ollama vs LM Studio
A data comparison of two AI tool apps for macOS. Figures come from Homebrew metadata and 30-day install statistics; this page contains no subjective reviews.
Verdict: If you want the larger user base (30-day installs: 63,182 vs 5,922), choose ollama; that usually means more tutorials and faster answers. If you want fewer dependencies, choose LM Studio（0 vs 1).
| ollama | LM Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Command-line Tools | GUI app |
| Category | AI & Machine Learning | AI & Machine Learning |
| Open source | Yes | Not declared |
| License | MIT | Not declared |
| Apple silicon | All Macs (binary) | Apple silicon only |
| Latest version | 0.40.11 | 0.4.26,4 |
| Dependencies | 1 | 0 |
| Installs (30 days) | 63,182 | 5,922 |
| Install command | brew install ollama | brew install --cask lm-studio |
Which one should you install?
- If you want the larger user base (30-day installs: 63,182 vs 5,922), choose ollama; that usually means more tutorials and faster answers.
- If you want fewer dependencies, choose LM Studio（0 vs 1).
Install either one with a single command:
How to read this comparison
This compares only facts Homebrew publishes: package type, category, license, architecture, version, dependency count and 30-day installs. Higher installs mean more people installed it via Homebrew, not a quality score. Data updated 2026-11-14。