Comparison
lmdeploy vs airllm
Verdict
Pick lmdeploy if lMDeploy is focused on compressing and efficiently serving LLMs, making it suitable for teams already invested in CUDA environments like Nvidia's GeForce RTX 50 series; pick airllm if airLLM is a notable framework designed specifically for running large language models on low-resource hardware, such as a single 4GB GPU.
Markdown twin · lmdeploy alternatives · airllm alternatives
GraphCanon updated 2w
Trust & integrity
| Signal | lmdeploy | airllm |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (1d since push) As of 2w · github_public_v1 | Very active (5d since push) As of 3w · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of 2w · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Personal account As of 3w · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 1mo · osv@v1 | Published findings As of 1mo · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- lmdeploy
- Toolkit for compressing, deploying, and serving LLMs
- airllm
- AirLLM 70B inference with single 4GB GPU
Stars
- lmdeploy
- 8.0k
- airllm
- 24k
Forks
- lmdeploy
- 723
- airllm
- 2.7k
Open issues
- lmdeploy
- 607
- airllm
- 115
Language
- lmdeploy
- Python
- airllm
- Jupyter Notebook
Adopt for
- lmdeploy
- LMDeploy is focused on compressing and efficiently serving LLMs, making it suitable for teams already invested in CUDA environments like Nvidia's GeForce RTX 50 series.
- airllm
- AirLLM is a notable framework designed specifically for running large language models on low-resource hardware, such as a single 4GB GPU.
Persona
- lmdeploy
- -
- airllm
- -
Runtime
- lmdeploy
- -
- airllm
- -
License
- lmdeploy
- Licensed under Apache-2.0, enabling flexible use and modification for both commercial and open-source projects, provided that users comply with its terms.
- airllm
- Apache-2.0
Last pushed
- lmdeploy
- Aug 6, 2026
- airllm
- Jul 23, 2026
Categories
- lmdeploy
- Inference & Serving
- airllm
- Inference & Serving
Trust and health
Days since push
- lmdeploy
- 1d
- airllm
- 5d
Open issues (now)
- lmdeploy
- 607
- airllm
- 115
Owner type
- lmdeploy
- Organization
- airllm
- User
OSV dependency advisories
- lmdeploy
- No lockfile (source not queried)
- airllm
- Published findings
Full report
- lmdeploy
- Trust report
- airllm
- Trust report
Shared compatibility
- Python · lmdeploy: Python runtime · airllm: Python runtime
Choose lmdeploy if…
- lmdeploy is primarily Python; airllm is Jupyter Notebook.
- Requirements: Installation is optimized through pip in a Conda environment using Python versions between 3.10 and 3.13..
- Tags unique to lmdeploy: codellama, cuda-kernels, deepspeed, fastertransformer.
- When your team operates within a CUDA environment, such as using an Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 series GPU, because the default prebuilt wheels are optimized for CUDA 12.8.
When NOT to use lmdeploy
- When your infrastructure relies on software environments or GPUs not aligned with CUDA 12.8, as LMDeploy's default prebuilt wheels might require adjustments to operate optimally.
- If you are working exclusively in non-Nvidia GPU ecosystems where LMDeploy's CUDA focus does not align with the hardware optimizations available.
Choose airllm if…
- airllm is primarily Jupyter Notebook; lmdeploy is Python.
- Pricing: Free and open-source under the Apache-2.0 license; however, infrastructure costs apply..
- Requirements: Min 16 GB RAM; A single 4GB GPU is sufficient for using this framework to run large language model inferences..
- Tags unique to airllm: chinese-llm, chinese-nlp, finetune, generative-ai.
- If you have limited hardware resources but need to perform inferences on large language models (like the 70B parameter model that AirLLM supports), use AirLLM.
When NOT to use airllm
- Avoid using AirLLM if you require models to run on higher-end GPUs or multiple GPU clusters, as its strength lies in low-resource efficiency.
- Do not use AirLLM if you are working primarily with non-Chinese language datasets and models, since support for other languages may be less optimized compared to competition.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (InternLM/lmdeploy) · observed Aug 7, 2026
- GitHub forks (InternLM/lmdeploy) · observed Aug 7, 2026
- Last push (InternLM/lmdeploy) · observed Aug 6, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Aug 7, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 14, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (lyogavin/airllm) · observed Jul 28, 2026
- GitHub forks (lyogavin/airllm) · observed Jul 28, 2026
- Last push (lyogavin/airllm) · observed Jul 23, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Jul 28, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 9, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: lmdeploy 8.0k · airllm 24k (synced Aug 7, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between lmdeploy and airllm?
- lmdeploy: Toolkit for compressing, deploying, and serving LLMs. airllm: AirLLM 70B inference with single 4GB GPU. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose lmdeploy over airllm?
- Choose lmdeploy over airllm when lmdeploy is primarily Python; airllm is Jupyter Notebook; Requirements: Installation is optimized through pip in a Conda environment using Python versions between 3.10 and 3.13.; Tags unique to lmdeploy: codellama, cuda-kernels, deepspeed, fastertransformer; When your team operates within a CUDA environment, such as using an Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 series GPU, because the default prebuilt wheels are optimized for CUDA 12.8.
- When should I choose airllm over lmdeploy?
- Choose airllm over lmdeploy when airllm is primarily Jupyter Notebook; lmdeploy is Python; Pricing: Free and open-source under the Apache-2.0 license; however, infrastructure costs apply.; Requirements: Min 16 GB RAM; A single 4GB GPU is sufficient for using this framework to run large language model inferences.; Tags unique to airllm: chinese-llm, chinese-nlp, finetune, generative-ai; If you have limited hardware resources but need to perform inferences on large language models (like the 70B parameter model that AirLLM supports), use AirLLM.
- When should I avoid lmdeploy?
- When your infrastructure relies on software environments or GPUs not aligned with CUDA 12.8, as LMDeploy's default prebuilt wheels might require adjustments to operate optimally. If you are working exclusively in non-Nvidia GPU ecosystems where LMDeploy's CUDA focus does not align with the hardware optimizations available.
- When should I avoid airllm?
- Avoid using AirLLM if you require models to run on higher-end GPUs or multiple GPU clusters, as its strength lies in low-resource efficiency. Do not use AirLLM if you are working primarily with non-Chinese language datasets and models, since support for other languages may be less optimized compared to competition.
- Is lmdeploy or airllm more popular on GitHub?
- airllm has more GitHub stars (24,183 vs 7,995). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are lmdeploy and airllm open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (lmdeploy: Apache-2.0, airllm: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to lmdeploy or airllm?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at lmdeploy alternatives and airllm alternatives (lmdeploy markdown twin, airllm 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, lmdeploy or airllm?
- lmdeploy: Very active. airllm: 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 lmdeploy and airllm?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: lmdeploy trust report; airllm trust report.