DEV Community

Cover image for 🧠 Tired of Cloud Limits? Here Are 10 Open-Source ChatGPT Alternatives That Run Locally
Theodor Coin
Theodor Coin

Posted on

🧠 Tired of Cloud Limits? Here Are 10 Open-Source ChatGPT Alternatives That Run Locally

No tokens. No spying. Just local power.

As someone who builds and tests LLM workflows daily, I hit a wall with cloud-based tools — lag, API limits, and constant privacy trade-offs. So I made the switch: LLMs on my own machine.

Here are 10 open-source projects I’ve personally explored (or bookmarked to test) that let you run full ChatGPT-like models offline — private, modifiable, and no cloud dependency.

🔥 My Top Picks

  • Ollama — Think Docker, but for LLMs. Simple run llama3, and you’re chatting. M2/M3 MacBook? It flies.
  • LM Studio — Beautiful desktop UI + drag & drop GGUF models. Great for docs, notes, and casual chat.
  • Text Gen Web UI (oobabooga) — Power tool for devs. Plugins, long context, even voice input.
  • PrivateGPT — Chat with your local PDFs. Fully offline RAG = zero data leakage.
  • LocalAI — An OpenAI API clone... that runs on your machine. Plug it into existing apps.

Other Notables

  • GPT4All — One-click GUI. Friendly starter for offline LLMs on any OS.
  • Jan (gpt-terminal) — Mac-native UI with offline coding and chat.
  • KoboldAI — Perfect if you’re into storytelling or roleplay.
  • Chatbot UI + Ollama — A self-hosted ChatGPT clone — you control the backend.
  • Gaia (AMD) — New player. Optimized for Ryzen AI, but works broadly. Cool agents baked in.

Why Run Locally?

  • ✅ No API limits
  • ✅ 100% private (no cloud = no leaks)
  • ✅ Hackable + open source
  • ✅ Way faster dev loop
  • ✅ You own your AI stack

If you're curious: right now I bounce between LM Studio for daily use and Ollama + Open WebUI for dev tests and fast prototyping. It’s fun, fast, and mine.

🧪 Curious about performance?

Top comments (0)