{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "koboldcpp", "name": "KoboldCpp", "vendor": "LostRuins (Concedo)", "vendorUrl": "https://koboldcpp.net", "kind": "http-api", "category": "local-ai", "summary": "Open-source program for running GGUF models on the owner's own computer, built on llama.cpp. One executable serves a web interface and KoboldAI, OpenAI, Ollama and Anthropic compatible APIs on port 5001.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/koboldcpp", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/koboldcpp.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/koboldcpp.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/koboldcpp.json", "repo": "https://github.com/LostRuins/koboldcpp", "license": "AGPL-3.0 for KoboldCpp and KoboldAI Lite. The bundled GGML, llama.cpp and stable-diffusion.cpp code stays under MIT", "transports": [ "http" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "oci", "name": "koboldai/koboldcpp" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No credential by default. `--password` (or the `KCPP_PASSWORD` environment variable) sets one shared key, sent as `Authorization: Bearer`, and the server reads it from the header only. The key guards text routes. Image generation, upscaling, `/sdapi/v1/interrogate` and `/tts_to_audio` skip the check, and the `--help` text says image endpoints are not secured. Admin routes need `--admin`, an `--admindir` and, when set, a separate `--adminpassword`. Keys have no scopes and change only with a restart. With no `--host` the server listens on all routable interfaces, and CORS reflects any Origin with credentials allowed (https://github.com/LostRuins/koboldcpp/blob/concedo/koboldcpp.py).", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under AGPL-3.0, with no account, key or card. Nothing is sold by the project. The owner pays for hardware and electricity, and the README links third-party GPU rental (RunPod, SimplePod) and Google Colab as other places to run it.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the README, the wiki, the API document or `koboldcpp.py` (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 11972, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://github.com/LostRuins/koboldcpp/wiki", "llmsTxt": "https://koboldcpp.net/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://lite.koboldai.net/koboldcpp_api.json", "capabilities": [ "inference.local", "inference.open-weights", "agent.mcp-client", "embed.text", "image.generate", "speech.stt", "speech.tts", "audio.music" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "local", "self-hosted", "free", "no-card", "openai-compatible", "openapi", "llms-txt", "docker", "agpl", "no-telemetry" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-27", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 60.5, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 462, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 842, "categoryRank": 5, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 63, "maintenance": 82, "payments": 60, "reliability": 68, "schema": 68, "security": 38, "transparency": 49 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "One file runs text, image, speech and music models behind a published OpenAPI 3.0.3 document, with eight releases in 90 days. The server listens on every interface with no password by default, and `--password` leaves the image routes open.", "bestFor": "An owner who wants text, image, speech and music models behind one executable with a writing and roleplay interface, and clients that speak the KoboldAI, OpenAI, Ollama or Anthropic formats.", "strengths": [ "OpenAPI 3.0.3 document with 54 operations, served by the program at `/api?json=1` and published at lite.koboldai.net", "KoboldAI, OpenAI, Ollama, Anthropic, AUTOMATIC1111 and ComfyUI style routes from one server on port 5001", "Eight releases between 10 July and 27 September 2026, each with written notes, and replies on all 24 of the newest open issues", "AGPL-3.0, with no telemetry or update check found in `koboldcpp.py` and a wiki statement that inputs are sent nowhere", "Admin functions are off by default and take their own `--adminpassword`" ], "weaknesses": [ "With no `--host` the server accepts connections on all routable interfaces, and no password is set by default", "`--password` covers text routes only. The `--help` text says image endpoints are not secured", "CORS reflects any Origin with credentials allowed and permits private-network requests", "No `SECURITY.md` or security.txt, and the one advisory (GHSA-qhvp-gj7g-rw26) still lists no patched version", "No continuous test run on pushes. Build workflows are started by hand and the only automatic test covers `AutoGuess.json`" ], "agentNotes": [ "Start with `--host 127.0.0.1` and `--password`. The default listens on every interface with no key", "Send the password as `Authorization: Bearer \u003cpassword\u003e`. It is not read from the query string", "Treat 503 as both busy and rate limited. The server never sends 429 or `Retry-After`, and the wait in seconds is in `detail.msg`", "Pass `max_length` or `max_tokens`. The default is 2,048 tokens unless `--defaultgenamt` changes it", "Send a `genkey` with each generation so `/api/extra/generate/check` and `/api/extra/abort` act on your request and not another caller's" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 60.5 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 63, "maintenance": 82, "payments": 60, "reliability": 68, "schema": 68, "security": 38, "transparency": 70 }, "provenanceScore": 27 }, "connect": { "install": "curl -fLo koboldcpp-linux-x64 https://github.com/LostRuins/koboldcpp/releases/latest/download/koboldcpp-linux-x64 \u0026\u0026 chmod +x koboldcpp-linux-x64 \u0026\u0026 ./koboldcpp-linux-x64\n./koboldcpp-linux-x64 --model /path/to/model.gguf # listens on port 