Ollama

Local model runners

About Ollama

A command-line runner and local server that downloads open models by name and serves them to other apps on your machine.

Ollama runs open language models from the command line. You pull a model by name, run it, and Ollama handles the download, the quantized file and the settings needed to load it on your hardware. It also has a desktop app with a simple chat window.

Its main role for many people is the local server it starts in the background. Chat interfaces, editor extensions, document tools and scripts send requests to that server, so one installed model can be shared by several apps on the same computer.

Models are described in a short file that sets the base weights, the prompt template and parameters, which makes it easy to keep custom variants. It suits developers and tinkerers who are comfortable with a terminal. Check the license on each model page, since open weights come with different terms.

Details

  • Open source

    Yes

  • Works offline after setup

    Yes

  • Local API server

    Yes

  • Runs on macOS

    Yes

  • Runs on Windows

    Yes

  • Runs on Linux

    Yes

Listing written by LaptopMind, checked 2026-11-04. Report a correction or request removal. Back to local model runners.

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