{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "koboldcpp", "name": "KoboldCpp", "vendor": "LostRuins (Concedo)", "vendorUrl": "https://koboldcpp.net", "kind": "http-api", "category": "local-ai", "summary": "Open-source program for running GGUF models on the owner's own computer, built on llama.cpp. One executable serves a web interface and KoboldAI, OpenAI, Ollama and Anthropic compatible APIs on port 5001.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/koboldcpp", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/koboldcpp.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/koboldcpp.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/koboldcpp.json", "repo": "https://github.com/LostRuins/koboldcpp", "license": "AGPL-3.0 for KoboldCpp and KoboldAI Lite. The bundled GGML, llama.cpp and stable-diffusion.cpp code stays under MIT", "transports": [ "http" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "oci", "name": "koboldai/koboldcpp" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No credential by default. `--password` (or the `KCPP_PASSWORD` environment variable) sets one shared key, sent as `Authorization: Bearer`, and the server reads it from the header only. The key guards text routes. Image generation, upscaling, `/sdapi/v1/interrogate` and `/tts_to_audio` skip the check, and the `--help` text says image endpoints are not secured. Admin routes need `--admin`, an `--admindir` and, when set, a separate `--adminpassword`. Keys have no scopes and change only with a restart. With no `--host` the server listens on all routable interfaces, and CORS reflects any Origin with credentials allowed (https://github.com/LostRuins/koboldcpp/blob/concedo/koboldcpp.py).", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under AGPL-3.0, with no account, key or card. Nothing is sold by the project. The owner pays for hardware and electricity, and the README links third-party GPU rental (RunPod, SimplePod) and Google Colab as other places to run it.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the README, the wiki, the API document or `koboldcpp.py` (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 11972, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://github.com/LostRuins/koboldcpp/wiki", "llmsTxt": "https://koboldcpp.net/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://lite.koboldai.net/koboldcpp_api.json", "capabilities": [ "inference.local", "inference.open-weights", "agent.mcp-client", "embed.text", "image.generate", "speech.stt", "speech.tts", "audio.music" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "local", "self-hosted", "free", "no-card", "openai-compatible", "openapi", "llms-txt", "docker", "agpl", "no-telemetry" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-27", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 60.5, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 462, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 842, "categoryRank": 5, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 63, "maintenance": 82, "payments": 60, "reliability": 68, "schema": 68, "security": 38, "transparency": 49 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "One file runs text, image, speech and music models behind a published OpenAPI 3.0.3 document, with eight releases in 90 days. The server listens on every interface with no password by default, and `--password` leaves the image routes open.", "bestFor": "An owner who wants text, image, speech and music models behind one executable with a writing and roleplay interface, and clients that speak the KoboldAI, OpenAI, Ollama or Anthropic formats.", "strengths": [ "OpenAPI 3.0.3 document with 54 operations, served by the program at `/api?json=1` and published at lite.koboldai.net", "KoboldAI, OpenAI, Ollama, Anthropic, AUTOMATIC1111 and ComfyUI style routes from one server on port 5001", "Eight releases between 10 July and 27 September 2026, each with written notes, and replies on all 24 of the newest open issues", "AGPL-3.0, with no telemetry or update check found in `koboldcpp.py` and a wiki statement that inputs are sent nowhere", "Admin functions are off by default and take their own `--adminpassword`" ], "weaknesses": [ "With no `--host` the server accepts connections on all routable interfaces, and no password is set by default", "`--password` covers text routes only. The `--help` text says image endpoints are not secured", "CORS reflects any Origin with credentials allowed and permits private-network requests", "No `SECURITY.md` or security.txt, and the one advisory (GHSA-qhvp-gj7g-rw26) still lists no patched version", "No continuous test run on pushes. Build workflows are started by hand and the only automatic test covers `AutoGuess.json`" ], "agentNotes": [ "Start with `--host 127.0.0.1` and `--password`. The default listens on every interface with no key", "Send the password as `Authorization: Bearer \u003cpassword\u003e`. It is not read from the query string", "Treat 503 as both busy and rate limited. The server never sends 429 or `Retry-After`, and the wait in seconds is in `detail.msg`", "Pass `max_length` or `max_tokens`. The default is 2,048 tokens unless `--defaultgenamt` changes it", "Send a `genkey` with each generation so `/api/extra/generate/check` and `/api/extra/abort` act on your request and not another caller's" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 60.5 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 63, "maintenance": 82, "payments": 60, "reliability": 68, "schema": 68, "security": 38, "transparency": 70 }, "provenanceScore": 27 }, "connect": { "install": "curl -fLo koboldcpp-linux-x64 https://github.com/LostRuins/koboldcpp/releases/latest/download/koboldcpp-linux-x64 \u0026\u0026 chmod +x koboldcpp-linux-x64 \u0026\u0026 ./koboldcpp-linux-x64\n./koboldcpp-linux-x64 --model /path/to/model.gguf # listens on port 5001", "http": "curl --request POST \\\n --url http://localhost:5001/api/v1/generate \\\n --header \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n --data '{\"prompt\": \"Niko the kobold stalked carefully down the