LocalAI
LocalAI is the open-source AI engine. Run any model - LLMs, vision, voice, image, video - on any hardware. No GPU required.
Our verdict
A usable project with some maintenance caveats. This assessment is derived from GitHub's own repository metrics on 2026-08-30, not from hands-on testing.
LocalAI is the open-source AI engine. Run any model - LLMs, vision, voice, image, video - on any hardware. No GPU required. The project is written primarily in Go, released under MIT, and has 48,758 stars and 4,398 forks on GitHub. 238 contributors have committed to it, and the most recent push was 2026-08-30. The latest tagged release is v4.9.0 (2026-08-20). Figures come from the GitHub API on 2026-08-30 and are refreshed daily; the score below weighs adoption, maintenance, release discipline, contributor breadth, licence clarity and issue hygiene.
Repository
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Go
- Last push
- 2026-08-30
Releases
-
v4.9.0v4.9.0 -
v4.8.2v4.8.2 -
v4.8.1v4.8.1 -
v4.8.0v4.8.0 -
v4.7.1v4.7.1 -
v4.7.0v4.7.0
Pros and cons
Pros
Pricing
- Free tierYes
- LicenceMIT
- Self-hostYes, source is public
- Public price listNot published
LocalAI does not publish a web price list. For consumer apps that usually means pricing appears inside the product; for enterprise tools it means talking to sales. Why we do this
Visit localai.ioTrends
Price points are recorded when a price moves, not on a schedule, so a flat run means the price held. Release cadence comes from GitHub releases. A series appears only once we have watched it for long enough to have more than one observation.
What users actually say
- OpenClaw ….. Why is setting up localAI seem so difficutl? Reddit · 2026
- I'm the author of LocalAI, the free, Open Source, self- … Reddit · 2025
- LocalAI (the self-hosted OpenAI alternative) just got a … Reddit · 2025
- LocalAI - OpenAI compatible API to run LLMs Models Reddit · 2023
- LocalAI v2.15.0 Released: the OSS alternative to OpenAI, … Reddit · 2024
We link to discussions rather than reproducing them. Opinions belong to their authors.
User reviews
No one has reviewed LocalAI here yet. Reviews are moderated before they appear, and our own score is editorial and separate from user ratings, though once reviews land they do lift it.
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Side by side
| Tool | Our score | From | Free tier | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LocalAI this page | 7.8 | - | Yes | ||
| GPT4Free | 7.7 | - | Yes | ||
| Anyscale | 5.5 | $3 | Yes | ||
| Artificial Analysis | 5.3 | - | - | ||
| gpt_academic | 5.0 | - | Yes | ||
| Cerebras | 4.9 | - | Yes | ||
| GPT4All | 4.8 | - | Yes |
Questions
Is LocalAI free?
Yes. LocalAI advertises a free tier on its own site.
How much does LocalAI cost?
LocalAI does not publish a web price list. For consumer apps that usually means pricing appears inside the product; for enterprise tools it means talking to sales.
Is LocalAI open source?
Yes. LocalAI is a public repository released under MIT. You can self-host or inspect the source directly.
How is LocalAI scored here?
LocalAI scores 7.8 out of 10. That comes from a desk review of public evidence, which is capped at 8.5 out of 10: public pricing, documentation, maintenance signals and how much we could actually verify. Affiliate relationships are excluded from scoring entirely. The full rubric is published on our methodology page.