Ollama

The standard tool for running open-source LLMs locally: one command downloads and serves models like Llama, Qwen and DeepSeek on your own machine, with a built-in API.

Product preview

Overview

Ollama is the de facto standard for running open-source LLMs on your own machine: `ollama run llama3` downloads, serves and exposes a local API in seconds, entirely offline. It turned 'self-hosting an AI model' from a DevOps project into a one-line command.

For developers it is the fastest path to private, cost-free inference; for the open-weights ecosystem it is the distribution channel that made local AI mainstream. Tools across this directory increasingly list 'works with Ollama' as a feature.

Pros / Cons

Pros

One command from zero to a running local model
Hundreds of open models in a curated registry
Built-in REST API compatible with OpenAI tooling
Free, private and fully offline

Cons

Quality is bounded by what your hardware can run
No built-in GUI experience for end users
Model registry is curated by a third party

Who it's for

Private, offline assistants on personal hardware

Local development against open models before buying API quota

Air-gapped environments that need modern AI

Bottom line

The on-ramp to local AI — if you can install an app, you can run a frontier-class open model.

Key Features

One-command local model serving

Hundreds of open models

Built-in REST API

Runs offline on your hardware

Open source

Compare Ollama with alternatives

Ollama vs Hugging Face Ollama vs Replicate Ollama vs Together AI 4 products · AI Platforms

Frequently asked questions

What is Ollama?

Ollama is a AI Platforms tool developed by Ollama. The company was founded in 2023 and is headquartered in San Francisco, USA. The standard tool for running open-source LLMs locally: one command downloads and serves models like Llama, Qwen and DeepSeek on your own machine, with a built-in API.