alley,\", \"max_context_length\": 2048, \"max_length\": 100}'" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/inference.local", "tool": "https://letme.dev/koboldcpp" }, "area": "models", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "", "domain": "koboldcpp.net", "domainRegistered": "2026-03-18", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/LostRuins/koboldcpp/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "No legal entity is named in the repository, the wiki or koboldcpp.net. The maintainer publishes as LostRuins on GitHub and Concedo on Discord, and the Windows binary's version resource gives KoboldAI as the company name.", "The project publishes no terms of service and no privacy policy, so both fields are empty. The licence is AGPL-3.0 and the only privacy statement is an FAQ entry in the wiki.", "The README calls koboldcpp.net the official community website. RDAP gives its registration date as 2026-03-18 and Cloudflare, Inc. as registrar. The README warns that koboldcpp.com is a fake site.", "koboldcpp.net/.well-known/security.txt and koboldai.org/.well-known/security.txt return 404. koboldcpp.net/llms.txt returns a short index that links llms-small.txt and llms-full.txt.", "There's no shared hosted endpoint. The server runs on the owner's machine. The online API reference is on lite.koboldai.net." ], "score": 27 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/koboldcpp.json" }, "answer": "KoboldCpp scores 60.5 (C) on agent readiness against LM Studio's 57.8 (C), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. LM Studio leads on agent ergonomics, security \u0026 auth and transparency \u0026 trust.", "b": { "slug": "lm-studio", "name": "LM Studio", "vendor": "Element Labs, Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://lmstudio.ai", "kind": "http-api", "category": "local-ai", "summary": "Desktop app and headless daemon from Element Labs for running open-weight models on the owner's machine with llama.cpp and MLX, plus the Splash engine on Apple silicon M3 or newer since 0.4.25.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lm-studio", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lm-studio.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lm-studio.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lm-studio.json", "repo": "https://github.com/lmstudio-ai/lmstudio-js", "license": "Proprietary. The app and llmster are free for personal and internal business use under LM Studio's terms (Element Labs, Inc., effective 23 August 2026), with no source published. The `lms` CLI and the TypeScript and Python SDKs are MIT", "transports": [ "http" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@lmstudio/sdk" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "lmstudio" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "No authentication by default. With Require Authentication on (Developer page, Server Settings, LM Studio 0.4.0 or later), every request needs an API token (`sk-lm-` prefix) as `Authorization: Bearer`, or `x-api-key` on the Anthropic-compatible endpoint. Tokens are named, carry permissions picked at creation, are shown once and can be edited or deleted. Calling the owner's mcp.json servers through the API needs authentication on. The server binds to localhost unless Serve on Local Network is on or `lms server start --bind 0.0.0.0` is used.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "The LM Studio app, llmster and the local server are free for personal and work use with no account or card (free at work since 8 July 2025, and the terms of 23 August 2026 cover internal business use). Element Labs sells cloud model plans for Bionic, its separate agent app, at $20 (Bionic+) and $100 (Pro) a month, which local use of LM Studio doesn't need (checked 2026-10-03).", "priceSummary": "Free", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs, the pricing page or the SDK source (checked 2026-10-03).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": 69495, "pypiWeekly": 15195, "asOf": "2026-10-03" }, "docsUrl": "https://lmstudio.ai/docs/developer", "llmsTxt": "https://lmstudio.ai/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "inference.local", "inference.open-weights", "agent.mcp-client", "embed.text" ], "tags": [ "local", "closed-source", "free", "no-card", "account-free", "openai-compatible", "llms-txt", "typescript", "python", "streaming", "pre-1.0" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-19", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 57.8, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 536, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 842, "categoryRank": 7, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 69, "maintenance": 72, "payments": 60, "reliability": 34, "schema": 64, "security": 59, "transparency": 60 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-03" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "OpenAI-compatible chat completions, responses, completions and embeddings, Anthropic-compatible /v1/messages and a native /api/v1, all on one port. Authentication is off by default, so any local process can call the server.", "bestFor": "A machine that serves open models to several agents and tools at once, in whichever API shape each client already speaks, and for headless serving on Linux with llmster.", "strengths": [ "OpenAI-compatible chat completions, responses, completions and embeddings, Anthropic-compatible /v1/messages and a native /api/v1, all on one port", "llmster, a headless daemon installed with one command, with a documented systemd setup for Linux servers", "Named API tokens with permissions, and API access to MCP servers behind two switches, one of which also needs authentication on", "Stateful chats with `previous_response_id`, `allowed_tools` per MCP integration and typed error objects", "Seven releases in the 90 days to 3 October 2026, each with dated notes" ], "weaknesses": [ "Authentication is off by default, so any local process can call the server", "Closed-source app and daemon with no public CI or test suite", "The Python SDK's last