# Open WebUI vs LM Studio

URL: https://insidethemachine.ai/compare/open-webui-vs-lm-studio
Facts from the site's runbooks (checked 2026-10-15 / 2026-10-15). No speed claims: we have not benchmarked them on the Mac Studio yet.

## Open WebUI

A self-hosted, ChatGPT-style interface for Ollama and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.

- Best for: Closes the UX gap with frontier chat apps: multi-model chat, RAG over documents, user accounts.
- Kit says: This is what makes a local stack feel like a product: chat history, model picker, documents, the works.
- Licence: Open WebUI License (includes a requirement to preserve 'Open WebUI' branding; see LICENSE and LICENSE_HISTORY)
- Runs on: Mac (Apple chip), Linux, Windows
- Install (Mac): `brew install python@3.11`
- Check it works: `curl -sI http://localhost:8080 | head -1`
- GitHub stars: 155,901 (last push 2026-10-16)
- Works with: ollama, llama-cpp, mlx-lm, lm-studio, litellm
- Caveats: Default pip port 8080 collides with mlx_lm.server and llama.cpp's server defaults.
- Runbook: https://insidethemachine.ai/setups/open-webui.md · https://openwebui.com/

## LM Studio

Desktop app for discovering and running local models, plus the lms CLI and a local server.

- Best for: Point-and-click model management with an OpenAI-compatible local server; good for comparing GGUF vs MLX builds of the same model on a Mac.
- Kit says: The friendliest GUI in the directory. The app itself isn't open source, but the lms CLI is, and that's what I'd script.
- Licence: lms CLI: MIT (LM Studio desktop app is proprietary freeware)
- Runs on: Mac (Apple chip), Linux, Windows
- Install (Mac): `brew install --cask lm-studio`
- Check it works: `lms status`
- GitHub stars: 5,352 (last push 2026-10-14)
- Works with: open-webui, litellm, aider
- Caveats: Desktop app is not open source; only the CLI repo is.
- Runbook: https://insidethemachine.ai/setups/lm-studio.md · https://lmstudio.ai/

## Questions

**What is the difference between Open WebUI and LM Studio?**
Open WebUI: A self-hosted, ChatGPT-style interface for Ollama and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. LM Studio: Desktop app for discovering and running local models, plus the lms CLI and a local server.

**Which should I pick, Open WebUI or LM Studio?**
Open WebUI: Closes the UX gap with frontier chat apps: multi-model chat, RAG over documents, user accounts. LM Studio: Point-and-click model management with an OpenAI-compatible local server; good for comparing GGUF vs MLX builds of the same model on a Mac.

**Are Open WebUI and LM Studio free and open source?**
Open WebUI: Open WebUI License (includes a requirement to preserve 'Open WebUI' branding; see LICENSE and LICENSE_HISTORY). LM Studio: lms CLI: MIT (LM Studio desktop app is proprietary freeware).