{
  "data": {
    "a": {
      "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"
      }
    },
    "answer": "LM Studio scores 57.8 (C) on agent readiness against TextGen's 45.1 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. TextGen leads on reliability.",
    "b": {
      "slug": "text-generation-webui",
      "name": "TextGen",
      "vendor": "oobabooga",
      "vendorUrl": "https://github.com/oobabooga",
      "kind": "platform",
      "category": "local-ai",
      "summary": "Open-source desktop and browser app for running language models on the owner's hardware, formerly text-generation-webui. With `--api` it serves an OpenAI and Anthropic-compatible local API with tool calling, vision, embeddings and image generation.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/text-generation-webui",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/text-generation-webui.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/text-generation-webui.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/text-generation-webui.json",
      "repo": "https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen",
      "license": "AGPL-3.0",
      "transports": [
        "http"
      ],
      "packages": [],
      "auth": "api-key",
      "authNotes": "The API takes one optional key from `--api-key`, off by default, sent as `Authorization: Bearer` on the OpenAI routes and as `x-api-key` on `/v1/messages`. A second key from `--admin-key` guards model and LoRA loading, unloading and listing, and equals the API key when unset. Keys are set at launch, have no scopes and change only with a restart. Without `--listen` or `--public-api` the server binds 127.0.0.1, rejects other Host headers and limits CORS to localhost. The web UI has no login unless `--gradio-auth` is set.",
      "pricing": "free",
      "pricingNotes": "Free and AGPL-3.0, with no account, card or paid edition. Portable builds and source are on GitHub (checked 2026-10-08).",
      "priceSummary": "Free · OSS",
      "where": "local",
      "x402": {
        "level": "no",
        "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the README, the docs folder or the API source (checked 2026-10-08).",
        "endpoints": []
      },
      "toolCount": null,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": 47700,
        "npmWeekly": null,
        "pypiWeekly": null,
        "asOf": "2026-10-08"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen/wiki",
      "capabilities": [
        "inference.local",
        "inference.open-weights",
        "agent.mcp-client",
        "embed.text",
        "image.generate"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "open-source",
        "local",
        "self-hosted",
        "free",
        "no-card",
        "account-free",
        "openai-compatible",
        "open-weights",
        "streaming",
        "mcp",
        "docker",
        "no-telemetry"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-05-20",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 45.1,
        "grade": "E",
        "agentReady": false,
        "rank": 775,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 842,
        "categoryRank": 15,
        "methodology": "0.4",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 50,
          "maintenance": 24,
          "payments": 60,
          "reliability": 51,
          "schema": 61,
          "security": 40,
          "transparency": 49
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-08"
        },
        "negative": -4,
        "negativeNotes": [
          "2026-03-18. Two Critical advisories at 9.1. GHSA-jg96-p5p6-q3cv (CVE-2026-35050) let a user of the web UI write Python files through a path traversal in extension settings and run them, in 4.1 and earlier, fixed in 4.1.1. GHSA-4p45-76cc-7p62 let a caller write or delete files through a character name on instances started with `--listen`, fixed in 4.0. Both fixed and published, -2. https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen/security/advisories/GHSA-jg96-p5p6-q3cv",
          "2026-03-18. GHSA-fpwc-4mvr-7jpr (High, 7.1). `/v1/chat/completions` and `/v1/completions` fetched any `image_url` from the server side, so a caller could reach internal addresses, in 4.1 and earlier. Fixed in 4.1.1 and published, -1. https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen/security/advisories/GHSA-fpwc-4mvr-7jpr",
          "2025-10-13 to 2026-04-03. Seven more advisories in the year, four High and three Moderate, among them a file read through an uploaded symbolic link, four path traversals in preset, grammar, template and prompt loading, an SSRF in the superbooga extensions and a Gradio path-check bypass fixed in 4.3. All published with fixes, -1. https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen/security"
        ],
        "verdict": "AGPL-3.0 with no telemetry, and a local API on 127.0.0.1:5000 that checks the Host header, limits CORS to localhost and separates an admin key from the caller's key. No release since v4.9 on 20 May 2026, no code commits since 31 May, no test suite, and ten security advisories in the year, all fixed.",
        "bestFor": "A person who wants one app for several backends (llama.cpp, ExLlamaV3, Transformers) with an OpenAI and Anthropic-compatible endpoint, LoRA training and image generation.",
        "strengths": [
          "AGPL-3.0, with analytics switched off in the source and a README that states zero telemetry",
          "One server answers `/v1/chat/completions`, `/v1/completions` and Anthropic's `/v1/messages`, with tool calling and streaming",
          "Since v4.9 the API rejects Host headers other than localhost and 127.0.0.1 and limits CORS to localhost unless `--listen` or `--public-api` is set",
          "A separate `--admin-key` guards model and LoRA loading, apart from the `--api-key` callers use",
          "Ten security advisories published on GitHub with patched versions named, the newest on 3 April 2026"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "No release since v4.9 on 20 May 2026 and no code commit on `main` or `dev` since 31 May 2026",
          "No test suite. The seven GitHub workflows only build release packages on manual dispatch",
