---
title: "Model-Fingerprint vs instruct-eval"
type: "comparison"
canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/cnut1648-model-fingerprint-vs-declare-lab-instruct-eval"
tools: ["cnut1648-model-fingerprint", "declare-lab-instruct-eval"]
---

# Model-Fingerprint vs instruct-eval

*GraphCanon updated Aug 7, 2026*

## Verdict

Pick Model-Fingerprint if model-Fingerprint is a toolset for creating instructional fingerprints of large language models using CUDA 11.3 and PyTorch 2.0; pick instruct-eval if key facts about instruct-eval.

[Model-Fingerprint](https://github.com/cnut1648/Model-Fingerprint) reports 52 GitHub stars, 8 forks, and 5 open issues, last pushed Jul 11, 2024. [instruct-eval](https://declare-lab.github.io/instruct-eval/) has 552 stars, 45 forks, and 24 open issues, last pushed Mar 10, 2024. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [Model-Fingerprint's repository](https://github.com/cnut1648/Model-Fingerprint) and [instruct-eval's repository](https://github.com/declare-lab/instruct-eval).

| | [Model-Fingerprint](/tools/cnut1648-model-fingerprint.md) | [instruct-eval](/tools/declare-lab-instruct-eval.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tagline | Fingerprint large language models | Quantitative evaluation for instruction-tuned language models |
| Stars | 52 | 552 |
| Forks | 8 | 45 |
| Open issues | 5 | 24 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Adopt for | Model-Fingerprint is a toolset for creating instructional fingerprints of large language models using CUDA 11.3 and PyTorch 2.0. | Key facts about instruct-eval |
| Persona | - | - |
| Runtime | - | - |
| License | MIT | The tool is distributed under Apache-2.0 license |
| Categories | Evaluation & Observability | Evaluation & Observability |

## Trust and health

_Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._

| | [Model-Fingerprint](/tools/cnut1648-model-fingerprint.md) | [instruct-eval](/tools/declare-lab-instruct-eval.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Days since push | 754d | 879d |
| Open issues (now) | 5 | 24 |
| Owner type | User | Organization |
| Full report | [trust report](/tools/cnut1648-model-fingerprint/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/declare-lab-instruct-eval/trust.md) |

## Decision facts: Model-Fingerprint

- **Adopt for:** Model-Fingerprint is a toolset for creating instructional fingerprints of large language models using CUDA 11.3 and PyTorch 2.0.

## Decision facts: instruct-eval

- **Requirements:** Min 8 GB RAM; Requires Python environment setup and specific dependencies as outlined in the repository's documentation.
- **Adopt for:** Key facts about instruct-eval
- **License detail:** The tool is distributed under Apache-2.0 license

## Choose when

### Choose Model-Fingerprint if…

- License: Model-Fingerprint is MIT, instruct-eval is Apache-2.0.
- Tags unique to Model-Fingerprint: fingerprinting, large language models, pytorch.
- Use Model-Fingerprint when you need to fingerprint large language models for evaluation or observability purposes, especially in research contexts involving CUDA 11.3 and PyTorch 2.0 environments.

### Choose instruct-eval if…

- License: instruct-eval is Apache-2.0, Model-Fingerprint is MIT.
- Requirements: Min 8 GB RAM; Requires Python environment setup and specific dependencies as outlined in the repository's documentation..
- Tags unique to instruct-eval: benchmarking, evaluation, instruct-tuning, llm.
- When you need to quantitatively evaluate the performance of instruction-tuned large language models such as Alpaca and Flan-T5 on held-out tasks.

## When NOT to use Model-Fingerprint

- Do not use Model-Fingerprint if your development environment does not support CUDA 11.3 and PyTorch 2.0, as it may lead to incompatibility issues.
- Avoid this toolset if you need a solution that supports multiple versions of CUDA or Pytorch for flexibility across different hardware configurations without modification.

## When NOT to use instruct-eval

- When primarily interested in general model evaluation without a focus on instruction-tuned LMs.
- If your primary interest lies in qualitative assessment rather than quantitative metrics.
- If you need support for non-HuggingFace Transformer models, as instruct-eval mainly supports models from the HuggingFace ecosystem.

## Common questions

### What is the difference between Model-Fingerprint and instruct-eval?

Model-Fingerprint: Fingerprint large language models. instruct-eval: Quantitative evaluation for instruction-tuned language models. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.

### When should I choose Model-Fingerprint over instruct-eval?

Choose Model-Fingerprint over instruct-eval when License: Model-Fingerprint is MIT, instruct-eval is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to Model-Fingerprint: fingerprinting, large language models, pytorch; Use Model-Fingerprint when you need to fingerprint large language models for evaluation or observability purposes, especially in research contexts involving CUDA 11.3 and PyTorch 2.0 environments.

### When should I choose instruct-eval over Model-Fingerprint?

Choose instruct-eval over Model-Fingerprint when License: instruct-eval is Apache-2.0, Model-Fingerprint is MIT; Requirements: Min 8 GB RAM; Requires Python environment setup and specific dependencies as outlined in the repository's documentation.; Tags unique to instruct-eval: benchmarking, evaluation, instruct-tuning, llm; When you need to quantitatively evaluate the performance of instruction-tuned large language models such as Alpaca and Flan-T5 on held-out tasks.

### When should I avoid Model-Fingerprint?

Do not use Model-Fingerprint if your development environment does not support CUDA 11.3 and PyTorch 2.0, as it may lead to incompatibility issues. Avoid this toolset if you need a solution that supports multiple versions of CUDA or Pytorch for flexibility across different hardware configurations without modification.

### When should I avoid instruct-eval?

When primarily interested in general model evaluation without a focus on instruction-tuned LMs. If your primary interest lies in qualitative assessment rather than quantitative metrics. If you need support for non-HuggingFace Transformer models, as instruct-eval mainly supports models from the HuggingFace ecosystem.

### Is Model-Fingerprint or instruct-eval more popular on GitHub?

instruct-eval has more GitHub stars (552 vs 52). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.

### Are Model-Fingerprint and instruct-eval open source?

Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (Model-Fingerprint: MIT, instruct-eval: Apache-2.0).

### Where can I find alternatives to Model-Fingerprint or instruct-eval?

GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [Model-Fingerprint alternatives](/tools/cnut1648-model-fingerprint/alternatives) and [instruct-eval alternatives](/tools/declare-lab-instruct-eval/alternatives) ([Model-Fingerprint markdown twin](/tools/cnut1648-model-fingerprint/alternatives.md), [instruct-eval markdown twin](/tools/declare-lab-instruct-eval/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/cnut1648-model-fingerprint-vs-declare-lab-instruct-eval.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.

### Which is better maintained, Model-Fingerprint or instruct-eval?

Model-Fingerprint: Dormant. instruct-eval: 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 Model-Fingerprint and instruct-eval?

GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [Model-Fingerprint trust report](/tools/cnut1648-model-fingerprint/trust); [instruct-eval trust report](/tools/declare-lab-instruct-eval/trust).

---

**Machine-readable endpoints**

- JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=cnut1648-model-fingerprint`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=cnut1648-model-fingerprint)
- 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/_
