Runtime comparison - verified
LM Studio vs Jan
LM Studio (Element Labs, Inc.) and Jan (Menlo Research (janhq)), compared field by field from their official docs as of October 18, 2026. Their docs differ on 5 feature points, listed below; the table also shows versions, install methods and links.
Key differences
- License: Jan is open source (Apache-2.0); LM Studio is not (LM Studio Terms of Use for the app, MIT for the lms CLI).
- Interface: LM Studio lists CLI and Jan does not.
- Backends: LM Studio lists ROCm and Jan does not.
- Anthropic-compatible API: LM Studio documents it; Jan does not state it in its docs.
- Source: Jan has a public repository; LM Studio lists none.
Generated from the fields below that differ. Versions, dates and links are left to the table.
Side by side
Every field we track, with the source linked on each value. Rows marked Differs are where the two runtimes' docs differ.
| Field | LM Studio | Jan |
|---|---|---|
| VendorDiffers | Element Labs, Inc. | Menlo Research (janhq) |
| LicenseDiffers | LM Studio Terms of Use for the app, MIT for the lms CLI | Apache-2.0 |
| Open sourceDiffers | No | Yes |
| Latest releaseDiffers | 0.4.26 | v0.8.6 |
| Release dateDiffers | October 13, 2026 | October 9, 2026 |
| InterfaceDiffers | Desktop app, CLI, Server | Desktop app, Server |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux |
| BackendsDiffers | CPU, CUDA, Vulkan, ROCm, Metal | CPU, CUDA, Vulkan, Metal |
| Model formats | GGUF, MLX | GGUF, MLX |
| OpenAI-compatible API | Yeshttp://localhost:1234/v1 | Yeshttp://127.0.0.1:1337/v1 |
| Anthropic-compatible APIDiffers | Yes | Not stated |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Vision (image input) | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-GPU | Yes | Yes |
| MCP client | Yes | Yes |
| Install methods listedDiffers | macOS / Linux (llmster headless daemon); Windows (llmster headless daemon) | linux (Flatpak); macOS (Apple silicon) (installer download); Windows (x64) (installer download) |
| Run exampleDiffers | lms load openai/gpt-oss-20b | None published |
| Audience, per the vendorDiffers | People who want a desktop app with a chat interface for downloading and running GGUF and MLX models locally, plus a local OpenAI-compatible server and a headless daemon (llmster) for servers and CI. | Jan is an open-source desktop app for downloading and running local models offline on macOS, Windows and Linux, with an optional OpenAI-compatible local API server. |
| HomepageDiffers | lmstudio.ai | jan.ai |
| Source repositoryDiffers | None listed | github.com/janhq/jan |
Install both
Copied verbatim from the page linked under each command.
LM Studio
macOS / Linux (llmster headless daemon)
curl -fsSL https://lmstudio.ai/install.sh | bashSource: lmstudio.ai/download
Windows (llmster headless daemon)
irm https://lmstudio.ai/install.ps1 | iexSource: lmstudio.ai/download
Jan
macOS (Apple silicon)
Download Jan for Mac. Open the Jan installer (.dmg file), drag Jan to Applications, then launch Jan. Apple silicon is required for local model inference.
No copy-paste command is published for this platform. Source: docs.jan.ai/desktop/install/mac
Windows (x64)
Download Jan for Windows (x64). Run the downloaded .exe file, wait for installation to complete, then launch Jan. On a Windows on ARM PC, get the ARM64 installer from the download page.
No copy-paste command is published for this platform. Source: docs.jan.ai/desktop/install/windows
FAQ
What is the difference between LM Studio and Jan?
Going by their official docs: License: Jan is open source (Apache-2.0); LM Studio is not (LM Studio Terms of Use for the app, MIT for the lms CLI). Interface: LM Studio lists CLI and Jan does not. Backends: LM Studio lists ROCm and Jan does not. Anthropic-compatible API: LM Studio documents it; Jan does not state it in its docs. The table lists 1 more.
Do LM Studio and Jan both have an OpenAI-compatible API?
LM Studio: yes. http://localhost:1234/v1. Jan: yes. http://127.0.0.1:1337/v1.
Which platforms do LM Studio and Jan run on?
LM Studio: macOS, Windows, Linux. Jan: macOS, Windows, Linux. Both list macOS, Windows and Linux.
Are LM Studio and Jan open source?
LM Studio is not open source (LM Studio Terms of Use for the app, MIT for the lms CLI). Jan is open source (Apache-2.0).
Do LM Studio and Jan support tool calling and MCP?
Tool calling: LM Studio yes, Jan yes. MCP client: LM Studio yes, Jan yes. "Not stated" means the docs do not say.
What are the latest versions of LM Studio and Jan?
As of October 18, 2026: LM Studio 0.4.26 (October 13, 2026) and Jan v0.8.6 (October 9, 2026).
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