Comparison
litgpt vs exllama
Verdict
Pick litgpt when license: litgpt is Apache-2.0, exllama is MIT; pick exllama when license: exllama is MIT, litgpt is Apache-2.0.
Markdown twin · litgpt alternatives · exllama alternatives
GraphCanon updated today
Trust & integrity
| Signal | litgpt | exllama |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (4d since push) As of today · github_public_v1 | Dormant (1014d since push) As of today · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of today · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Personal account As of today · github_public_v1 |
| Security (OSV) | No lockfile As of today · none | 29 low (29 low) As of today · osv@v1 |
Tagline
- litgpt
- High-performance LLMs with recipes for pretraining, finetuning and deployment
- exllama
- More memory-efficient rewrite of HF transformers for Llama with quantized weights
Stars
- litgpt
- 13k
- exllama
- 2.9k
Forks
- litgpt
- 1.5k
- exllama
- 223
Open issues
- litgpt
- 267
- exllama
- 65
Language
- litgpt
- Python
- exllama
- Python
Adopt for
- litgpt
- LitGPT offers extensive support for high-performance LLMs with comprehensive workflows for pretraining, fine-tuning, and deployment.
- exllama
- -
Persona
- litgpt
- -
- exllama
- -
Runtime
- litgpt
- -
- exllama
- -
License
- litgpt
- LitGPT operates under the open-source Apache-2.0 license, providing permissive terms for use and modification.
- exllama
- MIT
Last pushed
- litgpt
- Jul 6, 2026
- exllama
- Sep 30, 2023
Categories
- litgpt
- LLM Frameworks, Model Training, Inference & Serving
- exllama
- LLM Frameworks, Inference & Serving
Trust and health
Maintenance
- litgpt
- Very active (96%)
- exllama
- Dormant (18%)
Days since push
- litgpt
- 4d
- exllama
- 1014d
Open issues (now)
- litgpt
- 267
- exllama
- 65
Owner type
- litgpt
- Organization
- exllama
- User
Security scan
- litgpt
- No lockfile
- exllama
- 29 low (29 low)
Full report
- litgpt
- Trust report
- exllama
- Trust report
Choose litgpt if…
- License: litgpt is Apache-2.0, exllama is MIT.
- Pricing: The core LitGPT framework is free to use under an open source license, but users might encounter costs when deploying at scale or using high-performance models..
- Requirements: Min 16 GB RAM.
- Tags unique to litgpt: llms, deep-learning, ai, artificial-intelligence.
- Also covers Model Training.
- If you are focusing on a project that requires rapid prototyping or experimentation with over 20 different LLMs to find the best fit for your application.
When NOT to use litgpt
- If you need a tool specifically optimized for resource-constrained devices, as LitGPT focuses on high-performance LLMs and may require more resources.
- When your project is strictly limited to only one or two types of specific LLMs; in this case, another specialized framework that caters narrowly might be preferable.
Choose exllama if…
- License: exllama is MIT, litgpt is Apache-2.0.
- Tags unique to exllama: nvidia support, gpu optimization, memory efficiency, docker container support.
- exllama ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
When NOT to use exllama
- Last GitHub push was 1015 days ago (dormant maintenance, Sep 30, 2023). Validate activity before betting a new project on exllama.
- 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.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (Lightning-AI/litgpt) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (Lightning-AI/litgpt) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (Lightning-AI/litgpt) · observed Jul 6, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (turboderp/exllama) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (turboderp/exllama) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (turboderp/exllama) · observed Sep 30, 2023
- License file (MIT) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: litgpt 13k · exllama 2.9k (synced Jul 11, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between litgpt and exllama?
- litgpt: High-performance LLMs with recipes for pretraining, finetuning and deployment. exllama: More memory-efficient rewrite of HF transformers for Llama with quantized weights. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose litgpt over exllama?
- Choose litgpt over exllama when License: litgpt is Apache-2.0, exllama is MIT; Pricing: The core LitGPT framework is free to use under an open source license, but users might encounter costs when deploying at scale or using high-performance models.; Requirements: Min 16 GB RAM; Tags unique to litgpt: llms, deep-learning, ai, artificial-intelligence; Also covers Model Training; If you are focusing on a project that requires rapid prototyping or experimentation with over 20 different LLMs to find the best fit for your application.
- When should I choose exllama over litgpt?
- Choose exllama over litgpt when License: exllama is MIT, litgpt is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to exllama: nvidia support, gpu optimization, memory efficiency, docker container support; exllama ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
- When should I avoid litgpt?
- If you need a tool specifically optimized for resource-constrained devices, as LitGPT focuses on high-performance LLMs and may require more resources. When your project is strictly limited to only one or two types of specific LLMs; in this case, another specialized framework that caters narrowly might be preferable.
- When should I avoid exllama?
- Last GitHub push was 1015 days ago (dormant maintenance, Sep 30, 2023). Validate activity before betting a new project on exllama. 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.
- Is litgpt or exllama more popular on GitHub?
- litgpt has more GitHub stars (13,473 vs 2,930). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are litgpt and exllama open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (litgpt: Apache-2.0, exllama: MIT).
- Where can I find alternatives to litgpt or exllama?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at litgpt alternatives and exllama alternatives (litgpt markdown twin, exllama 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, litgpt or exllama?
- litgpt: Very active. exllama: 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 litgpt and exllama?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: litgpt trust report; exllama trust report.