5001", "http": "curl --request POST \\\n --url http://localhost:5001/api/v1/generate \\\n --header \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n --data '{\"prompt\": \"Niko the kobold stalked carefully down the alley,\", \"max_context_length\": 2048, \"max_length\": 100}'" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/inference.local", "tool": "https://letme.dev/koboldcpp" }, "area": "models", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "", "domain": "koboldcpp.net", "domainRegistered": "2026-03-18", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/LostRuins/koboldcpp/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "No legal entity is named in the repository, the wiki or koboldcpp.net. The maintainer publishes as LostRuins on GitHub and Concedo on Discord, and the Windows binary's version resource gives KoboldAI as the company name.", "The project publishes no terms of service and no privacy policy, so both fields are empty. The licence is AGPL-3.0 and the only privacy statement is an FAQ entry in the wiki.", "The README calls koboldcpp.net the official community website. RDAP gives its registration date as 2026-03-18 and Cloudflare, Inc. as registrar. The README warns that koboldcpp.com is a fake site.", "koboldcpp.net/.well-known/security.txt and koboldai.org/.well-known/security.txt return 404. koboldcpp.net/llms.txt returns a short index that links llms-small.txt and llms-full.txt.", "There's no shared hosted endpoint. The server runs on the owner's machine. The online API reference is on lite.koboldai.net." ], "score": 27 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/koboldcpp.json" }, "answer": "Lemonade scores 63.8 (B) on agent readiness against KoboldCpp's 60.5 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. KoboldCpp leads on maintenance \u0026 community.", "b": { "slug": "lemonade", "name": "Lemonade", "vendor": "AMD and the Lemonade community", "vendorUrl": "https://lemonade-server.ai", "kind": "http-api", "category": "local-ai", "summary": "Open-source local AI server from AMD and community contributors. It runs text, speech and image models on the owner's CPU, GPU or NPU behind OpenAI-, Anthropic- and Ollama-compatible APIs and an MCP endpoint on port 13305.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lemonade", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lemonade.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lemonade.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lemonade.json", "repo": "https://github.com/lemonade-sdk/lemonade", "license": "Apache 2.0. Each backend (llama.cpp, whisper.cpp, stable-diffusion.cpp, FastFlowLM and others) is downloaded separately under its own licence", "transports": [ "http" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "oci", "name": "ghcr.io/lemonade-sdk/lemonade-server" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "Off by default. With no key set, every endpoint answers without authentication, on a default bind of localhost. `LEMONADE_API_KEY` sets one bearer key for the regular API (`/api/*`, `/v0/*`, `/v1/*`, `/mcp` and `/metrics`). `LEMONADE_ADMIN_API_KEY` sets a second key for the internal control endpoints (`/internal/*`), and without it the regular key reaches those too. Both are environment variables, so there are no per-user keys. The docs tell WebSocket clients to pass `?api_key=KEY` in the URL.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free and Apache 2.0 with nothing to buy and no account. You run it on your own hardware. Cloud Offload, which is optional and experimental, bills through the owner's own keys at whichever cloud provider they add.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the source (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 6, "popularity": { "githubStars": 5800, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://lemonade-server.ai/docs/", "capabilities": [ "inference.local", "inference.open-weights", "embed.text", "rerank", "speech.stt", "speech.tts", "image.generate" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "local", "self-hosted", "free", "no-card", "openai-compatible", "mcp", "streaming", "open-weights", "amd", "npu", "docker" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-07", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 63.8, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 336, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 842, "categoryRank": 2, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 70, "maintenance": 76, "payments": 60, "reliability": 75, "schema": 70, "security": 36, "transparency": 64 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Apache 2.0, with weekly releases, installers for Windows, macOS and five Linux routes, and a six-tool MCP endpoint whose descriptions steer a caller away from accidental multi-gigabyte downloads. Authentication is off by default, the repository has no security policy, and the docs tell WebSocket clients to pass the key in the URL.", "bestFor": "An owner with AMD hardware (Ryzen AI NPUs, Radeon or Strix Halo) who wants one local server for chat, speech and images that existing OpenAI, Anthropic or Ollama clients can call, and for MCP clients that want local models as tools.", "strengths": [ "Apache 2.0, with OpenAI, Anthropic Messages, Ollama and llama.cpp-compatible routes on one port (13305)", "`POST /mcp` exposes six tools over Streamable HTTP, and omitting `model` reuses a loaded or downloaded model before any download", "Every running server returns its own Markdown API reference at `GET /v1/docs` and through the `lemonade_docs` tool, so it matches the installed version", "Stable release v2026.41.1 on 7 October 2026 on a weekly cadence, each with a Breaking Changes section in its notes", "Telemetry is off by default and exports OTLP traces only to an endpoint the operator sets, with