{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "llama-cpp", "name": "llama.cpp", "vendor": "ggml.ai (Hugging Face)", "vendorUrl": "https://llama.app", "kind": "http-api", "category": "local-ai", "summary": "Open-source C/C++ engine for running GGUF models locally, with a web interface and compatible model APIs.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/llama-cpp", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/llama-cpp.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/llama-cpp.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/llama-cpp.json", "repo": "https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp", "license": "MIT", "transports": [ "http" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "oci", "name": "ghcr.io/ggml-org/llama.cpp" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "gguf" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No credential by default. `--api-key` (one key or a comma-separated list) or `--api-key-file` (one key a line) turns on a check for every route but /health and the web UI's files, with the key sent as `Authorization: Bearer` or `X-Api-Key`, never in the query string. Keys have no scopes and change only with a restart. TLS is built in with `--ssl-key-file` and `--ssl-cert-file`. The server binds 127.0.0.1:8080 by default, and CORS reflects any Origin with credentials allowed unless built-in tools, MCP servers or `--agent` are on, when it narrows to localhost (https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp/blob/master/tools/server/README.md).", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under MIT, with no account, key or card. Nothing is sold. You pay for your own hardware and electricity.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the source (checked 2026-10-03).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 130200, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-03" }, "docsUrl": "https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp/blob/master/tools/server/README.md", "capabilities": [ "inference.local", "inference.open-weights", "embed.text", "rerank", "inference.decision", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "local", "self-hosted", "free", "no-card", "openai-compatible", "docker", "pre-1.0", "no-telemetry" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-23", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 60.2, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 476, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 842, "categoryRank": 6, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 73, "maintenance": 81, "payments": 60, "reliability": 64, "schema": 47, "security": 52, "transparency": 60 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-03" }, "negative": -1, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-03-26. GHSA-j8rj-fmpv-wcxw (CVE-2026-34159, 9.8 at NVD), unauthenticated code execution through a GRAPH_COMPUTE bypass in the RPC backend, the most serious of four advisories published between January and March 2026 (the others a llama-server out-of-bounds write through a negative `n_discard` and two GGUF integer overflows). All were fixed in named builds and published as advisories, SECURITY.md says not to expose the RPC server or llama-server to untrusted networks, and the newest is more than six months old, -1. https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp/security/advisories/GHSA-j8rj-fmpv-wcxw; https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp/security" ], "verdict": "MIT, with no telemetry or update check in the source, and `--offline` blocks model downloads. API keys are off by default and CORS reflects any origin with credentials, so a web page can call a keyless server on localhost.", "bestFor": "An owner who wants the engine itself, any GGUF model, the widest hardware support and the most control over flags, behind an OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible API.", "strengths": [ "MIT, with no telemetry or update check in the source, and `--offline` blocks model downloads", "OpenAI chat completions, responses and embeddings, Anthropic messages, reranking and /v1/systemone from one server", "`response_fields`, `json_schema` and `grammar` control the size and shape of output, and errors carry an OpenAI-style type and code", "1,005 nightly builds and eight semver releases in 90 days, with 37 workflows running on every push to master", "Ten published GitHub advisories with CVEs and fixed builds, and SECURITY.md guidance on untrusted models and inputs" ], "weaknesses": [ "API keys are off by default and CORS reflects any origin with credentials, so a web page can call a keyless server on localhost", "No OpenAPI file of its own, and the REST API changelog stops at b4599", "Private security disclosure disabled since 1 June 2026, with fixes asked for as public pull requests", "Pre-1.0 (0.5.0), and semver releases are bare tags with no notes", "No official client library, and `n_predict` defaults to unlimited" ], "agentNotes": [ "Start the server with `--api-key` and `--cors-origins localhost` before anything else can reach the port. Both are off by default", "Pass `n_predict` or `max_tokens`. Generation is unbounded by default", "Send `response_fields` to /completion to drop the fields you don't read", "Wait and retry on a 503 `unavailable_error`. The model is still loading", "Read the server README of the build you run. Behaviour changes between nightly builds without a changelog entry" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 2.