LM Studio is one of the best ways to run open models on a computer. Bionic, its new agent, adds documents, code work and hosted models. Both are free for local use. The paid plans, Bionic+ at $20 a month and Pro at $100 a month, mostly buy hosted compute.
Off Grid AI Desktop (OGAD) also runs local models for free. The difference is what happens after the model answers: Off Grid remembers your work, acts only with your approval, and follows you to your phone. Pro costs $79.99 once.
Download Off Grid AI · Get Pro for $79.99 once
Off Grid AI and LM Studio side by side
| Off Grid AI | LM Studio and Bionic | |
|---|---|---|
| Local models, free | Yes, llama.cpp | Yes, llama.cpp and MLX |
| Local OpenAI-compatible API | Yes, 127.0.0.1:7878
|
Yes, "OpenAI-like endpoints" |
| Generate images on your GPU | Yes, stable-diffusion.cpp | Not listed |
| Talk and hear the answer | Yes, Whisper in, Kokoro out | Local dictation in Bionic |
| Memory of screens, meetings and mail | Yes, with Pro | Bionic searches its own past sessions |
| Actions in Gmail, Linear, Jira, Notion after your yes | Yes, with Pro | Not listed |
| iPhone and Android app with on-device models | Yes | Not listed |
| Paid plan | $79.99 once, or $7.99 a month | Bionic+ $20 a month, Pro $100 a month |
Checked 30 October 2026 against LM Studio's pricing, app docs, Bionic page and blog. "Not listed" means the feature is not on LM Studio's own pages. Off Grid AI's price is a limited-time lifetime offer, down from $119.
What it costs over three years
Both apps are free if you only run local models. The cost question starts when you want more. LM Studio sells hosted models by the month. Off Grid sells features that run on your own hardware, once.
| 1 year | 3 years | |
|---|---|---|
| LM Studio Bionic+ | $240 | $720 |
| LM Studio Pro | $1,200 | $3,600 |
| Off Grid AI Pro, lifetime | $79.99 | $79.99 |
LM Studio's pricing page adds that cloud credits cover use beyond each plan's allowance. Off Grid Pro has no credits, because the models run on your machine.
Where LM Studio is strong
Be clear about this. LM Studio's docs say it supports Apple silicon Macs, x64 and ARM64 Windows PCs and x64 Linux PCs. It runs MLX on the Mac as well as llama.cpp. It installs MCP servers for local models. It has llmster, a headless version for servers and CI.
Bionic adds an agent. Its launch post says it works with code, PDFs, decks and spreadsheets in a sandbox, with automatic checkpoints you can roll back. Since July 2026 it added skills, auto review of shell commands and search over past sessions.
What Off Grid adds: your work, not only your prompt
Bionic remembers its own sessions. Off Grid Pro remembers your day.
- Memory. Your screens, meetings, mail and documents become one local memory. Ask "what did Sam say about the rollout?" and get the answer with its source. See how much Off Grid remembers.
- Actions you approve. It drafts replies and issues through Gmail, Linear, Jira and Notion. Nothing goes out without your yes.
- God, your chief of staff. A morning brief, meeting prep and the to-dos people owe you.
- Meetings without a bot. Calls are recorded and summarised on your computer.
- Reflect, Vault, Clipboard and Sync. Where your time went, encrypted secrets, every copy searchable, and devices in sync.
One key covers up to 5 devices.
Your models on your phone too
LM Studio's LM Link connects your LM Studio devices so a laptop can use a bigger computer's models. It is free during its preview.
Off Grid AI Mobile (OGAM) is an iPhone and Android app with its own on-device models. It works on a plane. At home, it can also find your computer on the network and use its larger models. It even works with LM Studio's server: see how to use LM Studio from your iPhone.
For developers
You keep the local API you are used to. OGAD's gateway serves chat, vision, image generation, speech to text, text to speech and embeddings from one OpenAI-compatible address: http://127.0.0.1:7878/v1. Any OpenAI client works with one base_url change.
Team mode lets one computer serve several people at once, each with their own key. See the local API guide and the team server guide.
Since 0.0.55, OGAD's engines (llama.cpp, whisper.cpp and stable-diffusion.cpp) update in the background, so new models load without a full app release.
When LM Studio is the better pick
Pick LM Studio if you want MLX on a Mac or a headless server build for CI. Pick Bionic if you want an agent for code and office files with frontier open models in the cloud, and you are happy to pay monthly for that compute.
LM Studio also runs on Windows on ARM. OGAD's Mac build is for Apple silicon only.
If you want an assistant that knows your meetings and mail and acts in your tools after you approve, pick Off Grid.
Switch in five minutes
- Download OGAD for Mac (Apple silicon), Windows or Linux.
- Pick a text model. The app shows which models fit your memory.
- Open Gateway and copy the base URL into the scripts that used LM Studio's server.
- Get Pro when you want memory, meetings and actions.
No account at any step.
FAQ
Is LM Studio free?
Yes, for local use. LM Studio's pricing page lists a $0 Free plan with the Bionic agent, local models and LM Link. Bionic+ is $20 a month and Pro is $100 a month, mainly for hosted models and higher limits.
What is LM Studio Bionic?
Bionic is LM Studio's agent for open models. Its pages say it works on code, documents, decks and spreadsheets, with local or cloud models, local dictation, skills and automatic checkpoints.
What does Off Grid AI do that LM Studio does not?
Off Grid AI Pro keeps one local memory of your screens, meetings, mail and documents, and drafts work in Gmail, Linear, Jira and Notion that runs only after your yes. It also has iPhone and Android apps with on-device models. LM Studio's pages do not list these.
Does Off Grid AI have a local API like LM Studio?
Yes. Off Grid AI Desktop serves an OpenAI-compatible API at 127.0.0.1:7878 for chat, vision, images, speech and embeddings. It is free, with an optional Team mode and per-person keys.
Is Off Grid AI cheaper than LM Studio Bionic?
On 30 October 2026, Off Grid AI Pro costs $79.99 once for lifetime access, a limited-time price. Bionic+ costs $20 a month, which is $240 a year. Both apps are free for local models.
Download Off Grid AI Desktop and keep your local models, with a memory of your work on top.
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