LM Studio vs ollama
A data comparison of two AI tools for macOS. Figures come from Homebrew metadata and 30-day install analytics; this page does not contain subjective reviews.
Bottom line: Choose ollama for a larger user base (62,333 vs 5,922 installs in 30 days), which usually means more tutorials and faster answers. Choose LM Studio if you want fewer dependencies pulled in (0 vs 1).
| LM Studio | ollama | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | GUI app | CLI tool |
| Category | AI & Machine Learning | AI & Machine Learning |
| Open source | Not declared | Yes |
| Licence | Not declared | MIT |
| Apple silicon | Apple silicon only | All Macs (binary package) |
| Latest version | 0.4.26,4 | 0.40.11 |
| Dependencies | 0 | 1 |
| Installs (30 days) | 5,922 | 62,333 |
| Install command | brew install --cask lm-studio | brew install ollama |
Which one should you install?
- Choose ollama for a larger user base (62,333 vs 5,922 installs in 30 days), which usually means more tutorials and faster answers.
- Choose LM Studio if you want fewer dependencies pulled in (0 vs 1).
Install either with one command:
How to read this comparison
Only published Homebrew facts are compared: package type, category, licence, architecture, version, dependency count and 30-day install volume. A larger install count means more people install the app through Homebrew; it is not a quality score. Data updated 2026-10-26.