stable release (1.5.0, 22 August 2025) can't send API tokens, and the docs name an environment variable no release reads", "No OpenAPI file, and the llms.txt we read covers the 0.3 app, not the v1 REST API, tokens, llmster or MCP", "1.7k open issues in the public bug tracker" ], "agentNotes": [ "Send `Authorization: Bearer $LM_API_TOKEN` when the owner gives you a token. With Require Authentication on, every request needs it", "Pass `previous_response_id` to /api/v1/chat instead of resending the history, and `store: false` for one-off calls", "List models with `GET /api/v1/models` before naming one. A named model that's downloaded loads just in time", "Install the Python SDK pre-release (1.6.0b1) and pass `api_token` directly. It reads `LMSTUDIO_API_TOKEN`, not the `LM_API_TOKEN` the docs name", "Set `allowed_tools` on every MCP integration. Without it the model sees every tool on the server" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 2.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 57.8 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 69, "maintenance": 72, "payments": 60, "reliability": 34, "schema": 64, "security": 59, "transparency": 55 }, "provenanceScore": 64 }, "connect": { "install": "curl -fsSL https://lmstudio.ai/install.sh | bash # llmster, the headless daemon. Windows: irm https://lmstudio.ai/install.ps1 | iex", "http": "curl http://localhost:1234/api/v1/chat \\\n -H \"Authorization: Bearer $LM_API_TOKEN\" \\\n -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n -d '{\"model\": \"ibm/granite-4-micro\", \"input\": \"Write a short haiku about sunrise.\"}'", "claudeCode": "export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=http://localhost:1234\nexport ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=lmstudio\nexport CLAUDE_CODE_ATTRIBUTION_HEADER=0\nclaude --model openai/gpt-oss-20b" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/inference.local", "tool": "https://letme.dev/lm-studio" }, "area": "models", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Element Labs, Inc.", "domain": "lmstudio.ai", "domainRegistered": "2023-05-03", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "https://lmstudio.ai/app-terms", "privacy": "https://lmstudio.ai/app-privacy", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://lmstudio.ai/changelog/lmstudio", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-03", "notes": [ "The terms (effective 23 August 2026) and the privacy policy (effective June 2026) name Element Labs, Inc., a Delaware corporation at 251 Little Falls Drive, Wilmington.", "There's no hosted endpoint. The server answers on the owner's machine, at localhost:1234 by default.", "lmstudio.ai/.well-known/security.txt returns a Hub web page rather than a security.txt, and we found no security page or SECURITY.md in the public repositories.", "RDAP for lmstudio.ai gives a registration date of 2023-05-03.", "lmstudio.ai/changelog opens on Bionic, the separate agent app. LM Studio's releases are at /changelog/lmstudio." ], "score": 64 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lm-studio.json", "live": { "slug": "lm-studio", "versions": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@lmstudio/sdk", "version": "2.0.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:19:13.202632377Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "lmstudio", "version": "1.5.0", "released": "2025-08-22", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:19:15.693939311Z" } ], "githubStars": 1785, "npmWeekly": 68608, "pypiWeekly": 15573, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://lmstudio.ai/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:49.288545624Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://lmstudio.ai/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T14:00:34.665371609Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "lmstudio.ai", "registered": "2023-05-03", "source": "https://rdap.identitydigital.services/rdap/domain/lmstudio.ai", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:08:39.466212979Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://lmstudio.ai/changelog/lmstudio", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:21:42.054043981Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "861d11ad807a" }, { "url": "https://lmstudio.ai/app-privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:21:37.539449608Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "2be7166b913e" }, { "url": "https://lmstudio.ai/app-terms", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:21:40.28202344Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "90222f50fb4b" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T18:21:42.054043981Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "LostRuins (Concedo)", "b": "Element Labs, Inc.", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "None", "b": "API key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "AGPL-3.0 for KoboldCpp and KoboldAI Lite. The bundled GGML, llama.cpp and stable-diffusion.cpp code stays under MIT", "b": "Proprietary. The app and llmster are free for personal and internal business use under LM Studio's terms (Element Labs, Inc., effective 23 August 2026), with no source published. The `lms` CLI and the TypeScript and Python SDKs are MIT", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-27", "b": "2026-09-19", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "no date given", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "2026-06-01", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "12k stars", "b": "69k npm/wk, 15k PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "none", "b": "2.5/5 (2)", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "KoboldCpp scores 60.5 (C) on agent readiness against LM Studio's 57.8 (C), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. LM Studio leads on agent ergonomics, security \u0026 auth and transparency \u0026 trust.