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Askimo

Ollama Desktop App - Best Free Ollama Client for Mac, Windows & Linux

Ollama Desktop App - Askimo Ollama Client

Section titled “Ollama Desktop App - Askimo Ollama Client”

Looking for the best Ollama desktop app? Askimo is a free, feature-rich Ollama client that provides a powerful GUI for managing your local AI models on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Unlike the command-line only approach, Askimo gives you a beautiful Ollama desktop client with advanced features for complete privacy and offline AI.

Using Askimo with a team?

There are two ways your team can access AI through Askimo today:

Available now

Bring your own key

Each team member adds their own API keys in Askimo. Keys are encrypted and stored locally on their machine. Best for individuals and small groups who want full independence.

Available now

Shared AI Gateway

Run an OpenAI-compatible gateway on a shared server. Each user connects Askimo with just a URL, with no personal API keys required. The real keys stay on the server with central spend control. See an example setup using LiteLLM.

Coming soon

Askimo Team

A native team edition with shared workspaces and collaboration features is in development. Learn more.

Why Choose Askimo as Your Ollama Desktop App?

Section titled “Why Choose Askimo as Your Ollama Desktop App?”
  • Best Ollama GUI - Beautiful interface, no command line required
  • 100% Private - All AI runs locally on your machine
  • Cross-Platform - Works on macOS, Windows, and Linux
  • Multiple AI Models - Use Ollama alongside OpenAI, Claude, and more
  • Advanced Features - Custom directives, RAG, chat search, and themes
  • Offline Capable - Run AI models without internet connection

Setting Up Ollama in Askimo Desktop App

Section titled “Setting Up Ollama in Askimo Desktop App”

Run AI models locally on your machine with Ollama for complete privacy and offline capabilities.

Server Configuration

Section titled “Server Configuration”
  • Server URL: Ollama server endpoint
    • Default: http://localhost:11434
    • For remote servers: http://your-server:11434
  • Timeout: Connection timeout (default: 120s)
  • Auto-pull Models: Automatically download models when selected
  • Available Models: Detected automatically from your Ollama installation

Setting Up Ollama

Section titled “Setting Up Ollama”
  1. Install Ollama from ollama.ai
  2. Start the Ollama service
  3. Pull a model: ollama pull llama2
  4. Askimo will automatically detect your local Ollama server
  5. Select a model from the dropdown
  6. Click “Test Connection” to verify

Installing Models

Section titled “Installing Models”

Popular models you can use with Ollama:

  • llama2 - Meta’s Llama 2 model
  • mistral - Mistral (fast, efficient)
  • codellama - Code-specialized Llama
  • phi - Microsoft’s Phi model
  • gemma - Google’s Gemma model
  • qwen - Alibaba’s Qwen model

Install any model via terminal:

Terminal window
ollama pull mistral

List all available models:

Terminal window
ollama list

Accessing Provider Settings

Section titled “Accessing Provider Settings”
  1. Click on the menu bar
  2. Select “Settings”
  3. Navigate to the “AI Providers” tab
  4. Select “Ollama” from the provider list

Keyboard Shortcut: ⌘ + , (macOS) or Ctrl + , (Windows/Linux) then click “AI Providers”

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

Cannot Connect to Ollama?

  • Ensure Ollama service is running
  • Check if port 11434 is accessible
  • Verify firewall settings
  • Try restarting the Ollama service

Model Not Showing?

  • Pull the model first: ollama pull <model-name>
  • Refresh the model list in Askimo
  • Check Ollama logs: ollama logs

Slow Performance?

  • Use smaller models (e.g., phi, gemma:2b)
  • Close other resource-intensive applications
  • Consider using a GPU-accelerated setup
  • Check CPU/GPU usage during inference

Remote Ollama Server

Section titled “Remote Ollama Server”

You can connect to a remote Ollama server:

  1. Start Ollama on the remote server with network access:
Terminal window
OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0:11434 ollama serve
  1. In Askimo, set the Server URL to:
http://your-server-ip:11434

Learn More

Section titled “Learn More”