Comparison
ell vs exllama
Verdict
Pick ell if ell is a Python-based language model development library and prompt engineering tool; pick exllama if exLlama provides a memory-efficient implementation of the LLaMa model with support for quantized weights, primarily aimed at users with NVIDIA GPUs from the 30-series onwards.
Markdown twin · ell alternatives · exllama alternatives
GraphCanon updated 2w
Trust & integrity
| Signal | ell | exllama |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Dormant (417d since push) As of 3w · github_public_v1 | Dormant (1041d since push) As of 2w · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Personal account As of 3w · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Personal account As of 2w · 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
- ell
- A language model programming library
- exllama
- Memory-efficient rewrite of HF transformers for Llama with quantized weights
Stars
- ell
- 5.9k
- exllama
- 2.9k
Forks
- ell
- 343
- exllama
- 220
Open issues
- ell
- 186
- exllama
- 65
Language
- ell
- Python
- exllama
- Python
Adopt for
- ell
- ell is a Python-based language model development library and prompt engineering tool.
- exllama
- ExLlama provides a memory-efficient implementation of the LLaMa model with support for quantized weights, primarily aimed at users with NVIDIA GPUs from the 30-series onwards.
Persona
- ell
- -
- exllama
- -
Runtime
- ell
- -
- exllama
- -
License
- ell
- MIT - Permissive free software license
- exllama
- MIT
Last pushed
- ell
- Jun 5, 2025
- exllama
- Sep 30, 2023
Categories
- ell
- LLM Frameworks
- exllama
- Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Days since push
- ell
- 417d
- exllama
- 1041d
Open issues (now)
- ell
- 186
- exllama
- 65
OSV dependency advisories
- ell
- No lockfile (source not queried)
- exllama
- Published findings
Full report
- ell
- Trust report
- exllama
- Trust report
Choose ell if…
- 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 ell
- If you prefer JavaScript or other languages over Python, consider alternative frameworks that support the language of your choice.
Choose exllama if…
- Tags unique to exllama: docker, llama model, memory-efficient, nvidia gpu.
- Also covers Inference & Serving.
- exllama ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
- - When deploying LLaMa models on NVIDIA GPUs from the 30-series or later that have strong FP16 support.
When NOT to use exllama
- - If you are operating older GPUs such as Pascal series, which lack robust FP16 support; alternatives like AutoGPTQ might perform better.
- - In scenarios that involve AMD GPU hardware (due to limited testing and optimization efforts).
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (MadcowD/ell) · observed Jul 28, 2026
- GitHub forks (MadcowD/ell) · observed Jul 28, 2026
- Last push (MadcowD/ell) · observed Jun 5, 2025
- License file (MIT) · observed Jul 28, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 17, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (turboderp/exllama) · observed Aug 7, 2026
- GitHub forks (turboderp/exllama) · observed Aug 7, 2026
- Last push (turboderp/exllama) · observed Sep 30, 2023
- License file (MIT) · observed Aug 7, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 12, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: ell 5.9k · exllama 2.9k (synced Jul 28, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between ell and exllama?
- ell: A language model programming library. exllama: 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 ell over exllama?
- Choose ell over exllama when 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 choose exllama over ell?
- Choose exllama over ell when Tags unique to exllama: docker, llama model, memory-efficient, nvidia gpu; Also covers Inference & Serving; exllama ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; - When deploying LLaMa models on NVIDIA GPUs from the 30-series or later that have strong FP16 support.
- When should I avoid ell?
- If you prefer JavaScript or other languages over Python, consider alternative frameworks that support the language of your choice.
- When should I avoid exllama?
- - If you are operating older GPUs such as Pascal series, which lack robust FP16 support; alternatives like AutoGPTQ might perform better. - In scenarios that involve AMD GPU hardware (due to limited testing and optimization efforts).
- Is ell or exllama more popular on GitHub?
- ell has more GitHub stars (5,869 vs 2,937). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are ell and exllama open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (ell: MIT, exllama: MIT).
- Where can I find alternatives to ell or exllama?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at ell alternatives and exllama alternatives (ell 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, ell or exllama?
- ell: Dormant. 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 ell and exllama?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: ell trust report; exllama trust report.