--- title: "DeepSeek-R1 vs LMFlow" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/deepseek-ai-deepseek-r1-vs-optimalscale-lmflow" tools: ["deepseek-ai-deepseek-r1", "optimalscale-lmflow"] --- # DeepSeek-R1 vs LMFlow *GraphCanon updated Jul 12, 2026* ## Verdict Pick DeepSeek-R1 when license: DeepSeek-R1 is MIT, LMFlow is Apache-2.0; pick LMFlow when license: LMFlow is Apache-2.0, DeepSeek-R1 is MIT. [DeepSeek-R1](https://github.com/deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-R1) reports 92k GitHub stars, 12k forks, and 45 open issues, last pushed Jun 27, 2025. [LMFlow](https://optimalscale.github.io/LMFlow/) has 8.5k stars, 828 forks, and 87 open issues, last pushed May 22, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [DeepSeek-R1's repository](https://github.com/deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-R1) and [LMFlow's repository](https://github.com/OptimalScale/LMFlow). | | [DeepSeek-R1](/tools/deepseek-ai-deepseek-r1.md) | [LMFlow](/tools/optimalscale-lmflow.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Repository contains distilled LLM models derived from Qwen and LLaMA series for various commercial uses. | An Extensible Toolkit for Finetuning and Inference of Large Foundation Models. Large Models for All. | | Stars | 91,991 | 8,483 | | Forks | 11,711 | 828 | | Open issues | 45 | 87 | | Language | - | Python | | Adopt for | DeepSeek-R1 provides a set of distilled LLMs from Qwen and LLaMA series that support commercial use. | - | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | LLM Frameworks, Model Training | Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks, Model Training | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [DeepSeek-R1](/tools/deepseek-ai-deepseek-r1.md) | [LMFlow](/tools/optimalscale-lmflow.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Dormant (18%) | Steady (60%) | | Days since push | 379d | 50d | | Open issues (now) | 45 | 87 | | Security scan | No lockfile | 74 low (74 low) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/deepseek-ai-deepseek-r1/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/optimalscale-lmflow/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: DeepSeek-R1 - **Pricing:** freemium - The repository allows for commercial use under the MIT License or respective original licenses with no explicit monetary costs outlined in the repository. - **Requirements:** Min 4 GB RAM; This is a rough estimate based on common model requirements. Specific models within DeepSeek-R1 may have different resource needs. - **Adopt for:** DeepSeek-R1 provides a set of distilled LLMs from Qwen and LLaMA series that support commercial use. ## Choose when ### Choose DeepSeek-R1 if… - License: DeepSeek-R1 is MIT, LMFlow is Apache-2.0. - Pricing: The repository allows for commercial use under the MIT License or respective original licenses with no explicit monetary costs outlined in the repository.. - Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; This is a rough estimate based on common model requirements. Specific models within DeepSeek-R1 may have different resource needs.. - Tags unique to DeepSeek-R1: commercial use, derived models, distilled models, mit license. - When you need to work with pre-trained models derived specifically from the Qwen-2.5 and Llama3.x series, benefiting from their unique characteristics. ### Choose LMFlow if… - License: LMFlow is Apache-2.0, DeepSeek-R1 is MIT. - Tags unique to LMFlow: chatgpt, deep-learning, instruction-following, language-model. - Also covers Inference & Serving. ## When NOT to use DeepSeek-R1 - Avoid if you need foundational models rather than distilled versions, as DeepSeek-R1 specializes in providing smaller, more efficient models suitable for resource-constrained environments. - If your project is tightly regulated or requires models from a different lineage, as DeepSeek-R1 exclusively provides derivatives of Qwen and LLaMA series. ## When NOT to use LMFlow - Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. - LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. - Model Training: Try prompting and RAG first; fine-tuning is the answer to style/format, not missing knowledge. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between DeepSeek-R1 and LMFlow? DeepSeek-R1: Repository contains distilled LLM models derived from Qwen and LLaMA series for various commercial uses.. LMFlow: An Extensible Toolkit for Finetuning and Inference of Large Foundation Models. Large Models for All.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose DeepSeek-R1 over LMFlow? Choose DeepSeek-R1 over LMFlow when License: DeepSeek-R1 is MIT, LMFlow is Apache-2.0; Pricing: The repository allows for commercial use under the MIT License or respective original licenses with no explicit monetary costs outlined in the repository.; Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; This is a rough estimate based on common model requirements. Specific models within DeepSeek-R1 may have different resource needs.; Tags unique to DeepSeek-R1: commercial use, derived models, distilled models, mit license; When you need to work with pre-trained models derived specifically from the Qwen-2.5 and Llama3.x series, benefiting from their unique characteristics. ### When should I choose LMFlow over DeepSeek-R1? Choose LMFlow over DeepSeek-R1 when License: LMFlow is Apache-2.0, DeepSeek-R1 is MIT; Tags unique to LMFlow: chatgpt, deep-learning, instruction-following, language-model; Also covers Inference & Serving. ### When should I avoid DeepSeek-R1? Avoid if you need foundational models rather than distilled versions, as DeepSeek-R1 specializes in providing smaller, more efficient models suitable for resource-constrained environments. If your project is tightly regulated or requires models from a different lineage, as DeepSeek-R1 exclusively provides derivatives of Qwen and LLaMA series. ### When should I avoid LMFlow? Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. Model Training: Try prompting and RAG first; fine-tuning is the answer to style/format, not missing knowledge. ### Is DeepSeek-R1 or LMFlow more popular on GitHub? DeepSeek-R1 has more GitHub stars (91,991 vs 8,483). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are DeepSeek-R1 and LMFlow open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (DeepSeek-R1: MIT, LMFlow: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to DeepSeek-R1 or LMFlow? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [DeepSeek-R1 alternatives](/tools/deepseek-ai-deepseek-r1/alternatives) and [LMFlow alternatives](/tools/optimalscale-lmflow/alternatives) ([DeepSeek-R1 markdown twin](/tools/deepseek-ai-deepseek-r1/alternatives.md), [LMFlow markdown twin](/tools/optimalscale-lmflow/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/deepseek-ai-deepseek-r1-vs-optimalscale-lmflow.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, DeepSeek-R1 or LMFlow? DeepSeek-R1: Dormant. LMFlow: Steady. 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 DeepSeek-R1 and LMFlow? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [DeepSeek-R1 trust report](/tools/deepseek-ai-deepseek-r1/trust); [LMFlow trust report](/tools/optimalscale-lmflow/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=deepseek-ai-deepseek-r1`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=deepseek-ai-deepseek-r1) - 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/_