Ollama
Local LLM RunnersRun large language models locally with a simple CLI and API
Replaces ChatGPT, OpenAI API
Best Lightweight Local LLM Runners for self-hosting
The 9 best Lightweight local llm runners you can self-host, ranked by community traction.
llama.cpp
Local LLM RunnersHigh-performance LLM inference in plain C/C++
Replaces OpenAI API
llamafile
Local LLM RunnersDistribute and run LLMs with a single executable file
Replaces OpenAI API, ChatGPT
KoboldCpp
Local LLM RunnersSingle-file local LLM runner for text and storytelling
Replaces ChatGPT
Page Assist
Local LLM RunnersBrowser extension to use local AI models on the web
Replaces ChatGPT
Serge
Local LLM RunnersSelf-hosted LLaMA chat UI with no API keys needed
Replaces ChatGPT
Text Embeddings Inference
Local LLM RunnersFast inference server for text embedding models
Replaces OpenAI Embeddings API
ik_llama.cpp
Local LLM RunnersPerformance-focused fork of llama.cpp with new quant types
Replaces OpenAI API
Wllama
Local LLM RunnersRun LLM inference directly in the browser with WebAssembly
Replaces OpenAI API
No apps match these filters.
Every option here is open-source and self-hostable, tagged Lightweight within the local llm runners category. Compare them on the individual app pages for setup difficulty and resource requirements.