switches to redact prompts and outputs" ], "weaknesses": [ "No authentication by default. With no key set, every route answers, including `/internal/*` shutdown and configuration", "GitHub reports no `SECURITY.md`, and we found no security.txt, advisory or disclosure address", "The docs tell WebSocket clients to send the key as `?api_key=KEY` in the URL", "No OpenAPI file in the repository, and no `readOnlyHint` or `destructiveHint` on the MCP tools", "The main build and test workflow's badge read failing on main on 8 October 2026, with 411 issues open" ], "agentNotes": [ "Call `lemonade_list_models` (or `GET /v1/models`) before naming a model. A wrong name with `allow_download: true` can start a multi-gigabyte download", "Send `Authorization: Bearer \u003ckey\u003e` when the operator has set `LEMONADE_API_KEY`. `/internal/*` needs the admin key when one is set", "Use `POST /v1/chat/completions` for streamed tokens, embeddings and speech. The MCP endpoint ignores `stream` and has no embeddings or text-to-speech tool", "Pass `output_dir` to `lemonade_generate_image` and `lemonade_omni` to get file paths in place of inline base64. Writes stay inside the MCP media sandbox", "Read `GET /v1/docs` on the running server for the reference that matches its version. Weekly releases change behaviour" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 63.8 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 70, "maintenance": 76, "payments": 60, "reliability": 75, "schema": 70, "security": 36, "transparency": 70 }, "provenanceScore": 57 }, "connect": { "install": "winget install --id AMD.LemonadeServer -e", "http": "curl http://localhost:13305/api/v1/chat/completions -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" -d '{\"model\": \"your-model-name\", \"messages\": [{\"role\": \"user\", \"content\": \"Hello\"}]}'", "claudeCode": "lemonade launch claude" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/inference.local", "tool": "https://letme.dev/lemonade" }, "area": "models", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.", "domain": "lemonade-server.ai", "domainRegistered": "2025-05-12", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/lemonade-sdk/lemonade/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The website footer reads \"© 2026 AMD. Licensed under Apache 2.0\", and `contrib/debian/copyright` in the repository names Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. The code lives in the lemonade-sdk organisation on GitHub, and the README calls it a community project with optimisations by AMD engineers.", "We found no terms of service and no privacy policy for the software or the website. The home page and its footer link to neither, so both fields are empty.", "lemonade-server.ai/.well-known/security.txt, /security.txt and /llms.txt return 404.", "RDAP gives a registration date of 2025-05-12 for lemonade-server.ai, with Porkbun LLC as registrar and the registrant behind a privacy service.", "There's no hosted endpoint. Each instance answers on the owner's own machine, by default localhost port 13305." ], "score": 57 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lemonade.json" }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "LostRuins (Concedo)", "b": "AMD and the Lemonade community", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "None", "b": "API key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "AGPL-3.0 for KoboldCpp and KoboldAI Lite. The bundled GGML, llama.cpp and stable-diffusion.cpp code stays under MIT", "b": "Apache 2.0. Each backend (llama.cpp, whisper.cpp, stable-diffusion.cpp, FastFlowLM and others) is downloaded separately under its own licence", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "none", "b": "6", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-27", "b": "2026-10-07", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "12k stars", "b": "5.8k stars", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Lemonade scores 63.8 (B) on agent readiness against KoboldCpp's 60.5 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. KoboldCpp leads on maintenance \u0026 community.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, KoboldCpp or Lemonade?" }, { "answer": "KoboldCpp needs no key. Lemonade needs an API key.", "question": "Do KoboldCpp and Lemonade need an API key?" }, { "answer": "No hosted endpoint is listed for KoboldCpp. No hosted endpoint is listed for Lemonade.", "question": "Can an agent call KoboldCpp and Lemonade without installing anything?" }, { "answer": "Yes. KoboldCpp is open source (AGPL-3.0 for KoboldCpp and KoboldAI Lite. The bundled GGML, llama.cpp and stable-diffusion.cpp code stays under MIT). Lemonade is open source (Apache 2.0. Each backend (llama.cpp, whisper.cpp, stable-diffusion.cpp, FastFlowLM and others) is downloaded separately under its own licence).", "question": "Are KoboldCpp and Lemonade open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Maintenance \u0026 community, 82 against 76" ], "also": [ "No key needed to call it" ], "goodFor": "An owner who wants text, image, speech and music models behind one executable with a writing and roleplay interface, and clients that speak the KoboldAI, OpenAI, Ollama or Anthropic formats.", "slug": "koboldcpp", "watchFor": "With no `--host` the server accepts connections on all routable interfaces, and no password is set by default" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 75 against 68", "Agent ergonomics, 70 against 63", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 64 against 49" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "An owner with AMD hardware (Ryzen AI NPUs, Radeon or Strix Halo) who wants one local server for chat, speech and images that existing OpenAI, Anthropic or Ollama clients can call, and for MCP clients that want local models as tools.", "slug": "lemonade", "watchFor": "No