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, KoboldCpp or LM Studio?" }, { "answer": "KoboldCpp needs no key. LM Studio needs an API key.", "question": "Do KoboldCpp and LM Studio need an API key?" }, { "answer": "No hosted endpoint is listed for KoboldCpp. No hosted endpoint is listed for LM Studio.", "question": "Can an agent call KoboldCpp and LM Studio without installing anything?" }, { "answer": "KoboldCpp is open source (AGPL-3.0 for KoboldCpp and KoboldAI Lite. The bundled GGML, llama.cpp and stable-diffusion.cpp code stays under MIT). No open-source release is listed for LM Studio.", "question": "Are KoboldCpp and LM Studio open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 68 against 34", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 82 against 72" ], "also": [ "No key needed to call it", "Open source" ], "goodFor": "An owner who wants text, image, speech and music models behind one executable with a writing and roleplay interface, and clients that speak the KoboldAI, OpenAI, Ollama or Anthropic formats.", "slug": "koboldcpp", "watchFor": "With no `--host` the server accepts connections on all routable interfaces, and no password is set by default" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Agent ergonomics, 69 against 63", "Security \u0026 auth, 59 against 38", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 60 against 49" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "A machine that serves open models to several agents and tools at once, in whichever API shape each client already speaks, and for headless serving on Linux with llmster.", "slug": "lm-studio", "watchFor": "Authentication is off by default, so any local process can call the server" } ], "job": { "capability": "inference.local", "name": "Local inference" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-koboldcpp.json", "title": "AnythingLLM vs KoboldCpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-koboldcpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-lm-studio.json", "title": "AnythingLLM vs LM Studio", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-lm-studio" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-koboldcpp.json", "title": "Docker Model Runner vs KoboldCpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-koboldcpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-lm-studio.json", "title": "Docker Model Runner vs LM Studio", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-lm-studio" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-koboldcpp.json", "title": "Foundry Local vs KoboldCpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-koboldcpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-lm-studio.json", "title": "Foundry Local vs LM Studio", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-lm-studio" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-koboldcpp.json", "title": "Core vs KoboldCpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-koboldcpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-lm-studio.json", "title": "Core vs LM Studio", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-lm-studio" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-koboldcpp.json", "title": "GPT4All vs KoboldCpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-koboldcpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-lm-studio.json", "title": "GPT4All vs LM Studio", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-lm-studio" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-koboldcpp.json", "title": "Jan vs KoboldCpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-koboldcpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-lm-studio.json", "title": "Jan vs LM Studio", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-lm-studio" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-koboldcpp.json", "title": "Khoj vs KoboldCpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-koboldcpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-lm-studio.json", "title": "Khoj vs LM Studio", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-lm-studio" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lemonade.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs Lemonade", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lemonade" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-llama-cpp.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs llama.cpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-llama-cpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-localai.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs LocalAI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-localai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-mlx-lm.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs MLX LM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-mlx-lm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-ollama.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-open-webui.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs Open WebUI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-open-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-screenpipe.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs screenpipe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-screenpipe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-lm-studio.json", "title": "Lemonade vs LM Studio", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-lm-studio" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-lm-studio.json", "title": "llama.cpp vs LM Studio", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-lm-studio" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-localai.json", "title": "LM Studio vs LocalAI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-localai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-mlx-lm.json", "title": "LM Studio vs MLX LM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-mlx-lm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-ollama.json", "title": "LM Studio vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-open-webui.json", "title": "LM Studio vs Open WebUI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-open-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-screenpipe.json", "title": "LM Studio vs screenpipe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-screenpipe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "LM Studio vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-underdog.