Ollama
A free app for macOS, Windows and Linux that downloads and runs open models on your own computer. It is the engine most local agents and coding tools connect to, through a local server at localhost:11434.
✓ Last verified October 15, 2026 from official sourcesFree for local models. Optional cloud plans: $20/mo (or $200/yr) and $100/mo, for Ollama-hosted models.
- Powering VS Code, Continue, OpenClaw and Hermes with local models
- The engine behind Open WebUI
Local. Ollama states it does not see prompts or data when you run locally. Cloud models are optional and can be disabled with OLLAMA_NO_CLOUD=1. Skill level: Beginner.
What it's great at
- Connecting agents and coding tools to local models
- Fast setup: one command per model
What it can do
- One command downloads and runs a model, e.g. "ollama run gemma4:e2b"
- Always-on local API at http://localhost:11434, with OpenAI-compatible (/v1) and Anthropic-compatible endpoints
- Built-in integrations: "ollama launch" sets up OpenClaw, Hermes, Claude Code, Codex and others
- "ollama ps" shows whether a model fits fully on the GPU
Example tasks to try
- "ollama run gemma4:e4b" to chat privately on a 16GB laptop
Start in 5 minutes
- Download from ollama.com/download and install
- Open Terminal or PowerShell and run "ollama run gemma4:e2b" (8GB) or "gemma4:e4b" (16GB)CommandPaste this into Terminal (Mac) or PowerShell (Windows).
ollama run gemma4:e2b - Point your agent at http://localhost:11434
Go to Ollama's official page →
Watch out for
Default context is 4,096 tokens; raise it to 64K+ for agents.
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Official sources
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