Overview
Ollama is an open-source local large model running tool that allows you to run popular open-source models like Llama, Mistral, Qwen, Gemma, and others on your own computer with a single command. It simplifies complex model deployment into a Docker-like experience—download and use, no environment configuration needed.
Ollama supports macOS, Linux, and Windows, and has garnered over 100,000 stars on GitHub. It is the core infrastructure of the local AI ecosystem, with almost all local AI applications supporting model invocation through Ollama.
**📌 2026 Update**: Ollama now fully supports the latest 2026 open-source models including **Kimi K2.6 / K3, GLM-5 / 5.2, DeepSeek V4, Qwen3.5, Gemma 3, GPT-OSS, MiniMax M3**, all downloadable and runnable with a single command. GitHub Stars have exceeded **120K+**, making it the de facto standard for local deployment of large models. The most significant recent change is **local inference adaptation for large MoE models**—running DeepSeek V4 Flash (284B/13B activated) on a single machine is now feasible, allowing individual developers to run trillion-parameter models locally. Additionally, Ollama has launched **Ollama Cloud**, a cloud service offering free accounts and Pro subscriptions, supporting running larger models on data center-grade hardware, processing multiple requests in parallel, and accessing real-time network information. Ollama also now supports applications like **OpenClaw, Claude Code**, which can be launched directly through Ollama.
Key Features
- Run Models with One Command: `ollama run llama3` downloads and runs the model with ultimate simplicity
- Rich Model Library: Supports mainstream open-source models such as Llama 3, Mistral, Qwen, Gemma, Phi, DeepSeek, and more
- API Compatibility: Provides an API compatible with OpenAI format, seamlessly integrating with various applications
- Custom Models: Supports creating and sharing custom models via Modelfile
- Hardware Adaptation: Automatically detects and optimizes GPU, supporting Apple Silicon, NVIDIA, AMD
- Multi-Platform Support: Native support for macOS, Linux, and Windows
- Ollama Cloud Service: Offers free accounts and Pro subscriptions, enabling running larger models on data center-grade hardware, processing multiple requests in parallel, and accessing real-time network information
- Application Integration: Supports applications like OpenClaw, Claude Code, which can be launched directly through Ollama
Use Cases
- Running open-source large language models on a local computer
- Privacy-preserving AI solutions for data protection
- Developers testing and experimenting with different open-source models
- Providing backend for local AI applications (e.g., Open WebUI)
- Learning and researching large language models
- Running larger models in the cloud via Ollama Cloud, enabling flexible switching between local and cloud environments
Pros
- Completely free and open-source: no fees, data stays on your machine
- Extremely easy to start: install and run models with one command
- Rich model selection: supports almost all mainstream open-source models
- Large ecosystem: almost all local AI applications integrate Ollama
- Optimized for Apple Silicon: smooth experience for Mac users
- Offers Ollama Cloud service: free account available, Pro subscription ($20/month or $200/year) provides more cloud resources
Pricing
Ollama is completely free and open-source. Running models incurs no fees, as all computation is done locally. The main cost is hardware—running a 7B model requires 8GB+ RAM, 13B model requires 16GB+, and 70B model requires 64GB+ or a dedicated GPU. Additionally, Ollama offers cloud services: free accounts can access larger models in the cloud; Pro subscription costs $20 per month or $200 per year, supporting running up to 3 cloud models simultaneously with 50x more cloud usage. For data privacy, cloud models are deployed in the US, Europe, and Singapore; user data is not used for training, and fully offline operation is also supported.
Summary
Ollama is the 'Docker for local AI'—if you want to run large language models on your own computer, Ollama is the simplest solution, bar none. One command, and the model runs on your machine. Data privacy, zero cost, no reliance on the internet—that's the charm of local AI. It is recommended to pair with Open WebUI for a graphical interface. Meanwhile, Ollama Cloud allows seamless scaling to the cloud when needed, with a free account available for trial and Pro subscription for higher demands.