Comparison
willow vs ollama
Verdict
Pick willow when willow is primarily C; ollama is Go; pick ollama when ollama is primarily Go; willow is C.
Markdown twin · willow alternatives · ollama alternatives
GraphCanon updated today
Trust & integrity
| Signal | willow | ollama |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Slowing (147d since push) As of today · github_public_v1 | Very active (1d since push) As of today · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of today · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of today · github_public_v1 |
| Security (OSV) | No lockfile As of today · none | 52 low (52 low) As of today · osv@v1 |
Tagline
- willow
- Open source, local, and self-hosted Amazon Echo/Google Home competitive Voice Assistant alternative
- ollama
- Get up and running with various large language models using Ollama.
Stars
- willow
- 3.1k
- ollama
- 176k
Forks
- willow
- 120
- ollama
- 17k
Open issues
- willow
- 27
- ollama
- 3.4k
Language
- willow
- C
- ollama
- Go
Adopt for
- willow
- -
- ollama
- Ollama is a Go-based platform that provides tools for deploying and managing large language models (LLMs) like Kimi-K2.6, GLM-5.1, MiniMax, DeepSeek, gpt-oss, Qwen, Gemma using docker images, package managers, cloud and
Persona
- willow
- -
- ollama
- -
Runtime
- willow
- -
- ollama
- -
License
- willow
- Apache-2.0
- ollama
- MIT license - permissive open-source licensing that allows for broad use of the tool.
Last pushed
- willow
- Feb 13, 2026
- ollama
- Jul 10, 2026
Categories
- willow
- LLM Frameworks, Speech & Audio, Inference & Serving
- ollama
- LLM Frameworks, Inference & Serving
Trust and health
Maintenance
- willow
- Slowing (36%)
- ollama
- Very active (96%)
Days since push
- willow
- 147d
- ollama
- 1d
Open issues (now)
- willow
- 27
- ollama
- 3.4k
Security scan
- willow
- No lockfile
- ollama
- 52 low (52 low)
Full report
- willow
- Trust report
- ollama
- Trust report
Choose willow if…
- willow is primarily C; ollama is Go.
- License: willow is Apache-2.0, ollama is MIT.
- Tags unique to willow: esp-adf, deep-learning, google-home, esp-idf.
- Also covers Speech & Audio.
When NOT to use willow
- Last GitHub push was 148 days ago (slowing maintenance, Feb 13, 2026). Validate activity before betting a new project on willow.
- LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves.
- Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic.
Choose ollama if…
- ollama is primarily Go; willow is C.
- License: ollama is MIT, willow is Apache-2.0.
- Ollama supports self-hosted and cloud-deployable models using Docker, Helm charts, and various package managers.
- Tags unique to ollama: go, llms, llama, mistral.
- Use Ollama when you require a multi-model platform supporting several large language models such as Kimi-K2.6, GLM-5.1, MiniMax, DeepSeek, gpt-oss, Qwen, Gemma and intend to deploy in various cloud or
When NOT to use ollama
- Avoid using Ollama if you are only interested in a single LLM deployment and seek simplified, model-specific solutions with tailored support rather than a comprehensive multi-model platform.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (HeyWillow/willow) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (HeyWillow/willow) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (HeyWillow/willow) · observed Feb 13, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (ollama/ollama) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (ollama/ollama) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (ollama/ollama) · observed Jul 10, 2026
- License file (MIT) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: willow 3.1k · ollama 176k (synced Jul 11, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between willow and ollama?
- willow: Open source, local, and self-hosted Amazon Echo/Google Home competitive Voice Assistant alternative. ollama: Get up and running with various large language models using Ollama.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose willow over ollama?
- Choose willow over ollama when willow is primarily C; ollama is Go; License: willow is Apache-2.0, ollama is MIT; Tags unique to willow: esp-adf, deep-learning, google-home, esp-idf; Also covers Speech & Audio.
- When should I choose ollama over willow?
- Choose ollama over willow when ollama is primarily Go; willow is C; License: ollama is MIT, willow is Apache-2.0; Ollama supports self-hosted and cloud-deployable models using Docker, Helm charts, and various package managers; Tags unique to ollama: go, llms, llama, mistral; Use Ollama when you require a multi-model platform supporting several large language models such as Kimi-K2.6, GLM-5.1, MiniMax, DeepSeek, gpt-oss, Qwen, Gemma and intend to deploy in various cloud or.
- When should I avoid willow?
- Last GitHub push was 148 days ago (slowing maintenance, Feb 13, 2026). Validate activity before betting a new project on willow. LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic.
- When should I avoid ollama?
- Avoid using Ollama if you are only interested in a single LLM deployment and seek simplified, model-specific solutions with tailored support rather than a comprehensive multi-model platform.
- Is willow or ollama more popular on GitHub?
- ollama has more GitHub stars (175,936 vs 3,066). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are willow and ollama open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (willow: Apache-2.0, ollama: MIT).
- Where can I find alternatives to willow or ollama?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at willow alternatives and ollama alternatives (willow markdown twin, ollama markdown twin), 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 mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, willow or ollama?
- willow: Slowing. ollama: Very active. 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 willow and ollama?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: willow trust report; ollama trust report.