LM Studio: desktop GUI to download and run GGUF models with OpenAI server

Until then, running a local LLM required at least a terminal, and for many tools even compiling from source. LM Studio brings everything into a modern desktop app: search for a model, press download, and start chatting.

The app connects to Hugging Face to show available models, downloads them in GGUF format, and loads them directly. There is also a built-in chat with adjustable parameters and a local server that mimics OpenAI's APIs, useful for connecting external applications.

For developers and hobbyists who want to experiment without getting into the command line, LM Studio quickly became the preferred entry point into local models.