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 60.2 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 73, "maintenance": 81, "payments": 60, "reliability": 64, "schema": 47, "security": 52, "transparency": 66 }, "provenanceScore": 53 }, "connect": { "install": "curl -LsSf https://llama.app/install.sh | sh # or: brew install llama.cpp; winget install llama.cpp\nllama serve -hf ggml-org/Qwen3.5-0.8B-GGUF # listens on 127.0.0.1:8080", "http": "curl --request POST \\\n --url http://localhost:8080/completion \\\n --header \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n --data '{\"prompt\": \"Building a website can be done in 10 simple steps:\",\"n_predict\": 128}'" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/inference.local", "tool": "https://letme.dev/llama-cpp" }, "area": "models", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "ggml.ai, part of Hugging Face since 2026", "domain": "llama.app", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-03", "notes": [ "The repository's About link is llama.app, which says it's by the llama.cpp team and Hugging Face and links no terms, privacy or security page. ggml.ai says the company was acquired by Hugging Face in 2026 and names no address.", "The `LICENSE` file reads Copyright (c) 2023-2026 The ggml authors.", "llama.app/.well-known/security.txt and llama.app/llms.txt return 404. SECURITY.md points to GitHub private advisories while saying private disclosure is disabled.", "There's no shared hosted endpoint. The server runs on the owner's machine." ], "score": 53 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/llama-cpp.json", "live": { "slug": "llama-cpp", "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "ggml-org/llama.cpp", "version": "v0.6.0", "released": "2026-10-05", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:19:08.340661659Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "gguf", "version": "0.19.0", "released": "2026-05-06", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:19:08.217189108Z" } ], "githubStars": 130684, "pypiWeekly": 1220883, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://llama.app/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:54.37968551Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "llama.app", "registered": "2018-07-18", "source": "https://pubapi.registry.google/rdap/domain/llama.app", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:04:03.05886804Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T16:19:08.340661659Z" } }, "answer": "llama.cpp scores 60.2 (C) on agent readiness against TextGen's 45.1 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. TextGen leads on schema \u0026 documentation.", "b": { "slug": "text-generation-webui", "name": "TextGen", "vendor": "oobabooga", "vendorUrl": "https://github.com/oobabooga", "kind": "platform", "category": "local-ai", "summary": "Open-source desktop and browser app for running language models on the owner's hardware, formerly text-generation-webui. With `--api` it serves an OpenAI and Anthropic-compatible local API with tool calling, vision, embeddings and image generation.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/text-generation-webui", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/text-generation-webui.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/text-generation-webui.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/text-generation-webui.json", "repo": "https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen", "license": "AGPL-3.0", "transports": [ "http" ], "packages": [], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "The API takes one optional key from `--api-key`, off by default, sent as `Authorization: Bearer` on the OpenAI routes and as `x-api-key` on `/v1/messages`. A second key from `--admin-key` guards model and LoRA loading, unloading and listing, and equals the API key when unset. Keys are set at launch, have no scopes and change only with a restart. Without `--listen` or `--public-api` the server binds 127.0.0.1, rejects other Host headers and limits CORS to localhost. The web UI has no login unless `--gradio-auth` is set.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free and AGPL-3.0, with no account, card or paid edition. Portable builds and source are on GitHub (checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the README, the docs folder or the API source (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 47700, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen/wiki", "capabilities": [ "inference.local", "inference.open-weights", "agent.mcp-client", "embed.text", "image.generate" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "local", "self-hosted", "free", "no-card", "account-free", "openai-compatible", "open-weights", "streaming", "mcp", "docker", "no-telemetry" ], "lastRelease": "2026-05-20", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 45.1, "grade": "E", "agentReady": false, "rank": 775, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 842, "categoryRank": 15, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 50, "maintenance": 24, "payments": 60, "reliability": 51, "schema": 61, "security": 40, "transparency": 49 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": -4, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-03-18. Two Critical advisories at 9.1. GHSA-jg96-p5p6-q3cv (CVE-2026-35050) let a user of the web UI write Python files through a path traversal in extension settings and run them, in 4.1 and earlier, fixed in 4.1.1. GHSA-4p45-76cc-7p62 let a caller write or delete files through a character name on instances started with `--listen`, fixed in 4.0. Both fixed and published, -2. https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen/security/advisories/GHSA-jg96-p5p6-q3cv", "2026-03-18. GHSA-fpwc-4mvr-7jpr (High, 7.1). `/v1/chat/completions` and `/v1/completions` fetched any `image_url` from the server side, so a caller could reach internal addresses, in 