--- title: "Hands-On-Large-Language-Models vs ell" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/handsonllm-hands-on-large-language-models-vs-madcowd-ell" tools: ["handsonllm-hands-on-large-language-models", "madcowd-ell"] --- # Hands-On-Large-Language-Models vs ell *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick Hands-On-Large-Language-Models if hands-On-Large-Language-Models offers code examples and educational content for large language models, as detailed in the O'Reilly book 'Hands-On Large Language Models'. The repository is in Jupyter Notebook format and,遵; pick ell if ell is a Python-based language model development library and prompt engineering tool. [Hands-On-Large-Language-Models](https://www.llm-book.com/) reports 29k GitHub stars, 6.7k forks, and 40 open issues, last pushed Apr 24, 2026. [ell](http://docs.ell.so/) has 5.9k stars, 341 forks, and 185 open issues, last pushed Jun 5, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [Hands-On-Large-Language-Models's repository](https://github.com/HandsOnLLM/Hands-On-Large-Language-Models) and [ell's repository](https://github.com/MadcowD/ell). | | [Hands-On-Large-Language-Models](/tools/handsonllm-hands-on-large-language-models.md) | [ell](/tools/madcowd-ell.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Code for the book 'Hands-On Large Language Models' | A language model programming library | | Stars | 29,162 | 5,857 | | Forks | 6,662 | 341 | | Open issues | 40 | 185 | | Language | Jupyter Notebook | Python | | Adopt for | Hands-On-Large-Language-Models offers code examples and educational content for large language models, as detailed in the O'Reilly book 'Hands-On Large Language Models'. The repository is in Jupyter Notebook format and,遵 | ell is a Python-based language model development library and prompt engineering tool. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | MIT - Permissive free software license | | Categories | Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks | LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [Hands-On-Large-Language-Models](/tools/handsonllm-hands-on-large-language-models.md) | [ell](/tools/madcowd-ell.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Slowing (36%) | Dormant (18%) | | Days since push | 146d | 471d | | Open issues (now) | 40 | 185 | | Stars delta | +910 (30d) | -12 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +2 (30d) | -1 (30d) | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/handsonllm-hands-on-large-language-models/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/madcowd-ell/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: Hands-On-Large-Language-Models - **Adopt for:** Hands-On-Large-Language-Models offers code examples and educational content for large language models, as detailed in the O'Reilly book 'Hands-On Large Language Models'. The repository is in Jupyter Notebook format and,遵 ## Decision facts: ell - **Pricing:** freemium - Free to use under MIT License, with no premium plans mentioned. - **Adopt for:** ell is a Python-based language model development library and prompt engineering tool. - **License detail:** MIT - Permissive free software license ## Choose when ### Choose Hands-On-Large-Language-Models if… - Hands-On-Large-Language-Models is primarily Jupyter Notebook; ell is Python. - License: Hands-On-Large-Language-Models is Apache-2.0, ell is MIT. - Tags unique to Hands-On-Large-Language-Models: artificial-intelligence, book, large-language-models, llm. - Also covers Developer Tools. - Use this tool if you are looking for practical, code-based learning resources that align with the book 'Hands-On Large Language Models'. ### Choose ell if… - ell is primarily Python; Hands-On-Large-Language-Models is Jupyter Notebook. - License: ell is MIT, Hands-On-Large-Language-Models is Apache-2.0. - Pricing: Free to use under MIT License, with no premium plans mentioned.. - Tags unique to ell: ai, prompt-engineering. - When you require a dedicated Python framework for developing custom language models and fine-tuning them with specific prompts for your application. ## When NOT to use Hands-On-Large-Language-Models - Avoid this tool if you are seeking a comprehensive theoretical background without practical examples, as the focus is on hands-on learning. - Not recommended for users who prefer a different platform for running code examples, as the repository is optimized for Google Colab with a T4 GPU and 16GB VRAM. - If you are looking for a tool that covers a broader range of AI topics beyond large language models, this repository may not be the best fit. ## When NOT to use ell - If you prefer JavaScript or other languages over Python, consider alternative frameworks that support the language of your choice. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between Hands-On-Large-Language-Models and ell? Hands-On-Large-Language-Models: Code for the book 'Hands-On Large Language Models'. ell: A language model programming library. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose Hands-On-Large-Language-Models over ell? Choose Hands-On-Large-Language-Models over ell when Hands-On-Large-Language-Models is primarily Jupyter Notebook; ell is Python; License: Hands-On-Large-Language-Models is Apache-2.0, ell is MIT; Tags unique to Hands-On-Large-Language-Models: artificial-intelligence, book, large-language-models, llm; Also covers Developer Tools; Use this tool if you are looking for practical, code-based learning resources that align with the book 'Hands-On Large Language Models'. ### When should I choose ell over Hands-On-Large-Language-Models? Choose ell over Hands-On-Large-Language-Models when ell is primarily Python; Hands-On-Large-Language-Models is Jupyter Notebook; License: ell is MIT, Hands-On-Large-Language-Models is Apache-2.0; Pricing: Free to use under MIT License, with no premium plans mentioned.; Tags unique to ell: ai, prompt-engineering; When you require a dedicated Python framework for developing custom language models and fine-tuning them with specific prompts for your application. ### When should I avoid Hands-On-Large-Language-Models? Avoid this tool if you are seeking a comprehensive theoretical background without practical examples, as the focus is on hands-on learning. Not recommended for users who prefer a different platform for running code examples, as the repository is optimized for Google Colab with a T4 GPU and 16GB VRAM. If you are looking for a tool that covers a broader range of AI topics beyond large language models, this repository may not be the best fit. ### When should I avoid ell? If you prefer JavaScript or other languages over Python, consider alternative frameworks that support the language of your choice. ### Is Hands-On-Large-Language-Models or ell more popular on GitHub? Hands-On-Large-Language-Models has more GitHub stars (29,162 vs 5,857). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are Hands-On-Large-Language-Models and ell open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (Hands-On-Large-Language-Models: Apache-2.0, ell: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to Hands-On-Large-Language-Models or ell? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [Hands-On-Large-Language-Models alternatives](/tools/handsonllm-hands-on-large-language-models/alternatives) and [ell alternatives](/tools/madcowd-ell/alternatives) ([Hands-On-Large-Language-Models markdown twin](/tools/handsonllm-hands-on-large-language-models/alternatives.md), [ell markdown twin](/tools/madcowd-ell/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/handsonllm-hands-on-large-language-models-vs-madcowd-ell.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, Hands-On-Large-Language-Models or ell? Hands-On-Large-Language-Models: Slowing. ell: 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 Hands-On-Large-Language-Models and ell? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [Hands-On-Large-Language-Models trust report](/tools/handsonllm-hands-on-large-language-models/trust); [ell trust report](/tools/madcowd-ell/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=handsonllm-hands-on-large-language-models`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=handsonllm-hands-on-large-language-models) - 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/_