Jan vs Lm Studio

Detailed comparison across 10 dimensions

Winner: Jan

Jan clearly comes out ahead of LM Studio on Staquest's weighted six-dimension score. Both offer a free tier.

Quick Overview

Overview	JanOpen-source offline ChatGPT alternative.	LM StudioDesktop app for running LLMs locally with GPU support.
Type	ai tool	ai tool
Company	Jan	LM Studio
Free Tier
Has API
Open Source
Learning Curve	-	-
Integration	-	-
Trending	Stable	Stable
GitHub Stars	-	-
Industries	DevelopmentAI & Machine LearningMarketingEducation & EdTechHR & Recruiting	DevelopmentAI & Machine LearningEducation & EdTech
Categories	developer-toolsai-chatbot	ai-foundation-modelsdeveloper-tools
Website	Visit	Visit

Dimension Scores

Winners by Dimension

Overall Winner

Jan

Jan: 6.2Lm Studio: 5.8(+4.0 pts)

Pricing Value

Tie15% weight

Jan

8.0

Lm Studio

8.0

Features

Tie15% weight

Jan

3.0

Lm Studio

3.0

Free Tier

Jan10% weight

Jan

10.0

Lm Studio

8.5

Ease of Use

Tie10% weight

Jan

5.0

Lm Studio

5.0

Scalability

Tie10% weight

Jan

8.6

Lm Studio

8.6

Integrations

Tie10% weight

Jan

8.0

Lm Studio

8.0

API Quality

Tie10% weight

Jan

6.0

Lm Studio

6.0

Momentum

Tie10% weight

Jan

3.0

Lm Studio

3.0

Community

Tie5% weight

Jan

3.0

Lm Studio

3.0

Open Source

Jan5% weight

Jan

7.0

Lm Studio

2.0

Pricing Comparison

Jan

Free

open source

100% Local & Offline-first
Open-source (Apache 2.0)
OpenAI-compatible local API server
Support for Llama, Mistral, Gemma, and other GGUF models
MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration
Multi-engine support (llama.cpp, TensorRT-LLM)
+2 more

Enterprise

Contact sales

custom

Jan Server (Kubernetes-native platform)
Multi-tenant management
Private AI infrastructure deployment
Team user management
Aggregate and track cloud API costs
Smart Routing (Cloud/Local based on PII)
+2 more

LM Studio

Free

View pricing

open source

Local LLM execution
Wide model compatibility
Local API server
JavaScript and Python SDKs
Commercial use permitted

Enterprise

Contact sales

View pricing

custom

SSO
Model/MCP gating
Private collaboration
Advanced access control

Feature Comparison

Feature	jan	lm-studio
100% Local & Offline-First
Advanced Access Control
Aggregate And Track Cloud Api Costs
Commercial Use Permitted
Dedicated Support And System Integration
Javascript And Python Sdks
Enterprise-Grade Security And Observability
Local Api Server
Extension System
Local Llm Execution
Jan Server (Kubernetes-Native Platform)
Model/Mcp Gating
Mcp (Model Context Protocol) Integration
Private Collaboration
Mobile And Desktop Apps
Sso
Multi-Engine Support (Llama.Cpp, Tensorrt-Llm)
Wide Model Compatibility
Multi-Tenant Management
Open-Source (Apache 2.0)
Openai-Compatible Local Api Server
Private Ai Infrastructure Deployment
Smart Routing (Cloud/Local Based On Pii)
Support For Llama, Mistral, Gemma, And Other Gguf Models
Team User Management

Showing 25 of 25 features

Dashes mean the feature isn't listed in our data. The tool may still support it.

Frequently asked questions

Is Jan or LM Studio better?

On Staquest's weighted six-dimension scoring, Jan comes out ahead overall, though LM Studio can be the better fit depending on your priorities — see the dimension-by-dimension breakdown above.

Does Jan or LM Studio have a free tier?

Both Jan and LM Studio offer a free tier.

What are the main differences between Jan and LM Studio?

Jan is open source. The feature comparison and dimension scores above cover the full breakdown.

View Jan View Lm Studio