Run Your Own AI: The Cheapskate’s Guide to Free LLMs on Your PC

I admit it: I’m a cheapskate. I don’t like paying for OpenAI APIs just to run tests. Why? Because if I can do it for free on my PC, why spend money? If you’re like me, today you’re in luck: here’s a quick guide to running open-source language models (LLMs) on your computer with Ollama.

What do you need? Just your PC, a couple of clicks, and a few command lines. No server rentals or breaking the bank on APIs.

Step 1: Download and install Ollama
Head to Ollama.com, download the tool, and follow the setup instructions. None of that “register, verify your email, and — surprise — please enter the code we faxed you.” This is hassle-free, I promise.

Step 2: Download the model
Once installed, open your terminal (yes, the black screen that makes you look like you’re hacking NASA) and run this command to grab llama3.2:

ollama pull llama3.2

Watch as the model downloads. In just a few minutes, you’ll have an LLM ready to chat — no “token fees” or “credit consumption.” You’re in charge here.