I've been running local LLMs on my workstation for about two years now. Started with llama.cpp raw on the command line, moved to LM Studio when I wanted a real GUI, then drifted back to text-generation-webui (now branded as TextGen) when I needed more control over sampling and LoRAs. So when the TextGen post hit r/LocalLLaMA announcing a native desktop app, I was curious enough to spend a weekend with it side-by-side with LM Studio.

If you're picking between the two — or thinking about migrating from one to the other — here's what I've actually found.

Why this matters now

LM Studio has been the default "easy mode" for local LLMs for a while. Slick installer, model browser baked in, OpenAI-compatible server with two clicks. The catch: it's closed source.…