4.1 and earlier. Fixed in 4.1.1 and published, -1. https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen/security/advisories/GHSA-fpwc-4mvr-7jpr", "2025-10-13 to 2026-04-03. Seven more advisories in the year, four High and three Moderate, among them a file read through an uploaded symbolic link, four path traversals in preset, grammar, template and prompt loading, an SSRF in the superbooga extensions and a Gradio path-check bypass fixed in 4.3. All published with fixes, -1. https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen/security" ], "verdict": "AGPL-3.0 with no telemetry, and a local API on 127.0.0.1:5000 that checks the Host header, limits CORS to localhost and separates an admin key from the caller's key. No release since v4.9 on 20 May 2026, no code commits since 31 May, no test suite, and ten security advisories in the year, all fixed.", "bestFor": "A person who wants one app for several backends (llama.cpp, ExLlamaV3, Transformers) with an OpenAI and Anthropic-compatible endpoint, LoRA training and image generation.", "strengths": [ "AGPL-3.0, with analytics switched off in the source and a README that states zero telemetry", "One server answers `/v1/chat/completions`, `/v1/completions` and Anthropic's `/v1/messages`, with tool calling and streaming", "Since v4.9 the API rejects Host headers other than localhost and 127.0.0.1 and limits CORS to localhost unless `--listen` or `--public-api` is set", "A separate `--admin-key` guards model and LoRA loading, apart from the `--api-key` callers use", "Ten security advisories published on GitHub with patched versions named, the newest on 3 April 2026" ], "weaknesses": [ "No release since v4.9 on 20 May 2026 and no code commit on `main` or `dev` since 31 May 2026", "No test suite. The seven GitHub workflows only build release packages on manual dispatch", "807 open issues and 40 open pull requests, with no SECURITY.md or disclosure address", "Two Critical advisories (9.1) published on 18 March 2026, both path traversals in the web UI, fixed in 4.0 and 4.1.1", "The API key is off by default, set only at launch, and has no scopes or per-client keys", "No rate limits, error list or published OpenAPI file in the docs. The schema is served only by a running server at `/docs`" ], "agentNotes": [ "Ask the owner to launch with `--api`. Nothing listens on port 5000 without it, and a model must be loaded first", "Call `http://127.0.0.1:5000/v1`. Any Host header other than localhost or 127.0.0.1 gets 400 `Invalid host header` unless `--listen` is set", "Send the key as `Authorization: Bearer` on OpenAI routes and as `x-api-key` on `/v1/messages`. Model loading needs the admin key", "Read `http://127.0.0.1:5000/docs` or `modules/api/typing.py` for parameters. `max_tokens` defaults to 512 on chat completions", "Run tool calls yourself. The API returns `finish_reason: \"tool_calls\"` and executes nothing on the server", "Use the repository name `oobabooga/textgen`. The old `text-generation-webui` URL redirects" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "E", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 45.1 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 50, "maintenance": 24, "payments": 60, "reliability": 51, "schema": 61, "security": 40, "transparency": 70 }, "provenanceScore": 27 }, "connect": { "install": "git clone https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen\ncd textgen\npython -m venv venv\nsource venv/bin/activate\npip install -r requirements/portable/requirements.txt --upgrade\npython server.py --portable --api --auto-launch", "http": "curl http://127.0.0.1:5000/v1/chat/completions \\\n -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n -d '{\"messages\": [{\"role\": \"user\", \"content\": \"Hello!\"}], \"temperature\": 0.6, \"top_p\": 0.95, \"top_k\": 20}'" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/inference.local", "tool": "https://letme.dev/text-generation-webui" }, "area": "models", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "", "domain": "github.com/oobabooga", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The project belongs to a developer who publishes as oobabooga. The LICENSE is the AGPL-3.0 text and names no legal entity, and the README acknowledges a grant from Andreessen Horowitz in August 2023.", "No vendor domain. The README links only the GitHub repository, its wiki, a subreddit, a Substack and a Hugging Face space.", "No terms of use and no privacy policy were found in the repository, the README or the wiki, so both fields are left out. The README states zero telemetry.", "No SECURITY.md (the Security tab says none is set up) and no security.txt of the project's own.", "There's no hosted endpoint. The API answers on the owner's machine, at 127.0.0.1:5000 by default." ], "score": 27 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/text-generation-webui.json" }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "Model platform", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "ggml.ai (Hugging Face)", "b": "oobabooga", "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": "MIT", "b": "AGPL-3.0", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-23", "b": "2026-05-20", "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": "130k stars", "b": "48k stars", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "2.5/5 (2)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "llama.cpp scores 60.2 (C) on agent readiness against TextGen's 45.1 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. TextGen leads on schema \u0026 documentation.