authentication by default. With no key set, every route answers, including `/internal/*` shutdown and configuration" } ], "job": { "capability": "inference.local", "name": "Local inference" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-koboldcpp.json", "title": "AnythingLLM vs KoboldCpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-koboldcpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-lemonade.json", "title": "AnythingLLM vs Lemonade", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-lemonade" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-koboldcpp.json", "title": "Docker Model Runner vs KoboldCpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-koboldcpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-lemonade.json", "title": "Docker Model Runner vs Lemonade", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-lemonade" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-koboldcpp.json", "title": "Foundry Local vs KoboldCpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-koboldcpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-lemonade.json", "title": "Foundry Local vs Lemonade", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-lemonade" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-koboldcpp.json", "title": "Core vs KoboldCpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-koboldcpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-lemonade.json", "title": "Core vs Lemonade", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-lemonade" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-koboldcpp.json", "title": "GPT4All vs KoboldCpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-koboldcpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-lemonade.json", "title": "GPT4All vs Lemonade", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-lemonade" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-koboldcpp.json", "title": "Jan vs KoboldCpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-koboldcpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-lemonade.json", "title": "Jan vs Lemonade", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-lemonade" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-koboldcpp.json", "title": "Khoj vs KoboldCpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-koboldcpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-lemonade.json", "title": "Khoj vs Lemonade", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-lemonade" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-llama-cpp.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs llama.cpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-llama-cpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs LM Studio", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-localai.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs LocalAI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-localai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-mlx-lm.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs MLX LM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-mlx-lm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-ollama.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-open-webui.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs Open WebUI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-open-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-screenpipe.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs screenpipe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-screenpipe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-llama-cpp.json", "title": "Lemonade vs llama.cpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-llama-cpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-lm-studio.json", "title": "Lemonade vs LM Studio", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-lm-studio" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-localai.json", "title": "Lemonade vs LocalAI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-localai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-mlx-lm.json", "title": "Lemonade vs MLX LM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-mlx-lm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-ollama.json", "title": "Lemonade vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-open-webui.json", "title": "Lemonade vs Open WebUI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-open-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-screenpipe.json", "title": "Lemonade vs screenpipe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-screenpipe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "Lemonade vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-underdog.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-underdog" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-underdog.json", "title": "Lemonade vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-underdog" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 7, "edge": "lemonade", "key": "reliability", "koboldcpp": 68, "lemonade": 75, "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 2, "edge": "lemonade", "key": "schema", "koboldcpp": 68, "lemonade": 70, "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 7, "edge": "lemonade", "key": "ergonomics", "koboldcpp": 63, "lemonade": 70, "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 2, "edge": "koboldcpp", "key": "security", "koboldcpp": 38, "lemonade": 36, "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "koboldcpp": 60, "lemonade": 60, "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 6, "edge": "koboldcpp", "key": "maintenance", "koboldcpp": 82, "lemonade": 76, "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "by": 15, "edge": "lemonade", "key": "transparency", "koboldcpp": 49, "lemonade": 64, "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Lemonade scores 63.8 (B) on agent readiness against KoboldCpp's 60.5 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. KoboldCpp leads on maintenance \u0026 community. Both do local inference.", "verdicts": { "koboldcpp": "One file runs text, image, speech and music models behind a published OpenAPI 3.0.3 document, with eight releases in 90 days. The server listens on every interface with no password by default, and `--password` leaves the image routes open.", "lemonade": "Apache 2.0, with weekly releases, installers for Windows, macOS and five Linux routes, and a six-tool MCP endpoint whose descriptions steer a caller away from accidental multi-gigabyte downloads. Authentication is off by default, the repository has no security policy, and the docs tell WebSocket clients to pass the key in the URL." