What is Ollama used for?

Ollama is a tool for downloading and running open large language models locally through a command line and REST API, with Docker support and many integrations. It is a good fit for private local chatbots, prototyping apps against local models and backend for open-source chat interfaces.

Is Ollama open source?

Yes. Ollama is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at ollama/ollama and is written mainly in Go.

Yes. Ollama is open source, so the software itself is free to use. Paid plans are also available, starting at $20 per month.

Can I self-host Ollama?

Yes. Ollama can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Ollama an alternative to?

Ollama is an open-source alternative to ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini and DeepSeek. Other open-source alternatives to ChatGPT include LocalAI, Open WebUI and Jan.

Is Ollama actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Ollama was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v0.35.0, published on 28 September 2026. The project has 182k stars on GitHub.

Ollama: open-source alternative to ChatGPT, Claude

About Ollama

Ollama makes it straightforward to run open large language models on your own machine. You install it on macOS, Windows or Linux, or use the official Docker image, then pull a model and chat with it from the command line. It is written in Go and released under the MIT license, and it builds on the llama.cpp project for inference.

Besides the CLI, Ollama provides a REST API for managing and running models, with official Python and JavaScript client libraries. Models can be imported and customized through a Modelfile, and an online library lists what is available. It can be connected to coding agents and assistants such as Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex and OpenClaw, and many community chat interfaces, including Open WebUI and LibreChat, work with it.

Because models run on your own hardware, Ollama can serve as a self-hosted alternative to cloud assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity when privacy, offline use or cost control matter. It is aimed at developers and hobbyists experimenting with open models, and at teams that want to wire local models into their own applications.

Key features

Run open language models locally from the CLI
REST API for managing and running models
Official Python and JavaScript libraries
Modelfile for customizing and importing models
Official Docker image
Integrations with coding agents and chat interfaces

Good fit for

→Private local chatbots
→Prototyping apps against local models
→Backend for open-source chat interfaces

Built with: Go
Tags: llm; local-llm; ai; self-hosted; inference; golang; rest-api; open-models

Ollama: questions and answers

What is Ollama used for?: Ollama is a tool for downloading and running open large language models locally through a command line and REST API, with Docker support and many integrations. It is a good fit for private local chatbots, prototyping apps against local models and backend for open-source chat interfaces.
Is Ollama open source?: Yes. Ollama is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at ollama/ollama and is written mainly in Go.
Is Ollama free?: Yes. Ollama is open source, so the software itself is free to use. Paid plans are also available, starting at $20 per month.
Can I self-host Ollama?: Yes. Ollama can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Ollama an alternative to?: Ollama is an open-source alternative to ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini and DeepSeek. Other open-source alternatives to ChatGPT include LocalAI, Open WebUI and Jan.
Is Ollama actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Ollama was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v0.35.0, published on 28 September 2026. The project has 182k stars on GitHub.