# Best tools for running open AI models

Source: https://freeaicourses.com/tools/open-models
Last checked: 2026-10-02 (free plans and prices on each maker's own pricing page)

## Short answer

Of the 3 tools for running open AI models we rank, Hugging Face is our top pick at 9.2 out of 10. If you are new to this, start with LM Studio. If you are experienced, try Ollama. Hugging Face: Free account to download and share models and datasets.

## Sections

### Hugging Face (9.2 out of 10)

The hub for open models and datasets, plus the Transformers library to use them. If you work with open models, you'll end up here.

Downloading, fine-tuning and sharing open models and datasets.

There are a huge number of models, and many are poorly documented. Stick to well-used ones at first.

Free account to download and share models and datasets.

PRO is US$9 a month.

### Ollama (8.4 out of 10)

Run open language models on your own machine with one command. It's the quickest way to experiment privately and offline.

Testing open models locally, private data, and building apps without API bills.

Big models need a lot of memory. On an average laptop you're limited to the smaller ones.

Free to run models on your own computer; the app is open source (MIT licence).

Pro is US$20 a month for cloud models.

### LM Studio (8.0 out of 10)

A desktop app for downloading and chatting with open models, no terminal required. The friendliest way into local AI.

Trying open models privately on your laptop and comparing them side by side.

Your hardware sets the limit. Start with small models and work up.

Free to run local models on your own machine.

Bionic+ is US$20 a month for hosted open models.

## Best courses

- Hugging Face LLM Course
- AI Agents Course

## Questions people ask

### What are the best tools for running open AI models in 2026?

Our top pick is Hugging Face (9.2/10), followed by Ollama and LM Studio. The hub for open models and datasets, plus the Transformers library to use them. If you work with open models, you'll end up here.

### Which tools for running open AI models are best for beginners?

Start with LM Studio. A desktop app for downloading and chatting with open models, no terminal required. The friendliest way into local AI.

### Which tools for running open AI models are best for experts?

Hugging Face is our pick for experienced users, with Ollama close behind. The hub for open models and datasets, plus the Transformers library to use them. If you work with open models, you'll end up here.

### What's the catch with Hugging Face?

There are a huge number of models, and many are poorly documented. Stick to well-used ones at first.

### Are there free courses that teach tools for running open AI models?

Yes. We recommend Hugging Face LLM Course (Hugging Face) and AI Agents Course (Hugging Face). Each one is free and reviewed on FreeAICourses.com.

### Which tools for running open AI models have a free plan?

Hugging Face, Ollama and LM Studio have a free plan or free version.

## Related pages

- [Hugging Face LLM Course](https://freeaicourses.com/courses/hugging-face-llm-course)
- [AI Agents Course](https://freeaicourses.com/courses/hugging-face-agents-course)
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