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lemonade", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lemonade.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lemonade.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lemonade.min.md" }, "markdown": "Lemonade scores 63.8 (B) on agent readiness against KoboldCpp's 60.5 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. KoboldCpp leads on maintenance \u0026 community. Both do local inference.\n\n- KoboldCpp: grade C, 60.5/100, rank #462 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/koboldcpp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/koboldcpp.json\n- Lemonade: grade B, 63.8/100, rank #336 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lemonade.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lemonade.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### KoboldCpp (C)\n\nGood for: An owner who wants text, image, speech and music models behind one executable with a writing and roleplay interface, and clients that speak the KoboldAI, OpenAI, Ollama or Anthropic formats.\n\nAhead on:\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 82 against 76\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No key needed to call it\n\nWatch for: With no `--host` the server accepts connections on all routable interfaces, and no password is set by default\n\n### Lemonade (B)\n\nGood for: An owner with AMD hardware (Ryzen AI NPUs, Radeon or Strix Halo) who wants one local server for chat, speech and images that existing OpenAI, Anthropic or Ollama clients can call, and for MCP clients that want local models as tools.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 75 against 68\n- Agent ergonomics, 70 against 63\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 64 against 49\n\nWatch for: No authentication by default. With no key set, every route answers, including `/internal/*` shutdown and configuration\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | KoboldCpp | Lemonade | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 68 | 75 | Lemonade +7 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 68 | 70 | Lemonade +2 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 63 | 70 | Lemonade +7 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 38 | 36 | KoboldCpp +2 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 82 | 76 | KoboldCpp +6 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 49 | 64 | Lemonade +15 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **60.5 · C** | **63.8 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | KoboldCpp | Lemonade |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | LostRuins (Concedo) | AMD and the Lemonade community |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | None | API key |\n| Pricing | Free | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | AGPL-3.0 for KoboldCpp and KoboldAI Lite. The bundled GGML, llama.cpp and stable-diffusion.cpp code stays under MIT | Apache 2.0. Each backend (llama.cpp, whisper.cpp, stable-diffusion.cpp, FastFlowLM and others) is downloaded separately under its own licence |\n| Tools exposed | none | 6 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | no |\n| Last release | 2026-09-27 | 2026-10-07 |\n| Terms last updated | no document linked | no document linked |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | no document linked |\n| Customer content may train models | | |\n| Terms restrict automated access | | |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | | |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | | |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | | |\n| Popularity | 12k stars | 5.8k stars |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**KoboldCpp.** One file runs text, image, speech and music models behind a published OpenAPI 3.0.3 document, with eight releases in 90 days. The server listens on every interface with no password by default, and `--password` leaves the image routes open.\n\n**Lemonade.** Apache 2.0, with weekly releases, installers for Windows, macOS and five Linux routes, and a six-tool MCP endpoint whose descriptions steer a caller away from accidental multi-gigabyte downloads. Authentication is off by default, the repository has no security policy, and the docs tell WebSocket clients to pass the key in the URL.