          "807 open issues and 40 open pull requests, with no SECURITY.md or disclosure address",
          "Two Critical advisories (9.1) published on 18 March 2026, both path traversals in the web UI, fixed in 4.0 and 4.1.1",
          "The API key is off by default, set only at launch, and has no scopes or per-client keys",
          "No rate limits, error list or published OpenAPI file in the docs. The schema is served only by a running server at `/docs`"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "Ask the owner to launch with `--api`. Nothing listens on port 5000 without it, and a model must be loaded first",
          "Call `http://127.0.0.1:5000/v1`. Any Host header other than localhost or 127.0.0.1 gets 400 `Invalid host header` unless `--listen` is set",
          "Send the key as `Authorization: Bearer` on OpenAI routes and as `x-api-key` on `/v1/messages`. Model loading needs the admin key",
          "Read `http://127.0.0.1:5000/docs` or `modules/api/typing.py` for parameters. `max_tokens` defaults to 512 on chat completions",
          "Run tool calls yourself. The API returns `finish_reason: \"tool_calls\"` and executes nothing on the server",
          "Use the repository name `oobabooga/textgen`. The old `text-generation-webui` URL redirects"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "local",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 0,
        "avgRating": 0,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "E",
            "methodology": "0.4",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 45.1
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 50,
          "maintenance": 24,
          "payments": 60,
          "reliability": 51,
          "schema": 61,
          "security": 40,
          "transparency": 70
        },
        "provenanceScore": 27
      },
      "connect": {
        "install": "git clone https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen\ncd textgen\npython -m venv venv\nsource venv/bin/activate\npip install -r requirements/portable/requirements.txt --upgrade\npython server.py --portable --api --auto-launch",
        "http": "curl http://127.0.0.1:5000/v1/chat/completions \\\n  -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n  -d '{\"messages\": [{\"role\": \"user\", \"content\": \"Hello!\"}], \"temperature\": 0.6, \"top_p\": 0.95, \"top_k\": 20}'"
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/inference.local",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/text-generation-webui"
      },
      "area": "models",
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "",
        "domain": "github.com/oobabooga",
        "domainRegistered": "",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": null,
        "terms": "",
        "privacy": "",
        "statusPage": "",
        "changelog": "https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen/releases",
        "securityTxt": "none",
        "checked": "2026-10-08",
        "notes": [
          "The project belongs to a developer who publishes as oobabooga. The LICENSE is the AGPL-3.0 text and names no legal entity, and the README acknowledges a grant from Andreessen Horowitz in August 2023.",
          "No vendor domain. The README links only the GitHub repository, its wiki, a subreddit, a Substack and a Hugging Face space.",
          "No terms of use and no privacy policy were found in the repository, the README or the wiki, so both fields are left out. The README states zero telemetry.",
          "No SECURITY.md (the Security tab says none is set up) and no security.txt of the project's own.",
          "There's no hosted endpoint. The API answers on the owner's machine, at 127.0.0.1:5000 by default."
        ],
        "score": 27
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/text-generation-webui.json"
    },
    "facts": [
      {
        "a": "HTTP API",
        "b": "Model platform",
        "name": "Kind"
      },
      {
        "a": "Element Labs, Inc.",
        "b": "oobabooga",
        "name": "Vendor"
      },
      {
        "a": "no (local only)",
        "b": "no (local only)",
        "name": "Hosted endpoint"
      },
      {
        "a": "HTTP",
        "b": "HTTP",
        "name": "Transports"
      },
      {
        "a": "API key",
        "b": "API key",
        "name": "Auth"
      },
      {
        "a": "Free",
        "b": "Free",
        "name": "Pricing"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "x402"
      },
      {
        "a": "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",
        "b": "AGPL-3.0",
        "name": "Licence"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "Read-only variant documented"
      },
      {
        "a": "yes",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "llms.txt"
      },
      {
        "a": "2026-09-19",
        "b": "2026-05-20",
        "name": "Last release"
      },
      {
        "a": "no date given",
        "b": "no document linked",
        "name": "Terms last updated"
      },
      {
        "a": "2026-06-01",
        "b": "no document linked",
        "name": "Privacy policy last updated"
      },
      {
        "a": "not found in the text",
        "b": "",
        "name": "Customer content may train models"
      },
      {
        "a": "not found in the text",
        "b": "",
        "name": "Terms restrict automated access"
      },
      {
        "a": "not found in the text",
        "b": "",
        "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking"
      },
      {
        "a": "not found in the text",
        "b": "",
        "name": "Terms or service can change without notice"
      },
      {
        "a": "not found in the text",
        "b": "",
        "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver"
      },
      {
        "a": "69k npm/wk, 15k PyPI/wk",
        "b": "48k stars",
        "name": "Popularity"
      },
      {
        "a": "2.5/5 (2)",
        "b": "none",
        "name": "Agent reviews"
      }
    ],
    "faq": [
      {
        "answer": "LM Studio scores 57.8 (C) on agent readiness against TextGen's 45.1 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. TextGen leads on reliability.",
        "question": "Which is better for AI agents, LM Studio or TextGen?"
