--- title: "qlora vs Aquila2" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/artidoro-qlora-vs-flagai-open-aquila2" tools: ["artidoro-qlora", "flagai-open-aquila2"] --- # qlora vs Aquila2 *GraphCanon updated Aug 25, 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 Aquila2 if official suite for Aquila2 series LLM by BAAI. [qlora](https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.14314) reports 11k GitHub stars, 876 forks, and 206 open issues, last pushed Jun 10, 2024. [Aquila2](https://github.com/FlagAI-Open/Aquila2) has 447 stars, 32 forks, and 2 open issues, last pushed Oct 11, 2024. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [qlora's repository](https://github.com/artidoro/qlora) and [Aquila2's repository](https://github.com/FlagAI-Open/Aquila2). | | [qlora](/tools/artidoro-qlora.md) | [Aquila2](/tools/flagai-open-aquila2.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | QLoRA finetuning of quantized LLMs | Official repository for Aquila2 series large language models by BAAI | | Stars | 10,979 | 447 | | Forks | 876 | 32 | | Open issues | 206 | 2 | | Language | Jupyter Notebook | Python | | Adopt for | QLoRA specializes in accelerating the fine-tuning process of quantized large language models like those in the Guanaco family. | Official suite for Aquila2 series LLM by BAAI | | 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 | (unknown) | | Categories | LLM Frameworks, Model Training | Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks, Model Training | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [qlora](/tools/artidoro-qlora.md) | [Aquila2](/tools/flagai-open-aquila2.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 783d | 683d | | Open issues (now) | 206 | 2 | | Stars delta | Unknown | +1 (30d) | | Open issues delta | Unknown | 0 (30d) | | Owner type | User | Organization | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/artidoro-qlora/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/flagai-open-aquila2/trust.md) | ## Shared compatibility - **Python**: [qlora](/tools/artidoro-qlora.md) - Python runtime; [Aquila2](/tools/flagai-open-aquila2.md) - Python runtime ## 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: Aquila2 - **Adopt for:** Official suite for Aquila2 series LLM by BAAI - **License detail:** (unknown) ## Choose when ### Choose qlora if… - qlora is primarily Jupyter Notebook; Aquila2 is Python. - 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: fine-tuning, guanaco, llama models, quantization. - Need efficient fine-tuning for quantized LLaMA-based models ### Choose Aquila2 if… - Aquila2 is primarily Python; qlora is Jupyter Notebook. - Tags unique to Aquila2: llm, llm-inference, llm-training. - Also covers Inference & Serving. - Need specialized support from Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence ## 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 Aquila2 - Require comprehensive API and documentation clarity - Preferring open source licensing details ## Common questions ### What is the difference between qlora and Aquila2? qlora: QLoRA finetuning of quantized LLMs. Aquila2: Official repository for Aquila2 series large language models by BAAI. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose qlora over Aquila2? Choose qlora over Aquila2 when qlora is primarily Jupyter Notebook; Aquila2 is Python; 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: fine-tuning, guanaco, llama models, quantization; Need efficient fine-tuning for quantized LLaMA-based models. ### When should I choose Aquila2 over qlora? Choose Aquila2 over qlora when Aquila2 is primarily Python; qlora is Jupyter Notebook; Tags unique to Aquila2: llm, llm-inference, llm-training; Also covers Inference & Serving; Need specialized support from Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence. ### 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 Aquila2? Require comprehensive API and documentation clarity Preferring open source licensing details ### Is qlora or Aquila2 more popular on GitHub? qlora has more GitHub stars (10,979 vs 447). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are qlora and Aquila2 open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub. ### Where can I find alternatives to qlora or Aquila2? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [qlora alternatives](/tools/artidoro-qlora/alternatives) and [Aquila2 alternatives](/tools/flagai-open-aquila2/alternatives) ([qlora markdown twin](/tools/artidoro-qlora/alternatives.md), [Aquila2 markdown twin](/tools/flagai-open-aquila2/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-flagai-open-aquila2.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, qlora or Aquila2? qlora: Dormant. Aquila2: Dormant. 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 Aquila2? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [qlora trust report](/tools/artidoro-qlora/trust); [Aquila2 trust report](/tools/flagai-open-aquila2/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/_