LM Studio vs SillyTavern (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, LM Studio grades higher than SillyTavern: 3.0 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
LM Studio grades higher on features and ease of use. SillyTavern grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
LM Studio
Desktop app for running open AI models on your own computer
SillyTavern
Free, self-hosted chat interface for LLMs with deep prompt control
Which one is for you
Pick LM Studio if
- Fits if you want open models running on your own Mac, Windows or Linux computer
- Works for developers who want a local OpenAI-like endpoint for their own tools
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your computer is modest, as the docs recommend 16GB of RAM or more, and 4GB of VRAM on Windows
- Not for you if you have an Intel-based Mac, which isn't supported
- Watch out: there's no phone app; on iPhone and iPad you go through the separate Locally app over LM Link, a preview
- Pricey if you want cloud models: Bionic+ is $20 a month in a separate app, and Pro is $100 for 5x the usage
- Watch out: LM Link is free only while it's in preview, and web search on the free plan is limited
Pick SillyTavern if
- Fits if you like tuning prompts, characters and lorebooks for roleplay
- Works for people who run local models and want one front end for all of them
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not want to install NodeJS or use Git, as there is no hosted account
- Too light on its own, as you must supply a model, hosted or local
- Not for you if you want a quick start, as the docs warn of a steep learning curve
- Watch out: Windows 7 is not supported, and Android runs through the Termux guide
- Watch out: the staging branch is not recommended for casual use
How we grade them
| 3.0GPALM StudioVery good | 2.6GPASillyTavernGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe app is free for home and work use, and if your computer can run the models you never pay a penny. The paid plans are for cloud models in Bionic, a separate app: $20 a month, or $100 for 5x the usage. | AFree and open source under AGPL-3.0, and anyone can download and run it. Whatever model API you connect is billed by that provider. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree for home and work use, with the Bionic agent, local models, offline voice transcription, LM Link for up to 5 devices and limited web search. | AFree outright with no plan and no cap from SillyTavern. A hosted model or a local one costs you separately. |
| Features | CIt does the local-model job fully: open models on your own hardware, document chat that stays on the device, a local OpenAI-like server, SDKs and MCP tools. A smaller job than a general assistant, and the cloud models live in a separate app. | DIt is an interface and needs a model from somewhere else to be useful. Its docs suggest a 6GB NVIDIA 3000-series GPU for local inference. |
| Ease of use | BDownload the app, download a model, start chatting. The hard part is the hardware: the docs recommend 16GB of RAM or more, and at least 4GB of dedicated VRAM on Windows. No rating on record for a desktop app. | DIt needs NodeJS 20 or higher, usually installed through Git, and the docs warn of a steep learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac, Windows and Linux, though not Intel-based Macs, and no phone app of its own: on iPhone and iPad you reach your models through the separate Locally app over LM Link, which is still in preview. It serves an API to your own tools. | BWindows, Mac, Linux, a browser and Android through Termux, linking to KoboldAI, NovelAI, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Claude, Mistral and ComfyUI. No iPhone. |
| Best for | running open AI models privately on a desktop | roleplay and character chat with your own model |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: LM Studio and SillyTavern. How we grade
Price against what you get
LM Studio starts at $20 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SillyTavern has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
LM Studio scores higher, and starts $20 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other AI assistants on the chart, 31 score higher than LM Studio for less, and none scores higher than SillyTavern for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- SillyTavern is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- LM Studio also covers AI agents.
- SillyTavern also covers image generation and text to speech.
At a glance
| LM Studio | SillyTavern | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $20 per month (Bionic+, for cloud models) | Free |
| Free plan | LM Studio is free for home and work use. Bionic's Free plan covers the agent, local models, offline voice transcription, LM Link for up to 5 devices and limited web search. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Element Labs, Inc. | SillyTavern community |
| Price read from | lmstudio.ai | docs.sillytavern.app |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
LM Studio
- LM Studio itself is desktop only; on iPhone and iPad its models are reached through the separate Locally app. Intel-based Macs are not supported.
- Local models need capable hardware: the docs recommend 16GB of RAM or more, and on Windows at least 4GB of dedicated VRAM.
- The paid plans cover cloud models in LM Studio Bionic, a separate app; cloud use needs an LM Studio account with available credits.
- LM Link is in preview and free for now; LM Studio says free and paid LM Link plans will follow at general availability.
SillyTavern
- It must be installed with NodeJS 20 or higher, usually through Git or a launcher, and Windows 7 is not supported.
- It is only an interface: you supply the model, either a hosted API or a local one. The docs suggest an NVIDIA 3000-series GPU with 6GB of VRAM for local inference.
- The docs warn of a steep learning curve, and the staging branch is not recommended for casual use.
- Android runs through the Termux installation guide, and there is no hosted account.
Key features
LM Studio
- Local model runner
- Downloads and runs open models such as gpt-oss, Qwen, Gemma and DeepSeek on your own hardware with llama.cpp, plus Apple's MLX on Apple Silicon Macs.
- Offline chat with documents
- Chat and document chat (RAG) run on the device. The docs say nothing entered into a local chat or dropped into it as a document leaves the machine.
- Local API server and SDKs
- Serves models on OpenAI-like endpoints on localhost or the local network, with Python and TypeScript SDKs, the lms command line tool and the headless llmster daemon for servers.
- MCP client
- MCP servers can be installed in LM Studio so that local models can call the tools they provide.
- LM Link
- Links your own machines over an end-to-end encrypted connection built on Tailscale, so a model on a remote device can be used as if local, including from an iPhone through the Locally app. In preview.
- LM Studio Bionic agent
- A separate app that works on code and on documents, slides and spreadsheets inside projects, using local models, LM Link models or cloud models billed in credits.
SillyTavern
- One interface for many backends
- Connects to KoboldAI/CPP, Horde, NovelAI, Ooba, Tabby, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Claude, Mistral and other LLM APIs from a single interface.
- Prompt and lorebook control
- Offers extensive prompt options and WorldInfo (lorebooks), in line with the project's stated goal of giving users as much control over prompts as possible.
- Image generation and TTS
- Integrates with Automatic1111 and ComfyUI APIs for images and supports text-to-speech voice models, alongside auto-translate.
- Customizable UI
- A customizable interface with a mobile-friendly layout and a Visual Novel Mode for character conversations.
- Third-party extensions
- The project describes growth through third-party extensions, and the code is maintained by more than 300 contributors on GitHub.
Plans
LM Studio
Free$0
Local models through llama.cpp and MLX, the Bionic agent, offline voice transcription, LM Link for up to 5 devices and limited web search.
Bionic+$20
per month
Adds US-hosted open source cloud models such as Kimi K3 and DeepSeek V4 Flash, discounted bulk tokens, and web search with page extraction.
Pro$100
per month
Everything in Bionic+ with 5x the usage limits, discounted bulk tokens and early access to new features.
SillyTavern
Free$0
Open-source (AGPL-3.0) software you install and run yourself. Model API usage is billed by whichever provider you connect.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, LM Studio or SillyTavern?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SillyTavern is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $20 a month for LM Studio. LM Studio starts at $20 per month (Bionic+, for cloud models), and SillyTavern is free.
Which has a free plan, LM Studio or SillyTavern?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both LM Studio and SillyTavern have a free plan.
Which platforms do LM Studio and SillyTavern run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only SillyTavern lists a web app and an Android app. Both list macOS, Windows and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.