Comparison
llamafile vs exllama
Verdict
Pick llamafile if leverage llamafile for simplified deployment of language models across different platforms with its single file executable approach; 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 · llamafile alternatives · exllama alternatives
GraphCanon updated 2w
vs
Trust & integrity
| Signal | llamafile | exllama |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (2d since push) As of 3w · github_public_v1 | Dormant (1041d since push) As of 2w · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization 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
- llamafile
- Distribute and run LLMs with a single file.
- exllama
- Memory-efficient rewrite of HF transformers for Llama with quantized weights
Stars
- llamafile
- 25k
- exllama
- 2.9k
Forks
- llamafile
- 1.5k
- exllama
- 220
Open issues
- llamafile
- 212
- exllama
- 65
Language
- llamafile
- C++
- exllama
- Python
Adopt for
- llamafile
- Leverage llamafile for simplified deployment of language models across different platforms with its single file executable approach.
- 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
- llamafile
- -
- exllama
- -
Runtime
- llamafile
- -
- exllama
- -
License
- llamafile
- Other
- exllama
- MIT
Last pushed
- llamafile
- Jul 27, 2026
- exllama
- Sep 30, 2023
Categories
- llamafile
- Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
- exllama
- Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Maintenance
- llamafile
- Very active (96%)
- exllama
- Dormant (18%)
Days since push
- llamafile
- 2d
- exllama
- 1041d
Open issues (now)
- llamafile
- 212
- exllama
- 65
Owner type
- llamafile
- Organization
- exllama
- User
OSV dependency advisories
- llamafile
- No lockfile (source not queried)
- exllama
- Published findings
Full report
- llamafile
- Trust report
- exllama
- Trust report
Choose llamafile if…
- llamafile is primarily C++; exllama is Python.
- License: llamafile is Other, exllama is MIT.
- Tags unique to llamafile: cross-platform, gguf, llama-cpp, local-ai.
- - You require cross-platform support for your LLM deployments and prefer managing them via a single file.
When NOT to use llamafile
- - If you need extensive customization options that cannot be handled through a single file approach.
- - In environments where dependency management outside of the single executable is mandatory.
Choose exllama if…
- exllama is primarily Python; llamafile is C++.
- License: exllama is MIT, llamafile is Other.
- Tags unique to exllama: docker, llama model, memory-efficient, nvidia gpu.
- 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 (mozilla-ai/llamafile) · observed Jul 30, 2026
- GitHub forks (mozilla-ai/llamafile) · observed Jul 30, 2026
- Last push (mozilla-ai/llamafile) · observed Jul 27, 2026
- License file (Other) · observed Jul 30, 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: llamafile 25k · exllama 2.9k (synced Jul 30, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between llamafile and exllama?
- llamafile: Distribute and run LLMs with a single file.. 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 llamafile over exllama?
- Choose llamafile over exllama when llamafile is primarily C++; exllama is Python; License: llamafile is Other, exllama is MIT; Tags unique to llamafile: cross-platform, gguf, llama-cpp, local-ai; - You require cross-platform support for your LLM deployments and prefer managing them via a single file.
- When should I choose exllama over llamafile?
- Choose exllama over llamafile when exllama is primarily Python; llamafile is C++; License: exllama is MIT, llamafile is Other; Tags unique to exllama: docker, llama model, memory-efficient, nvidia gpu; 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 llamafile?
- - If you need extensive customization options that cannot be handled through a single file approach. - In environments where dependency management outside of the single executable is mandatory.
- 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 llamafile or exllama more popular on GitHub?
- llamafile has more GitHub stars (25,470 vs 2,937). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are llamafile and exllama open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (llamafile: Other, exllama: MIT).
- Where can I find alternatives to llamafile or exllama?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at llamafile alternatives and exllama alternatives (llamafile 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, llamafile or exllama?
- llamafile: 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 llamafile and exllama?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: llamafile trust report; exllama trust report.