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

Canonical: https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/ollama-vs-llama-cpp · Last verified: 2026-10-26 · Published: 2026-10-25 · Author: Agentic Weekly (operated independently from Texas, US) · Evidence: 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.

**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:** 2026-10-26 (America/Chicago).

> 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.

## 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.

Table: Our own tests for Ollama and llama.cpp

| Test | Ollama | llama.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 log](https://theagenticweekly.com/tests/ollama) | Tested: 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](https://theagenticweekly.com/tests/llama-cpp) |

How we test and label results: [methodology](https://theagenticweekly.com/methodology#testing-rig). All test logs: [test hub](https://theagenticweekly.com/tests).

## 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.

Table: Ollama and llama.cpp side by side (vendor pages and GitHub, 2026-10-25)

|  | Ollama | llama.cpp |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Ollama | ggml-org (open-source project) |
| Listed under | Local LLMs and model platforms | Local LLMs and model platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Pricing model | Free + paid cloud plans | Free and open source |
| Free tier | Free: $0, pay-as-you-go usage credits for cloud models | Free |
| Paid plans | Paid 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 custom | None |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows and Linux | Cross-platform source and binaries |
| Public repository | ollama/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 saw | v0.40.11, Oct 25, 2026 | b11889, Oct 25, 2026 |
| Evidence | Tested (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

Table: Strengths and limits as listed on each tool page

|  | Ollama | llama.cpp |
|---|---|---|
| Strengths | MIT-licensed; Runs on all three desktop OSes; Active release cadence | MIT license; Very active |
| Limits | Large 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 jobs | Command-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

- [Ollama](https://ollama.com/) (fetched 2026-10-25)
- [Ollama pricing](https://ollama.com/pricing) (fetched 2026-10-25)
- [Ollama repository (GitHub)](https://github.com/ollama/ollama) (fetched 2026-10-25)
- [llama.cpp repository (GitHub)](https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp) (fetched 2026-10-25)

## Related

- [Ollama facts and sources](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/ollama)
- [llama.cpp facts and sources](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/llama-cpp)
- [Alternatives to Ollama](https://theagenticweekly.com/alternatives/ollama)
- [Local LLMs and model platforms: all tools we track](https://theagenticweekly.com/best/llm-platforms)
- [Ollama vs Jan](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/ollama-vs-jan)
- [Ollama vs GPT4All](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/ollama-vs-gpt4all)
- [Ollama vs Open WebUI](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/ollama-vs-open-webui)
- [Hugging Face vs Ollama](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/hugging-face-vs-ollama)
- [OpenRouter vs Ollama](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/openrouter-vs-ollama)
- [Replicate vs Ollama](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/replicate-vs-ollama)

## Changelog

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

## How to cite

Agentic Weekly, "Ollama vs llama.cpp: license, pricing and features compared (October 2026)", last updated 2026-10-26, https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/ollama-vs-llama-cpp