Agentic WeeklyGet the weekly

Ollama vs llama.cpp: license, pricing and features compared (October 2026)

Ollama and llama.cpp are both listed under Local LLMs and model platforms. Pricing model: Ollama is "Free + paid cloud plans"; llama.cpp is "Free and open source". GitHub stars on Oct 25, 2026: Ollama 184,762 (ollama/ollama) vs llama.cpp 132,360 (ggml-org/llama.cpp). Stars measure attention, not quality. Ollama is the better fit for: developers who want local models behind a simple API. llama.cpp is the better fit for: developers embedding local inference. Facts were read from vendor and GitHub pages on Oct 25, 2026 and are Reported; what we ran ourselves is under What we measured.

Our pick: Pick Ollama for developers who want local models behind a simple API; pick llama.cpp for developers embedding local inference. No overall winner: we have not benchmarked them against each other. Updated (America/Chicago).

By Agentic Weekly, operated independently from Texas, US · Published · Last updated (America/Chicago) · How we work

Evidence: Both tools have a Tested entry (scope on each tool page). The facts in the tables were read from each vendor's own pages and the public GitHub API on 2026-10-25 (America/Chicago) and are Reported. The What we measured section lists what we have actually run, with links to the test logs, and what we have not run yet; anything we could not confirm is marked as not captured.

Ollama

Ollama · v0.40.11

Tested (smoke test)

The common way to run open models locally on macOS, Windows and Linux, with a cloud option and an MIT-licensed open-source core.

llama.cpp

ggml-org (open-source project) · b11889

Tested (smoke test)

LLM inference in C/C++: the open-source engine many local-model tools build on; MIT-licensed with near-daily build tags.

Side by side, from what we recorded

Each row compares one recorded fact for both tools. Rows are not weighted and nothing is added up into a score; the note under each row says what the marker means.

  • Evidence

    Tested (smoke test) for Ollama
    Tested (smoke test) for llama.cpp

    Tested = we ran it (smoke test); Reported = we read official sources

  • Smoke-test result

    Passed for Ollama
    Passed for llama.cpp

    Each tool's own smoke test on the same CPU-only machine; tasks differ unless the logs say otherwise

  • GitHub stars

    184,762 (Ollama is ahead on this row) for Ollama
    132,360 for llama.cpp

    Attention, not quality. Read Oct 25, 2026 / Oct 25, 2026

  • Most recent release we saw

    Oct 25, 2026 for Ollama
    Oct 25, 2026 for llama.cpp

    More recent = newer release date; says nothing about quality

  • Pricing we could verify

    Verified from official page for Ollama
    Verified from official page for llama.cpp

    About our evidence only, not about the price

  • Steps in our setup guide

    2 for Ollama
    2 for llama.cpp

    Counts our guide's steps, not difficulty

  • Sources we cite

    3 for Ollama
    1 for llama.cpp

    How much we had to read; more is not better

A list of recorded differences, not a quality score or a ranking. We have not benchmarked these tools against each other; the smoke-test row links each tool's own log. How we label evidence.

What we measured

We ran both Ollama and llama.cpp ourselves; the table links each full test log. These are smoke tests on one CPU-only machine, not benchmarks. Each tool had its own task, so the two results are not a head-to-head. Model-driven runs used a small local Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct model.

Our own tests for Ollama and llama.cpp
TestOllamallama.cpp
Hands-on test log (install and a real task)Tested: Ollama 0.40.11, Oct 25, 2026: passed. Ollama 0.40.11 served three Qwen2.5 sizes over its OpenAI-compatible API on 8 CPU cores: all three answered simple prompts; the 0.5B model failed JSON extraction while… Full test logTested: llama.cpp b11889 (commit d854d98ba), Oct 25, 2026: passed. llama.cpp b11889 generated 118 tokens/s (0.5B), 40 (1.5B) and 19.5 (3B) on 8 CPU threads with llama-bench, and its server passed the same prompts and tool call as Ollama. Full test log

How we test and label results: methodology. All test logs: test hub.

Ollama vs llama.cpp at a glance

Ollama and llama.cpp are both listed under Local LLMs and model platforms. Agentic Weekly's Ollama page names llama.cpp as an alternative. Ollama: The common way to run open models locally on macOS, Windows and Linux, with a cloud option and an MIT-licensed open-source core. llama.cpp: LLM inference in C/C++: the open-source engine many local-model tools build on; MIT-licensed with near-daily build tags.