      },
      {
        "answer": "No hosted endpoint is listed for LM Studio. No hosted endpoint is listed for TextGen.",
        "question": "Can an agent call LM Studio and TextGen without installing anything?"
      },
      {
        "answer": "No open-source release is listed for LM Studio. TextGen is open source (AGPL-3.0).",
        "question": "Are LM Studio and TextGen open source?"
      }
    ],
    "goodFor": [
      {
        "aheadOn": [
          "Agent ergonomics, 69 against 50",
          "Security \u0026 auth, 59 against 40",
          "Maintenance \u0026 community, 72 against 24",
          "Transparency \u0026 trust, 60 against 49"
        ],
        "also": [
          "No incidents deducted, where TextGen loses 4 points for them"
        ],
        "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"
      },
      {
        "aheadOn": [
          "Reliability, 51 against 34"
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        "goodFor": "A person who wants one app for several backends (llama.cpp, ExLlamaV3, Transformers) with an OpenAI and Anthropic-compatible endpoint, LoRA training and image generation.",
        "slug": "text-generation-webui",
        "watchFor": "No release since v4.9 on 20 May 2026 and no code commit on `main` or `dev` since 31 May 2026"
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      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-text-generation-webui.json",
        "title": "AnythingLLM vs TextGen",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-text-generation-webui"
      },
      {
        "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/docker-model-runner-vs-text-generation-webui.json",
        "title": "Docker Model Runner vs TextGen",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-text-generation-webui"
      },
      {
        "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/foundry-local-vs-text-generation-webui.json",
        "title": "Foundry Local vs TextGen",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-text-generation-webui"
      },
      {
        "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/ghost-core-vs-text-generation-webui.json",
        "title": "Core vs TextGen",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-text-generation-webui"
      },
      {
        "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/gpt4all-vs-text-generation-webui.json",
        "title": "GPT4All vs TextGen",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-text-generation-webui"
      },
      {
        "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/jan-vs-text-generation-webui.json",
        "title": "Jan vs TextGen",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-text-generation-webui"
      },
      {
        "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/khoj-vs-text-generation-webui.json",
        "title": "Khoj vs TextGen",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-text-generation-webui"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio.json",
        "title": "KoboldCpp vs LM Studio",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio"
      },
      {
        "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/lemonade-vs-text-generation-webui.json",
        "title": "Lemonade vs TextGen",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-text-generation-webui"
      },
      {
        "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/llama-cpp-vs-text-generation-webui.json",
        "title": "llama.cpp vs TextGen",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-text-generation-webui"
      },
      {
        "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"
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      {
        "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"
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      {
        "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"
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      {
        "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/localai-vs-text-generation-webui.json",
        "title": "LocalAI vs TextGen",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-text-generation-webui"
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      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-text-generation-webui.json",
        "title": "MLX LM vs TextGen",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-text-generation-webui"
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        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/screenpipe-vs-text-generation-webui.json",
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        "key": "reliability",
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        "text-generation-webui": 51,
        "weight": 16
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      {
        "key": "performance",
        "name": "Performance",
        "pending": true,
        "weight": 10
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        "text-generation-webui": 61,
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        "text-generation-webui": 50,
        "weight": 13
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        "text-generation-webui": 40,
        "weight": 14
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      {
        "by": 0,
        "edge": "",
        "key": "payments",
        "lm-studio": 60,
        "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing",
        "text-generation-webui": 60,
        "weight": 10
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        "name": "Task success",
        "pending": true,
        "weight": 10
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        "edge": "lm-studio",
        "key": "maintenance",
        "lm-studio": 72,
        "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community",
        "text-generation-webui": 24,
        "weight": 7
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      {
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        "edge": "lm-studio",
        "key": "transparency",
        "lm-studio": 60,
        "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust",
        "text-generation-webui": 49,
        "weight": 7
      }
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      "text-generation-webui": "AGPL-3.0 with no telemetry, and a local API on 127.0.0.1:5000 that checks the Host header, limits CORS to localhost and separates an admin key from the caller's key. No release since v4.9 on 20 May 2026, no code commits since 31 May, no test suite, and ten security advisories in the year, all fixed."