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-underdog" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-underdog.json", "title": "LM Studio vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-underdog" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 34, "edge": "koboldcpp", "key": "reliability", "koboldcpp": 68, "lm-studio": 34, "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 4, "edge": "koboldcpp", "key": "schema", "koboldcpp": 68, "lm-studio": 64, "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 6, "edge": "lm-studio", "key": "ergonomics", "koboldcpp": 63, "lm-studio": 69, "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 21, "edge": "lm-studio", "key": "security", "koboldcpp": 38, "lm-studio": 59, "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "koboldcpp": 60, "lm-studio": 60, "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 10, "edge": "koboldcpp", "key": "maintenance", "koboldcpp": 82, "lm-studio": 72, "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "by": 11, "edge": "lm-studio", "key": "transparency", "koboldcpp": 49, "lm-studio": 60, "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "KoboldCpp scores 60.5 (C) on agent readiness against LM Studio's 57.8 (C), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. LM Studio leads on agent ergonomics, security \u0026 auth and transparency \u0026 trust. Both do local inference.", "verdicts": { "koboldcpp": "One file runs text, image, speech and music models behind a published OpenAPI 3.0.3 document, with eight releases in 90 days. The server listens on every interface with no password by default, and `--password` leaves the image routes open.", "lm-studio": "OpenAI-compatible chat completions, responses, completions and embeddings, Anthropic-compatible /v1/messages and a native /api/v1, all on one port. Authentication is off by default, so any local process can call the server." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio.min.md" }, "markdown": "KoboldCpp scores 60.5 (C) on agent readiness against LM Studio's 57.8 (C), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. LM Studio leads on agent ergonomics, security \u0026 auth and transparency \u0026 trust. Both do local inference.\n\n- KoboldCpp: grade C, 60.5/100, rank #462 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/koboldcpp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/koboldcpp.json\n- LM Studio: grade C, 57.8/100, rank #536 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lm-studio.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lm-studio.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### KoboldCpp (C)\n\nGood for: An owner who wants text, image, speech and music models behind one executable with a writing and roleplay interface, and clients that speak the KoboldAI, OpenAI, Ollama or Anthropic formats.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 68 against 34\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 82 against 72\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No key needed to call it\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: With no `--host` the server accepts connections on all routable interfaces, and no password is set by default\n\n### LM Studio (C)\n\nGood for: A machine that serves open models to several agents and tools at once, in whichever API shape each client already speaks, and for headless serving on Linux with llmster.\n\nAhead on:\n- Agent ergonomics, 69 against 63\n- Security \u0026 auth, 59 against 38\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 60 against 49\n\nWatch for: Authentication is off by default, so any local process can call the server\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | KoboldCpp | LM Studio | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 68 | 34 | KoboldCpp +34 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 68 | 64 | KoboldCpp +4 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 63 | 69 | LM Studio +6 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 38 | 59 | LM Studio +21 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 82 | 72 | KoboldCpp +10 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 49 | 60 | LM Studio +11 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **60.5 · C** | **57.8 · C** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | KoboldCpp | LM Studio |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | LostRuins (Concedo) | Element Labs, Inc. |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | None | API key |\n| Pricing | Free | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | AGPL-3.0 for KoboldCpp and KoboldAI Lite. The bundled GGML, llama.cpp and stable-diffusion.cpp code stays under MIT | Proprietary. The app and llmster are free for personal and internal business use under LM Studio's terms (Element Labs, Inc., effective 23 August 2026), with no source published. The `lms` CLI and the TypeScript and Python SDKs are MIT |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-09-27 | 2026-09-19 |\n| Terms last updated | no document linked | no date given |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | 2026-06-01 |\n| Customer content may train models | | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | | not found in the text |\n| Popularity | 12k stars | 69k npm/wk, 15k PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | none | 2.5/5 (2) |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**KoboldCpp.** One file runs text, image, speech and music models behind a published OpenAPI 3.0.3 document, with eight releases in 90 days. The server listens on every interface with no password by default, and `--password` leaves the image routes open.\n\n**LM Studio.