Lobe
Overview
Lobe is a free application that makes machine learning accessible to everyone. It allows users to train custom models by simply providing examples, without writing any code. The tool automatically selects the best architecture and training parameters, then exports the model for use in apps. It is designed for beginners and non-technical users who want to integrate AI into their projects with minimal effort.
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Key Features
- Visual, drag-and-drop interface
- Automatic model training
- No coding required
- Export to TensorFlow, Core ML, and more
Pros
- Completely free to use
- Very easy to get started
- No machine learning expertise needed
Cons
- Limited to supported model types
- Less control over training parameters
- Best for simple to moderately complex tasks
Who Is This Tool Best For?
Beginners and non-technical users exploring machine learning for the first time.
Pricing
Lobe is free to start, with paid plans for heavier use, and holds 4.5 in our directory. A free application, so the listing needs no price tier and there is no usage charge. The cost is your time collecting examples and the machine you train on. Details are on the vendor site. Ask the Lobe site for current terms.
Alternatives
- A Python framework — Far more capable and requires an engineer.
- A managed vision API — No training involved and per-request pricing.
- A spreadsheet and rules — Works until the categories stop being describable in rules.
Each has an entry in our AI tools directory.
Use cases
Sorting images into categories
Training a classifier on your own photos is the clearest use, and it works with a modest number of examples.
Testing whether a task is learnable
Establishing that a task is learnable at all is worth doing before a team builds a pipeline.
Teaching what machine learning involves
Adding examples and watching accuracy move is a concrete introduction to what training means.
Frequently asked questions about Lobe
What is Lobe?
A desktop application for training an image, text or audio classifier by showing it examples rather than writing code: you add labelled samples and it trains and exports a model.
Who should be using Lobe?
People with a specific, narrow classification task and a few hundred examples, who are not machine learning engineers and do not want to become one.
How much does Lobe cost?
It is a free application from Microsoft. You supply the examples and the machine, and there is no per-model or per-request charge.
What are its limits?
Narrow tasks with reasonably balanced data. It is not for sequence models, large language work or anything where the classes are subtle, and a few dozen examples will not carry a difficult problem.
Before you commit
Collect balanced examples
A model trained on nine hundred of one class and twenty of another will be confidently wrong about the second.
Test on data it has not seen
Accuracy on your own examples is not accuracy. Hold some back before believing the number.