---
title: "Working of Ollama"  
description: "this blog tells about the ollama work flow and the cost of working with ollama."  
author: "Yash Srivastava"  
published: 2026-06-01  
updated: 2026-06-01  
canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/blog/337/working-of-ollama  
category: "technology"  
tags: ["ollama"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# Working of Ollama

## Is Ollama Free?

Yes, ollama is a completely free to use. ollama is an [open Source](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/337437/how-to-leverage-open-source-for-innovative-project-development) [platform](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2249/an-australian-defence-communications-platform-has-been-attacked-by-ransomware) which enables [large language models](https://www.mindstick.com/news/3347/microsoft-releases-bing-chat-enterprise-and-microsoft-365-copilot-pricing-information) (LLM) to run locally in any system without paying any API cost. In ollama we only install [software](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/12347/latest-software-development-trends) and [download](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/188403/website-to-download-photos-from-instagram) the model.

***Hidden cost***

To run the Large Language Model (LLM) the cost which have to be paid for:

- powerful CPU
- More RAM
- Better GPU

these are the must needed ingredients for the ollama.\
there is no cost of Software but you may have to pay for Hardware.

## How does ollama work?

ollama is a [runtime](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/52/creating-timer-at-runtime-in-c-sharp-dot-net) platform which enables Large Language Model (LLM) to run in local computer without any [internet](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/12337/no-one-can-realize-the-dignity-of-the-internet-of-things) dependency. when user gives any prompt, ollama helps to transfer that prompt to the selcted [AI](https://www.mindstick.com/services/artificial-intelligence) model and also act like bridge to communicate the model response to the user. \
\
***ollama workflow:***

```plaintext
user prompt → ollama runtime → local LLM → Generated Response
```

read more about ollama:

previous topic : [introduction to ollama](https://answers.mindstick.com/blog/336/introduction-to-ollama)\
next topic: [installation of ollama](https://answers.mindstick.com/blog/338/basic-requirements-and-ollama-installation-process)

---

Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/blog/337/working-of-ollama

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