** OpenAI-compatible chat completions, responses, completions and embeddings, Anthropic-compatible /v1/messages and a native /api/v1, all on one port. Authentication is off by default, so any local process can call the server.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### KoboldCpp\n\n1. Start with `--host 127.0.0.1` and `--password`. The default listens on every interface with no key\n2. Send the password as `Authorization: Bearer \u003cpassword\u003e`. It is not read from the query string\n3. Treat 503 as both busy and rate limited. The server never sends 429 or `Retry-After`, and the wait in seconds is in `detail.msg`\n4. Pass `max_length` or `max_tokens`. The default is 2,048 tokens unless `--defaultgenamt` changes it\n5. Send a `genkey` with each generation so `/api/extra/generate/check` and `/api/extra/abort` act on your request and not another caller's\n\n### LM Studio\n\n1. Send `Authorization: Bearer $LM_API_TOKEN` when the owner gives you a token. With Require Authentication on, every request needs it\n2. Pass `previous_response_id` to /api/v1/chat instead of resending the history, and `store: false` for one-off calls\n3. List models with `GET /api/v1/models` before naming one. A named model that's downloaded loads just in time\n4. Install the Python SDK pre-release (1.6.0b1) and pass `api_token` directly. It reads `LMSTUDIO_API_TOKEN`, not the `LM_API_TOKEN` the docs name\n5. Set `allowed_tools` on every MCP integration. Without it the model sees every tool on the server\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, KoboldCpp or LM Studio?\n\nKoboldCpp scores 60.5 (C) on agent readiness against LM Studio's 57.8 (C), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. LM Studio leads on agent ergonomics, security \u0026 auth and transparency \u0026 trust.\n\n### Do KoboldCpp and LM Studio need an API key?\n\nKoboldCpp needs no key. LM Studio needs an API key.\n\n### Can an agent call KoboldCpp and LM Studio without installing anything?\n\nNo hosted endpoint is listed for KoboldCpp. No hosted endpoint is listed for LM Studio.\n\n### Are KoboldCpp and LM Studio open source?\n\nKoboldCpp is open source (AGPL-3.0 for KoboldCpp and KoboldAI Lite. The bundled GGML, llama.cpp and stable-diffusion.cpp code stays under MIT). No open-source release is listed for LM Studio.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"koboldcpp\", \"b\": \"lm-studio\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare koboldcpp lm-studio`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/koboldcpp.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lm-studio.json\n\n## Other comparisons with KoboldCpp or LM Studio\n\n- [AnythingLLM vs KoboldCpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-koboldcpp.md)\n- [AnythingLLM vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [Docker Model Runner vs KoboldCpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-koboldcpp.md)\n- [Docker Model Runner vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [Foundry Local vs KoboldCpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-koboldcpp.md)\n- [Foundry Local vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [Core vs KoboldCpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-koboldcpp.md)\n- [Core vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [GPT4All vs KoboldCpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-koboldcpp.md)\n- [GPT4All vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [Jan vs KoboldCpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-koboldcpp.md)\n- [Jan vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [Khoj vs KoboldCpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-koboldcpp.md)\n- [Khoj vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs Lemonade](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lemonade.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs llama.cpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-llama-cpp.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs LocalAI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-localai.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs MLX LM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-mlx-lm.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-ollama.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs Open WebUI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-open-webui.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs screenpipe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-screenpipe.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Lemonade vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [llama.cpp vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [LM Studio vs LocalAI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-localai.md)\n- [LM Studio vs MLX LM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-mlx-lm.md)\n- [LM Studio vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-ollama.md)\n- [LM Studio vs Open WebUI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-open-webui.md)\n- [LM Studio vs screenpipe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-screenpipe.md)\n- [LM Studio vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-underdog.md)\n- [LM Studio vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-underdog.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-09", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "KoboldCpp vs LM Studio", "url": "" } ], "description": "KoboldCpp scores 60.5 (C) on agent readiness against LM Studio's 57.8 (C), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. LM Studio leads on agent ergonomics, security \u0026 auth and transparency \u0026 trust. Both do local inference. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "KoboldCpp C 60.5", "LM Studio C 57.8", "scores" ], "h1": "KoboldCpp vs LM Studio", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio.png", "path": "/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "KoboldCpp vs LM Studio for AI agents, C 60.5 vs C 57.8", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-09", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2600, "slim": 730 }, "version": 1 }