scored yet
Score definitions and rubric

These are launch-record readiness heuristics, not product ratings.

Launch readiness

How complete and reviewable the launch record is, not the quality of the product.

Inputs and weights: Launch date 15%; qualifying source 10%; what launched 10%; demo 15%; category 10%; audience 10%; editorial assessment 10%; traction evidence 10%; creator or audience fit 10%.

Evidence inputs: Reviewed launch metadata, public source links, demo links, taxonomy, audience, editorial notes, and recorded traction signals.

Demo evidence

Whether the record contains useful, reviewable demonstration evidence; it is not a rating of product output quality.

Inputs and weights: Working demo URL 45%; video walkthrough 25%; clear description of what launched 10%; audience 10%; editorial assessment 10%.

Evidence inputs: Demo and video URLs plus the reviewed launch description, audience, and editorial notes.

Creator-story fit

Whether a launch has enough demonstrable evidence and audience relevance for a useful creator story; it does not predict views or guarantee coverage.

Inputs and weights: Demo evidence 25%; visual creator category 15%; audience 15%; editorial assessment 15%; traction evidence 10%; pricing clarity 10%; API or open-weight evidence 10%.

Evidence inputs: Reviewed demo, category, audience, editorial, traction, pricing, API, and open-weight fields.

Scale
0.0–10.0. A present qualifying input receives its published weight; a missing input receives zero. Scores are rounded to one decimal.
Assigned by
Suggested by the deterministic field-completeness helper and assigned or approved by a Kingy editorial reviewer.
Rubric and check date
Rubric version P0-2026-08-10. The record’s “Last verified” date is the score check date. Checked: 2026-06-24.
Confidence and missing data
Confidence depends on source completeness. “Not scored yet” means no reviewed value; “Needs review” means the value or score set failed validation.
Freshness
Recalculate after a material launch, source, demo, pricing, audience, or traction change and during the record freshness review.
Disputes
Use “Suggest a correction” on the record and cite the relevant evidence. Commercial relationships cannot buy or alter a score.

LM Studio introduced version 0.4.0 with server deployment, parallel requests, continuous batching, a new REST API endpoint, and a refreshed UI (lmstudio.ai). Developers, Researchers,…