--- title: "paper-qa vs llama-hub" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/future-house-paper-qa-vs-run-llama-llama-hub" tools: ["future-house-paper-qa", "run-llama-llama-hub"] --- # paper-qa vs llama-hub *GraphCanon updated Aug 18, 2026* ## Verdict Pick paper-qa if paperQA2 version 5 is a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) system optimized for extracting information from scientific documents, enhancing user queries with citations; pick llama-hub if community-driven data loaders for LlamaIndex/LangChain. [paper-qa](https://futurehouse.gitbook.io/futurehouse-cookbook) reports 9.0k GitHub stars, 907 forks, and 141 open issues, last pushed Aug 12, 2026. [llama-hub](https://llamahub.ai/) has 3.5k stars, 721 forks, and 96 open issues, last pushed Mar 1, 2024. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [paper-qa's repository](https://github.com/Future-House/paper-qa) and [llama-hub's repository](https://github.com/run-llama/llama-hub). | | [paper-qa](/tools/future-house-paper-qa.md) | [llama-hub](/tools/run-llama-llama-hub.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | High accuracy RAG for answering questions from scientific documents with citations | A library of data loaders for LLMs made by the community | | Stars | 9,048 | 3,469 | | Forks | 907 | 721 | | Open issues | 141 | 96 | | Language | Python | Jupyter Notebook | | Adopt for | PaperQA2 version 5 is a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) system optimized for extracting information from scientific documents, enhancing user queries with citations. | community-driven data loaders for LlamaIndex/LangChain | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | 'Apache-2.0' - Permissive free software license that allows for both non-commercial use and commercial exploitation of the package. | MIT | | Categories | Data & Retrieval, Model Training | Data & Retrieval, Model Training | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [paper-qa](/tools/future-house-paper-qa.md) | [llama-hub](/tools/run-llama-llama-hub.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Archived (8%) | | Days since push | 5d | 889d | | Archived on GitHub | No | Yes | | Open issues (now) | 141 | 96 | | Stars delta | +154 (30d) | Unknown | | Open issues delta | 0 (30d) | Unknown | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/future-house-paper-qa/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/run-llama-llama-hub/trust.md) | ## Shared compatibility - **Python**: [paper-qa](/tools/future-house-paper-qa.md) - Python runtime; [llama-hub](/tools/run-llama-llama-hub.md) - Python runtime ## Decision facts: paper-qa - **Requirements:** Min 4 GB RAM - **Adopt for:** PaperQA2 version 5 is a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) system optimized for extracting information from scientific documents, enhancing user queries with citations. - **License detail:** 'Apache-2.0' - Permissive free software license that allows for both non-commercial use and commercial exploitation of the package. ## Decision facts: llama-hub - **Adopt for:** community-driven data loaders for LlamaIndex/LangChain ## Choose when ### Choose paper-qa if… - paper-qa is primarily Python; llama-hub is Jupyter Notebook. - License: paper-qa is Apache-2.0, llama-hub is MIT. - Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM. - Tags unique to paper-qa: ai, rag, science, search. - Your project specifically requires processing and querying scientific documents, as PaperQA2 offers specialized capabilities tuned for this domain. ### Choose llama-hub if… - llama-hub is primarily Jupyter Notebook; paper-qa is Python. - License: llama-hub is MIT, paper-qa is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to llama-hub: community-driven, jupyter-notebook, langchain, llamaindex. - Community-specific features require engagement with community ## When NOT to use paper-qa - If your use case does not involve scientific document processing, another RAG system better suited to your specific type of documents (e.g., legal, medical) might be more fitting. - In scenarios where real-time performance is critical and extensive indexing or access to external APIs for large-scale paper handling becomes a bottleneck. ## When NOT to use llama-hub - Limited support if the community lacks activity - Not suitable without familiarity with Poetry for dependency management ## Common questions ### What is the difference between paper-qa and llama-hub? paper-qa: High accuracy RAG for answering questions from scientific documents with citations. llama-hub: A library of data loaders for LLMs made by the community. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose paper-qa over llama-hub? Choose paper-qa over llama-hub when paper-qa is primarily Python; llama-hub is Jupyter Notebook; License: paper-qa is Apache-2.0, llama-hub is MIT; Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Tags unique to paper-qa: ai, rag, science, search; Your project specifically requires processing and querying scientific documents, as PaperQA2 offers specialized capabilities tuned for this domain. ### When should I choose llama-hub over paper-qa? Choose llama-hub over paper-qa when llama-hub is primarily Jupyter Notebook; paper-qa is Python; License: llama-hub is MIT, paper-qa is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to llama-hub: community-driven, jupyter-notebook, langchain, llamaindex; Community-specific features require engagement with community. ### When should I avoid paper-qa? If your use case does not involve scientific document processing, another RAG system better suited to your specific type of documents (e.g., legal, medical) might be more fitting. In scenarios where real-time performance is critical and extensive indexing or access to external APIs for large-scale paper handling becomes a bottleneck. ### When should I avoid llama-hub? Limited support if the community lacks activity Not suitable without familiarity with Poetry for dependency management ### Is paper-qa or llama-hub more popular on GitHub? paper-qa has more GitHub stars (9,048 vs 3,469). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are paper-qa and llama-hub open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (paper-qa: Apache-2.0, llama-hub: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to paper-qa or llama-hub? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [paper-qa alternatives](/tools/future-house-paper-qa/alternatives) and [llama-hub alternatives](/tools/run-llama-llama-hub/alternatives) ([paper-qa markdown twin](/tools/future-house-paper-qa/alternatives.md), [llama-hub markdown twin](/tools/run-llama-llama-hub/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/future-house-paper-qa-vs-run-llama-llama-hub.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, paper-qa or llama-hub? paper-qa: Very active. llama-hub: Archived. 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 paper-qa and llama-hub? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [paper-qa trust report](/tools/future-house-paper-qa/trust); [llama-hub trust report](/tools/run-llama-llama-hub/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=future-house-paper-qa`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=future-house-paper-qa) - 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/_