i've been obsessed with running AI locally for the past year. no cloud, no subscriptions, everything on my own hardware. during that time i've tried basically every local AI UI that exists.
heres my honest take on the 5 most popular ones, including the one i ended up building myself because none of them did everything i wanted.
The Contenders
- Open WebUI - the ChatGPT clone for local models
- LM Studio - the polished desktop app
- SillyTavern - the roleplay/character powerhouse
- Jan - the minimal electron app
- Locally Uncensored - my own project (yeah i know im biased, ill try to be fair)
Open WebUI
What its good at: If you want something that looks and feels like ChatGPT but runs locally, this is it. Clean interface, good model switching, RAG support, multi-user.
What annoys me: Requires Docker. I know Docker isn't hard but its an extra layer that doesn't need to be there for a personal tool. Also its chat-only. No image gen, no video gen. If you want those you need separate tools.
Best for: Teams or people who want a self-hosted ChatGPT replacement and are comfortable with Docker.
LM Studio
What its good at: Genuinely the easiest way to get started with local LLMs. Download the app, pick a model from their browser, start chatting. The UX is polished. Model discovery is great.
What annoys me: Closed source. No image gen. No video gen. And it feels like the kind of app thats going to add a subscription tier eventually (they already have LM Studio for Business). also its heavy - electron app eating 500MB+ RAM before you even load a model.
Best for: People brand new to local AI who want the simplest possible start.
SillyTavern
What its good at: Character cards, roleplay, personas. If you're into creative writing or character-driven conversations, nothing else comes close. The community has created thousands of character cards you can import.
What annoys me: The UI looks like it was designed in 2005. Setup requires Node.js and some terminal comfort. And again - text only. No image or video generation built in (there are extensions but theyre janky).
Best for: Roleplay, creative writing, character-driven interactions.
Jan
What its good at: Clean, minimal, open source. Downloads models for you. Offline-first. The philosophy is right.
What annoys me: Still feels early. Limited customization. The extension system is promising but most extensions are basic. And... no image or video gen. seeing a pattern here.
Best for: People who want an open source LM Studio alternative with a clean UI.
Locally Uncensored (mine)
okay full disclosure this is my project so take this with appropriate salt.
What its good at: Its the only one that does chat + image gen + video gen in a single app. No Docker. 25+ personas built in. Model manager. Talks to Ollama for chat and ComfyUI for image/video, so you get the full power of both ecosystems.
What annoys me (about my own app): No RAG yet (Open WebUI has this and its great). No mobile app. No multi-user support. Its still young compared to the others.
Best for: People who want one app for everything creative with local AI - chat, images, and video.
The Actual Comparison
| Feature | Open WebUI | LM Studio | SillyTavern | Jan | Locally Uncensored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat | great | great | great | good | great |
| Image Gen | no | no | hacky | no | yes |
| Video Gen | no | no | no | no | yes |
| RAG | yes | no | no | basic | not yet |
| Personas | basic | no | amazing | no | 25+ built-in |
| Setup Ease | docker | easiest | medium | easy | easy |
| Open Source | yes | no | yes | yes | yes |
| Offline | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
My Honest Recommendation
Just want chat? LM Studio to start, Open WebUI if you want more power.
Creative writing / roleplay? SillyTavern, nothing else competes there.
Want chat + image + video in one app? Locally Uncensored. thats literally why i built it.
Want open source and minimal? Jan.
theres no single "best" local AI UI. they all optimize for different things. the best one is whichever matches what you actually want to do.
all of these are free. try them all. form your own opinions. thats the beauty of local AI - you're not locked into anyone's ecosystem.
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