LM Studio (local) free tier
The friendliest desktop app for running open models locally, with a built-in server.
| Free tier type | Free & local (unlimited) |
|---|---|
| What you get free | Unlimited local inference on your own hardware. |
| Credit card | None — runs on your machine |
| Signup | No key needed — lmstudio.ai |
| API endpoint | http://localhost:1234/v1 (OpenAI-compatible) |
| Top free models | Any GGUF open model — Llama, Qwen, Mistral, Gemma and more |
Copy-paste setup
Two things: the base URL above, and a free key from the provider's site. Pick your tool:
export OPENAI_BASE_URL="http://localhost:1234/v1" export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-key-here" # then pick one of the provider's models in your tool
Settings → Models → paste your key under the matching provider, or use 'Override OpenAI Base URL' with: http://localhost:1234/v1
# ~/.codex/config.toml model_provider = "custom" [model_providers.custom] base_url = "http://localhost:1234/v1" env_key = "OPENAI_API_KEY"
Claude Code natively speaks the Anthropic API. To use the providers on this page, point it at a router/gateway (e.g. an OpenAI-to-Anthropic proxy) configured with: http://localhost:1234/v1
Choose 'OpenAI Compatible' as the provider, then paste: Base URL: http://localhost:1234/v1 API key: your key Model: one of the models listed on this page
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LM Studio (local) — FAQ
Is LM Studio (local) really free?
LM Studio (local) is listed in our index as: Free & local (unlimited). Unlimited local inference on your own hardware. We last probed its API endpoint on 2026-08-19. Always confirm current limits on the provider's own pricing page.
Does LM Studio (local) need a credit card?
None — runs on your machine. Signup: No key needed.
How do I use LM Studio (local) in my coding tool?
LM Studio (local) exposes an OpenAI-compatible endpoint (http://localhost:1234/v1). Paste that base URL plus your key into Cursor, Codex CLI, a Claude Code router, or any OpenAI-compatible tool — the snippets on this page are copy-paste ready.
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