Comparison
Star-Attention vs exllama
Verdict
Pick Star-Attention if star-Attention specializes in long sequence inference of large language models using star-attention to maintain efficiency; 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 · Star-Attention alternatives · exllama alternatives
GraphCanon updated 2w
vs
Trust & integrity
| Signal | Star-Attention | exllama |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Dormant (395d 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
- Star-Attention
- Efficient LLM Inference over Long Sequences
- exllama
- Memory-efficient rewrite of HF transformers for Llama with quantized weights
Stars
- Star-Attention
- 392
- exllama
- 2.9k
Forks
- Star-Attention
- 24
- exllama
- 220
Open issues
- Star-Attention
- 0
- exllama
- 65
Language
- Star-Attention
- Python
- exllama
- Python
Adopt for
- Star-Attention
- Star-Attention specializes in long sequence inference of large language models using star-attention to maintain efficiency.
- 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
- Star-Attention
- -
- exllama
- -
Runtime
- Star-Attention
- -
- exllama
- -
License
- Star-Attention
- Apache-2.0
- exllama
- MIT
Last pushed
- Star-Attention
- Jun 25, 2025
- exllama
- Sep 30, 2023
Categories
- Star-Attention
- Inference & Serving
- exllama
- Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Days since push
- Star-Attention
- 395d
- exllama
- 1041d
Open issues (now)
- Star-Attention
- 0
- exllama
- 65
Owner type
- Star-Attention
- Organization
- exllama
- User
OSV dependency advisories
- Star-Attention
- No lockfile (source not queried)
- exllama
- Published findings
Full report
- Star-Attention
- Trust report
- exllama
- Trust report
Choose Star-Attention if…
- License: Star-Attention is Apache-2.0, exllama is MIT.
- Tags unique to Star-Attention: attention-mechanism, large language models, llm-inference.
- For applications requiring handling very large input sequences
When NOT to use Star-Attention
- If your use case involves short sequence processing only
- In scenarios where traditional attention mechanisms yield adequate results without performance loss
Choose exllama if…
- License: exllama is MIT, Star-Attention is Apache-2.0.
- Tags unique to exllama: docker, llama model, memory-efficient, nvidia gpu.
- Also covers LLM Frameworks.
- 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 (NVIDIA/Star-Attention) · observed Jul 26, 2026
- GitHub forks (NVIDIA/Star-Attention) · observed Jul 26, 2026
- Last push (NVIDIA/Star-Attention) · observed Jun 25, 2025
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Jul 26, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 15, 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: Star-Attention 392 · exllama 2.9k (synced Jul 26, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between Star-Attention and exllama?
- Star-Attention: Efficient LLM Inference over Long Sequences. 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 Star-Attention over exllama?
- Choose Star-Attention over exllama when License: Star-Attention is Apache-2.0, exllama is MIT; Tags unique to Star-Attention: attention-mechanism, large language models, llm-inference; For applications requiring handling very large input sequences.
- When should I choose exllama over Star-Attention?
- Choose exllama over Star-Attention when License: exllama is MIT, Star-Attention is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to exllama: docker, llama model, memory-efficient, nvidia gpu; Also covers LLM Frameworks; 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 Star-Attention?
- If your use case involves short sequence processing only In scenarios where traditional attention mechanisms yield adequate results without performance loss
- 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 Star-Attention or exllama more popular on GitHub?
- exllama has more GitHub stars (2,937 vs 392). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are Star-Attention and exllama open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (Star-Attention: Apache-2.0, exllama: MIT).
- Where can I find alternatives to Star-Attention or exllama?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at Star-Attention alternatives and exllama alternatives (Star-Attention 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, Star-Attention or exllama?
- Star-Attention: 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 Star-Attention and exllama?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: Star-Attention trust report; exllama trust report.