Ollama

Run powerful LLMs locally on your machine.

Filed under: Coding

About Ollama

Ollama makes it easy to download and run large language models locally, including code-savvy models developers use as private coding assistants. It removes API costs and keeps proprietary code on your own hardware. Among AI coding tools, it pairs well with editors like Cursor for engineers who want offline-capable AI help.

Key features

One-command local model setup
Open model library including code models
REST API for app integration
Runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux
GPU acceleration support
No data ever leaves your machine

Ollama screenshots

Ollama: pros & cons

Pros

Completely free and open source
Full privacy — code never leaves your machine
No API costs or rate limits
Simple setup for many models

Cons

Needs decent local hardware for big models
Smaller models lag behind frontier APIs
No built-in IDE integration

Ollama FAQs

Is Ollama free?

Yes, Ollama is free and open source. You can download and run supported models locally at no cost.

What is Ollama used for?

Developers use Ollama to run chat and code-generation models locally for private AI assistance, prototyping, and offline workflows.

Does Ollama work offline?

Yes. Once a model is downloaded, Ollama runs entirely offline with no data sent to external servers.