Ollama and llama.cpp side by side (vendor pages and GitHub, 2026-10-25)
FeatureOllamallama.cpp
VendorOllamaggml-org (open-source project)
Listed underLocal LLMs and model platformsLocal LLMs and model platforms
LicenseMITMIT
Pricing modelFree + paid cloud plansFree and open source
Free tierFree: $0, pay-as-you-go usage credits for cloud modelsFree
Paid plansPaid plan $20/month ($16.67/month billed annually) with $60 of monthly usage credits; $100/month with $300; $500/month with $1,000 shared; Enterprise customNone
PlatformsmacOS, Windows and LinuxCross-platform source and binaries
Public repositoryollama/ollama: 184,762 stars, last push Oct 25, 2026 UTC (GitHub API, Oct 25, 2026)ggml-org/llama.cpp: 132,360 stars, last push Oct 26, 2026 UTC (GitHub API, Oct 25, 2026)
Latest release we sawv0.40.11, Oct 25, 2026b11889, Oct 25, 2026
EvidenceTested (scope on its tool page)Tested (scope on its tool page)

How Ollama and llama.cpp differ

  • Pricing model: Ollama is "Free + paid cloud plans"; llama.cpp is "Free and open source".
  • GitHub stars on Oct 25, 2026: Ollama 184,762 (ollama/ollama) vs llama.cpp 132,360 (ggml-org/llama.cpp). Stars measure attention, not quality.
  • Free tier: Ollama: $0, pay-as-you-go usage credits for cloud models. llama.cpp: Free.
  • Plans and prices differ and are not like-for-like (credits, seats and usage limits vary), so we do not name a cheaper tool. The Paid plans row above quotes each vendor's plan list as read on Oct 25, 2026.
  • Platforms as the vendors list them: Ollama: macOS, Windows and Linux. llama.cpp: Cross-platform source and binaries.

Both carry the same license: MIT.

Which should you pick?

  • Pick Ollama if: developers who want local models behind a simple API; people who want to try open models privately. Skip it if: you need frontier proprietary models only.
  • Pick llama.cpp if: developers embedding local inference; people who want maximum control over local models. Skip it if: you want a polished app with a GUI.

Strengths and limits

Strengths and limits as listed on each tool page
FeatureOllamallama.cpp
StrengthsMIT-licensed; Runs on all three desktop OSes; Active release cadenceMIT license; Very active
LimitsLarge models need hardware; Cloud usage is billed separately; Our test was one small task on a local 3B model; it does not show behaviour with hosted models or larger jobsCommand-line and build-oriented; Our test was one small task on a local 3B model; it does not show behaviour with hosted models or larger jobs

What we did not verify

  • Ollama: Speed of a given model on your hardware.
  • llama.cpp: Performance on your hardware.
  • Output quality, speed and reliability beyond the smoke tests listed under What we measured: not compared.

FAQ

Is Ollama or llama.cpp open source?

Ollama: MIT. llama.cpp: MIT. Licenses come from each project's GitHub repository or the vendor's own pages, read Oct 25, 2026; read the license text itself before redistributing or building a competing service.

Does Ollama or llama.cpp have a free plan?

Ollama: Free: $0, pay-as-you-go usage credits for cloud models. llama.cpp: Free: . Checked Oct 25, 2026; prices and limits change, so confirm on each vendor's page.

Which was updated more recently, Ollama or llama.cpp?

Ollama's newest release we saw is v0.40.11 (Oct 25, 2026); llama.cpp's is b11889 (Oct 25, 2026). Read Oct 25, 2026 from the official release page or repository; a newer date is not a quality ranking.

What is the main difference between Ollama and llama.cpp?

Pricing model: Ollama is "Free + paid cloud plans"; llama.cpp is "Free and open source". GitHub stars on Oct 25, 2026: Ollama 184,762 (ollama/ollama) vs llama.cpp 132,360 (ggml-org/llama.cpp). Stars measure attention, not quality.

Sources

Page history

  • : First published. Facts read from vendor pages and the GitHub API on 2026-10-25.

Markdown version for agents: /compare/ollama-vs-llama-cpp.md