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### KoboldCpp\n\n1. Start with `--host 127.0.0.1` and `--password`. The default listens on every interface with no key\n2. Send the password as `Authorization: Bearer \u003cpassword\u003e`. It is not read from the query string\n3. Treat 503 as both busy and rate limited. The server never sends 429 or `Retry-After`, and the wait in seconds is in `detail.msg`\n4. Pass `max_length` or `max_tokens`. The default is 2,048 tokens unless `--defaultgenamt` changes it\n5. Send a `genkey` with each generation so `/api/extra/generate/check` and `/api/extra/abort` act on your request and not another caller's\n\n### Lemonade\n\n1. Call `lemonade_list_models` (or `GET /v1/models`) before naming a model. A wrong name with `allow_download: true` can start a multi-gigabyte download\n2. Send `Authorization: Bearer \u003ckey\u003e` when the operator has set `LEMONADE_API_KEY`. `/internal/*` needs the admin key when one is set\n3. Use `POST /v1/chat/completions` for streamed tokens, embeddings and speech. The MCP endpoint ignores `stream` and has no embeddings or text-to-speech tool\n4. Pass `output_dir` to `lemonade_generate_image` and `lemonade_omni` to get file paths in place of inline base64. Writes stay inside the MCP media sandbox\n5. Read `GET /v1/docs` on the running server for the reference that matches its version. Weekly releases change behaviour\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, KoboldCpp or Lemonade?\n\nLemonade scores 63.8 (B) on agent readiness against KoboldCpp's 60.5 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. KoboldCpp leads on maintenance \u0026 community.\n\n### Do KoboldCpp and Lemonade need an API key?\n\nKoboldCpp needs no key. Lemonade needs an API key.\n\n### Can an agent call KoboldCpp and Lemonade without installing anything?\n\nNo hosted endpoint is listed for KoboldCpp. No hosted endpoint is listed for Lemonade.\n\n### Are KoboldCpp and Lemonade open source?\n\nYes. KoboldCpp is open source (AGPL-3.0 for KoboldCpp and KoboldAI Lite. The bundled GGML, llama.cpp and stable-diffusion.cpp code stays under MIT). Lemonade is open source (Apache 2.0. Each backend (llama.cpp, whisper.cpp, stable-diffusion.cpp, FastFlowLM and others) is downloaded separately under its own licence).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lemonade.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lemonade.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"koboldcpp\", \"b\": \"lemonade\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare koboldcpp lemonade`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/koboldcpp.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lemonade.json\n\n## Other comparisons with KoboldCpp or Lemonade\n\n- [AnythingLLM vs KoboldCpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-koboldcpp.md)\n- [AnythingLLM vs Lemonade](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-lemonade.md)\n- [Docker Model Runner vs KoboldCpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-koboldcpp.md)\n- [Docker Model Runner vs Lemonade](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-lemonade.md)\n- [Foundry Local vs KoboldCpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-koboldcpp.md)\n- [Foundry Local vs Lemonade](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-lemonade.md)\n- [Core vs KoboldCpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-koboldcpp.md)\n- [Core vs Lemonade](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-lemonade.md)\n- [GPT4All vs KoboldCpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-koboldcpp.md)\n- [GPT4All vs Lemonade](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-lemonade.md)\n- [Jan vs KoboldCpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-koboldcpp.md)\n- [Jan vs Lemonade](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-lemonade.md)\n- [Khoj vs KoboldCpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-koboldcpp.md)\n- [Khoj vs Lemonade](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-lemonade.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs llama.cpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-llama-cpp.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs LocalAI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-localai.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs MLX LM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-mlx-lm.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-ollama.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs Open WebUI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-open-webui.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs screenpipe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-screenpipe.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Lemonade vs llama.cpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-llama-cpp.md)\n- [Lemonade vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [Lemonade vs LocalAI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-localai.md)\n- [Lemonade vs MLX LM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-mlx-lm.md)\n- [Lemonade vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-ollama.md)\n- [Lemonade vs Open WebUI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-open-webui.md)\n- [Lemonade vs screenpipe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-screenpipe.md)\n- [Lemonade vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-underdog.md)\n- [Lemonade vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-underdog.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-09", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "KoboldCpp vs Lemonade", "url": "" } ], "description": "Lemonade scores 63.8 (B) on agent readiness against KoboldCpp's 60.5 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. KoboldCpp leads on maintenance \u0026 community. Both do local inference. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "KoboldCpp C 60.5", "Lemonade B 63.8", "scores" ], "h1": "KoboldCpp vs Lemonade", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-koboldcpp-vs-lemonade.png", "path": "/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lemonade", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "KoboldCpp vs Lemonade for AI agents, C 60.5 vs B 63.8", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-09", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-lemonade" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2650, "slim": 630 }, "version": 1 }