Introducing LU Labs: A Free Desktop Studio for Local AI
LU Labs is a free desktop app that turns your Mac or PC into a private AI studio: chat, coding agents, image and video generation, all running locally.
Today we're launching LU Labs, a free desktop app that turns the computer you already own into a complete AI studio. Chat with open-weight language models, run a coding agent on your own repositories, generate images and even short video clips, all of it on your machine, none of it sent to a cloud you don't control.
Why we built it
Local AI has quietly become genuinely good. Open-weight models now hold their own for everyday writing, coding and brainstorming, and Apple Silicon or a mid-range GPU can generate a detailed 1024×1024 image in seconds. What's been missing is a way in that doesn't start with a terminal window.
Most local AI tooling assumes you enjoy configuring things. LU Labs assumes the opposite: you download one app, it detects your hardware, recommends models that actually fit your RAM, and downloads them for you. From there it's a clean, fast interface: no YAML, no Python environments, no API keys.
What's in the studio
Chat. Talk to local models through Ollama, LM Studio or Apple's MLX; LU Labs manages all three backends for you. Model recommendations are based on your actual hardware, so you don't waste an evening downloading something that won't fit.
Code. A real coding agent that can read your repository, edit files, and run shell commands and tests in a sandboxed workspace, powered by a local model, so your source code never leaves your disk.
Images. Local image generation on Apple Silicon (via MLX) and on GPUs (via a managed ComfyUI backend). Unlimited generations, no watermarks, no credits.
Video. Short text-to-video clips rendered on your own hardware with open models like Wan. Early, honest about its limits, and improving fast.
Free means free
Local mode is free, full stop: not a trial, not a demo tier. Every feature that runs on your hardware stays free, because it runs on your hardware. We sell optional hosted plans for people who want a cloud boost for heavier jobs, and that's the entire business model. No ads, no telemetry, no selling data; there's no data to sell.
Getting started
- Download LU Labs for macOS, Windows or Linux.
- Open the app. It checks your hardware and suggests a starter model.
- Start chatting. Then try the image studio or point the coding agent at a project.
If you get stuck, the getting-started guide walks through everything step by step, and the FAQ covers the common questions, including exactly what leaves your machine (short version: nothing, unless you explicitly turn on a cloud feature).
Welcome to the studio.