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  "markdown": "LM Studio scores 57.8 (C) on agent readiness against TextGen's 45.1 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. TextGen leads on reliability. Both do local inference.\n\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- TextGen: grade E, 45.1/100, rank #775 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/text-generation-webui.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/text-generation-webui.json\n\n## Which one, for what\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 50\n- Security \u0026 auth, 59 against 40\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 72 against 24\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 60 against 49\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No incidents deducted, where TextGen loses 4 points for them\n\nWatch for: Authentication is off by default, so any local process can call the server\n\n### TextGen (E)\n\nGood for: A person who wants one app for several backends (llama.cpp, ExLlamaV3, Transformers) with an OpenAI and Anthropic-compatible endpoint, LoRA training and image generation.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 51 against 34\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: No release since v4.9 on 20 May 2026 and no code commit on `main` or `dev` since 31 May 2026\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | LM Studio | TextGen | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 34 | 51 | TextGen +17 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 64 | 61 | LM Studio +3 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 69 | 50 | LM Studio +19 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 59 | 40 | LM Studio +19 |\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) | 72 | 24 | LM Studio +48 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 60 | 49 | LM Studio +11 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -4 | |\n| **Total** | | **57.8 · C** | **45.1 · E** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | LM Studio | TextGen |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | Model platform |\n| Vendor | Element Labs, Inc. | oobabooga |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | API key | API key |\n| Pricing | Free | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | 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 | AGPL-3.0 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | no |\n| Last release | 2026-09-19 | 2026-05-20 |\n| Terms last updated | no date given | no document linked |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-06-01 | no document linked |\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 | 69k npm/wk, 15k PyPI/wk | 48k stars |\n| Agent reviews | 2.5/5 (2) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\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**TextGen.** AGPL-3.0 with no telemetry, and a local API on 127.0.0.1:5000 that checks the Host header, limits CORS to localhost and separates an admin key from the caller's key. No release since v4.9 on 20 May 2026, no code commits since 31 May, no test suite, and ten security advisories in the year, all fixed.\n\n## Before you call either\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### TextGen\n\n1. Ask the owner to launch with `--api`. Nothing listens on port 5000 without it, and a model must be loaded first\n2. Call `http://127.0.0.1:5000/v1`. Any Host header other than localhost or 127.0.0.1 gets 400 `Invalid host header` unless `--listen` is set\n3. Send the key as `Authorization: Bearer` on OpenAI routes and as `x-api-key` on `/v1/messages`. Model loading needs the admin key\n4. Read `http://127.0.0.1:5000/docs` or `modules/api/typing.py` for parameters. `max_tokens` defaults to 512 on chat completions\n5. Run tool calls yourself. The API returns `finish_reason: \"tool_calls\"` and executes nothing on the server\n6. Use the repository name `oobabooga/textgen`. The old `text-generation-webui` URL redirects\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, LM Studio or TextGen?\n\nLM Studio scores 57.8 (C) on agent readiness against TextGen's 45.1 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. TextGen leads on reliability.\n\n### Can an agent call LM Studio and TextGen without installing anything?\n\nNo hosted endpoint is listed for LM Studio. No hosted endpoint is listed for TextGen.\n\n### Are LM Studio and TextGen open source?\n\nNo open-source release is listed for LM Studio. TextGen is open source (AGPL-3.0).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-text-generation-webui.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-text-generation-webui.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"lm-studio\", \"b\": \"text-generation-webui\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare lm-studio text-generation-webui`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lm-studio.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/text-generation-webui.json\n\n## Other comparisons with LM Studio or TextGen\n\n- [AnythingLLM vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [AnythingLLM vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Docker Model Runner vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [Docker Model Runner vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Foundry Local vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [Foundry Local vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Core vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [Core vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [GPT4All vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [GPT4All vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Jan vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [Jan vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Khoj vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [Khoj vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio.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- [Lemonade vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [llama.cpp vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [llama.cpp vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-text-generation-webui.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- [LocalAI vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [MLX LM vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Ollama vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Open WebUI vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/open-webui-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [screenpipe vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/screenpipe-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [LM Studio vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-underdog.md)\n- [TextGen vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/text-generation-webui-vs-underdog.md)\n",
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