--- title: "qlora vs FineTuningLLMs" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/artidoro-qlora-vs-dvgodoy-finetuningllms" tools: ["artidoro-qlora", "dvgodoy-finetuningllms"] --- # qlora vs FineTuningLLMs *GraphCanon updated Aug 24, 2026* ## Verdict Pick qlora if qLoRA specializes in accelerating the fine-tuning process of quantized large language models like those in the Guanaco family; pick FineTuningLLMs if fineTuningLLMs is designed for users familiar with PyTorch and Hugging Face who seek practical guidance via Jupyter Notebooks. [qlora](https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.14314) reports 11k GitHub stars, 876 forks, and 206 open issues, last pushed Jun 10, 2024. [FineTuningLLMs](https://github.com/dvgodoy/FineTuningLLMs) has 855 stars, 116 forks, and 4 open issues, last pushed Feb 28, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [qlora's repository](https://github.com/artidoro/qlora) and [FineTuningLLMs's repository](https://github.com/dvgodoy/FineTuningLLMs). | | [qlora](/tools/artidoro-qlora.md) | [FineTuningLLMs](/tools/dvgodoy-finetuningllms.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | QLoRA finetuning of quantized LLMs | Official repository for 'A Hands-On Guide to Fine-Tuning LLMs with PyTorch and Hugging Face' | | Stars | 10,979 | 855 | | Forks | 876 | 116 | | Open issues | 206 | 4 | | Language | Jupyter Notebook | Jupyter Notebook | | Adopt for | QLoRA specializes in accelerating the fine-tuning process of quantized large language models like those in the Guanaco family. | FineTuningLLMs is designed for users familiar with PyTorch and Hugging Face who seek practical guidance via Jupyter Notebooks. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT License; open-source tool for QLoRA fine-tuning process; LLaMA base models must be obtained legally as per their license terms | MIT | | Categories | LLM Frameworks, Model Training | LLM Frameworks, Model Training | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [qlora](/tools/artidoro-qlora.md) | [FineTuningLLMs](/tools/dvgodoy-finetuningllms.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Dormant (18%) | Slowing (36%) | | Days since push | 783d | 176d | | Open issues (now) | 206 | 4 | | Stars delta | Unknown | +4 (30d) | | Open issues delta | Unknown | 0 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/artidoro-qlora/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/dvgodoy-finetuningllms/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: qlora - **Pricing:** freemium - Open source under MIT License; requires access to LLaMA base models - **Requirements:** Installation involves installing PyTorch and specific packages from source; Works with model sizes ranging from 7B to 65B, includes recommendations for tuning different sizes - **Adopt for:** QLoRA specializes in accelerating the fine-tuning process of quantized large language models like those in the Guanaco family. - **License detail:** MIT License; open-source tool for QLoRA fine-tuning process; LLaMA base models must be obtained legally as per their license terms ## Decision facts: FineTuningLLMs - **Adopt for:** FineTuningLLMs is designed for users familiar with PyTorch and Hugging Face who seek practical guidance via Jupyter Notebooks. ## Choose when ### Choose qlora if… - Pricing: Open source under MIT License; requires access to LLaMA base models. - Requirements: Installation involves installing PyTorch and specific packages from source; Works with model sizes ranging from 7B to 65B, includes recommendations for tuning different sizes. - Tags unique to qlora: guanaco, llama models, quantization. - Need efficient fine-tuning for quantized LLaMA-based models ### Choose FineTuningLLMs if… - Tags unique to FineTuningLLMs: bitsandbytes, finetuning, hugging-face, large language models. - You need hands-on, step-by-step instructions using PyTorch and the Hugging Face ecosystem - More recently updated (last pushed Feb 28, 2026). ## When NOT to use qlora - Require native full-precision model tuning without efficiency constraints - Focusing on non-LLaMA-based language models where specific adaptations may not apply ## When NOT to use FineTuningLLMs - Not interested in PyTorch; prefer TensorFlow or another framework - Seek theoretical background over practical applications ## Common questions ### What is the difference between qlora and FineTuningLLMs? qlora: QLoRA finetuning of quantized LLMs. FineTuningLLMs: Official repository for 'A Hands-On Guide to Fine-Tuning LLMs with PyTorch and Hugging Face'. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose qlora over FineTuningLLMs? Choose qlora over FineTuningLLMs when Pricing: Open source under MIT License; requires access to LLaMA base models; Requirements: Installation involves installing PyTorch and specific packages from source; Works with model sizes ranging from 7B to 65B, includes recommendations for tuning different sizes; Tags unique to qlora: guanaco, llama models, quantization; Need efficient fine-tuning for quantized LLaMA-based models. ### When should I choose FineTuningLLMs over qlora? Choose FineTuningLLMs over qlora when Tags unique to FineTuningLLMs: bitsandbytes, finetuning, hugging-face, large language models; You need hands-on, step-by-step instructions using PyTorch and the Hugging Face ecosystem; More recently updated (last pushed Feb 28, 2026). ### When should I avoid qlora? Require native full-precision model tuning without efficiency constraints Focusing on non-LLaMA-based language models where specific adaptations may not apply ### When should I avoid FineTuningLLMs? Not interested in PyTorch; prefer TensorFlow or another framework Seek theoretical background over practical applications ### Is qlora or FineTuningLLMs more popular on GitHub? qlora has more GitHub stars (10,979 vs 855). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are qlora and FineTuningLLMs open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (qlora: MIT, FineTuningLLMs: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to qlora or FineTuningLLMs? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [qlora alternatives](/tools/artidoro-qlora/alternatives) and [FineTuningLLMs alternatives](/tools/dvgodoy-finetuningllms/alternatives) ([qlora markdown twin](/tools/artidoro-qlora/alternatives.md), [FineTuningLLMs markdown twin](/tools/dvgodoy-finetuningllms/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/artidoro-qlora-vs-dvgodoy-finetuningllms.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, qlora or FineTuningLLMs? qlora: Dormant. FineTuningLLMs: Slowing. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for qlora and FineTuningLLMs? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [qlora trust report](/tools/artidoro-qlora/trust); [FineTuningLLMs trust report](/tools/dvgodoy-finetuningllms/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=artidoro-qlora`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=artidoro-qlora) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_