Ollama made local models a one-line install. It is MIT-licensed, runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, and ships fast: v0.40.13 came out on 28 October 2026. If you only need a model runtime, it is hard to beat.
Off Grid AI Desktop (OGAD) is for when you want more than a runtime. One free app gives you a local OpenAI-compatible API for chat, images, speech and embeddings, a full chat app on top, and a phone app. No account.
Download for Mac, Windows or Linux · GitHub
Off Grid AI and Ollama side by side
| Off Grid AI Desktop | Ollama | |
|---|---|---|
| Price for local use | Free, AGPL-3.0 | Free, MIT |
| Local API |
127.0.0.1:7878, OpenAI-compatible |
localhost:11434, OpenAI- and Anthropic-compatible clients |
| Chat app | Yes, Mac, Windows, Linux | Yes, macOS and Windows |
| Image generation | Yes, Mac, Windows, Linux | Experimental, macOS only (January 2026 post) |
| Speech to text | Yes, Whisper | Not listed |
| Text to speech | Yes, Kokoro | Yes, Phonon on Apple silicon |
| Answers from your files with citations | Yes, Projects | Drag and drop text or PDF files |
| Shared team server | Yes, Team mode with per-person keys, free | Cloud Team plan for hosted models, $500 a month |
| iPhone and Android app | Yes, with on-device models | Not listed |
Checked 30 October 2026 against Ollama's pricing, download page, docs, and blog posts on the app, image generation and speech models. "Not listed" means the feature is not on Ollama's own pages.
One address for every kind of model
With Ollama, chat and text to speech run on port 11434. Ollama's speech post of 24 October 2026 adds /v1/audio/speech on Apple silicon Macs, with Windows and Linux "coming soon".
OGAD's gateway serves all of this from http://127.0.0.1:7878/v1 on Mac, Windows and Linux:
- chat, with images for vision models
- text to image, with stable-diffusion.cpp
- speech to text, with whisper.cpp
- text to speech, with Kokoro
- embeddings and the model list
Any OpenAI client works with one base_url change. The Quick start on the Gateway screen has copyable curl, Python and JavaScript. See the local API guide.
A team server without a cloud bill
Ollama's cloud Team plan is $500 a month, with shared usage credits for hosted models. That buys hosted compute, which is a fair thing to sell.
If you want your team on local models instead, OGAD has a Team mode in the free app. One computer answers several people at once. Each person gets their own API key. A request log shows who used what. When every slot is busy, requests wait in line, and a full line returns HTTP 429 so clients back off.
Requests stay on your network. See how to run a local AI server for your whole team.
Engines that keep up
Ollama ships often. OGAD does too, and since 0.0.55 its engines (llama.cpp, whisper.cpp and stable-diffusion.cpp) update in the background. A model that came out last week can load without a full app release. Read how OGAD keeps llama.cpp current.
Keep Ollama if you like it
You don't have to choose. OGAD can use an Ollama server on your network as a remote model. Its models appear in the picker with a Remote tag. See how to use a remote Ollama server from OGAD.
Off Grid AI Mobile (OGAM) can find Ollama on your home network and chat with its models from your phone. See how to use Ollama from your iPhone. OGAM also runs its own on-device models when you are away from home.
What Pro adds
Ollama is a runtime. The memory and tools come from the app you put on top. Off Grid Pro is that layer, built in and local:
- Memory of your screens, meetings, mail and documents, searchable with sources.
- Meetings recorded and summarised on your computer, with no bot.
- Actions you approve in Gmail, Linear, Jira and Notion.
- God, a chief of staff that briefs you and lines up work for your yes.
On 30 October 2026, Pro costs $79.99 once, a limited-time price down from $119, or $7.99 a month, for up to 5 devices. The free app, the API and Team mode never need Pro.
When Ollama is the better pick
Pick Ollama if you want a small runtime and a CLI, and you will build your own app on top. Its ecosystem is large, and many tools list it as a backend. Pick it if you want hosted open models with no hardware: its cloud says prompts and responses are "never logged or trained on".
Pick Off Grid if you want the API, a chat app, images, voice and a phone app in one free download.
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 change your scripts'
base_urlfrom port 11434 tohttp://127.0.0.1:7878/v1. - Ask for an image or a spoken reply from the same endpoint.
No account at any step.
FAQ
Is Ollama free?
Yes, for local use. Ollama's pricing page says running models on your own hardware is free. Its cloud plans are Pro at $20 a month or $200 a year, Max at $100 a month and Team at $500 a month.
What is a good Ollama alternative in 2026?
Off Grid AI Desktop runs local models on Mac, Windows and Linux, free and with no account. It serves an OpenAI-compatible API at 127.0.0.1:7878 for chat, vision, images, speech to text, text to speech and embeddings, and includes a full chat app.
Can I keep using Ollama with Off Grid AI?
Yes. Off Grid AI Desktop can use an Ollama server on your network as a remote model, and Off Grid AI Mobile can find Ollama on your network and chat with its models from your phone.
Does Ollama generate images on Windows?
Ollama's January 2026 image generation post calls the feature experimental and macOS-only, with Windows and Linux "coming soon". Off Grid AI Desktop generates images on Mac, Windows and Linux.
Can several people share one Off Grid AI server?
Yes. Team mode in the free Off Grid AI Desktop serves several requests at once, gives each person their own API key and keeps a request log. Requests stay on your network.
Download Off Grid AI Desktop and point your scripts at one local address for every model.
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