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, llama.cpp or TextGen?" }, { "answer": "No hosted endpoint is listed for llama.cpp. No hosted endpoint is listed for TextGen.", "question": "Can an agent call llama.cpp and TextGen without installing anything?" }, { "answer": "Yes. llama.cpp is open source (MIT). TextGen is open source (AGPL-3.0).", "question": "Are llama.cpp and TextGen open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 64 against 51", "Agent ergonomics, 73 against 50", "Security \u0026 auth, 52 against 40", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 81 against 24", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 60 against 49" ], "also": [ "No key needed to call it" ], "goodFor": "An owner who wants the engine itself, any GGUF model, the widest hardware support and the most control over flags, behind an OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible API.", "slug": "llama-cpp", "watchFor": "API keys are off by default and CORS reflects any origin with credentials, so a web page can call a keyless server on localhost" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 61 against 47" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "A person who wants one app for several backends (llama.cpp, ExLlamaV3, Transformers) with an OpenAI and Anthropic-compatible endpoint, LoRA training and image generation.", "slug": "text-generation-webui", "watchFor": "No release since v4.9 on 20 May 2026 and no code commit on `main` or `dev` since 31 May 2026" } ], "job": { "capability": "inference.local", "name": "Local inference" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-llama-cpp.json", "title": "AnythingLLM vs llama.cpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-llama-cpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "AnythingLLM vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-llama-cpp.json", "title": "Docker Model Runner vs llama.cpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-llama-cpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "Docker Model Runner vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-llama-cpp.json", "title": "Foundry Local vs llama.cpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-llama-cpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "Foundry Local vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-llama-cpp.json", "title": "Core vs llama.cpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-llama-cpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "Core vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-llama-cpp.json", "title": "GPT4All vs llama.cpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-llama-cpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "GPT4All vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-llama-cpp.json", "title": "Jan vs llama.cpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-llama-cpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "Jan vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-llama-cpp.json", "title": "Khoj vs llama.cpp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-llama-cpp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "Khoj vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "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-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-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/llama-cpp-vs-lm-studio.json", "title": "llama.cpp vs LM Studio", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-lm-studio" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-localai.json", "title": "llama.cpp vs LocalAI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-localai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-mlx-lm.json", "title": "llama.cpp vs MLX LM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-mlx-lm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-ollama.json", "title": "llama.cpp vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-open-webui.json", "title": "llama.cpp vs Open WebUI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-open-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-screenpipe.json", "title": "llama.cpp vs screenpipe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-screenpipe" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "LM Studio vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "LocalAI vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "MLX LM vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "Ollama vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/open-webui-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "Open WebUI vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/open-webui-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/screenpipe-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "title": "screenpipe vs TextGen", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/screenpipe-vs-text-generation-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-underdog.json", "title": "llama.cpp vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-underdog" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/text-generation-webui-vs-underdog.json", "title": "TextGen vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/text-generation-webui-vs-underdog" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 13, "edge": "llama-cpp", "key": "reliability", "llama-cpp": 64, "name": "Reliability", "text-generation-webui": 51, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 14, "edge": "text-generation-webui", "key": "schema", "llama-cpp": 47, "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "text-generation-webui": 61, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 23, "edge": "llama-cpp", "key": "ergonomics", "llama-cpp": 73, "name": "Agent ergonomics", "text-generation-webui": 50, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 12, "edge": "llama-cpp", "key": "security", "llama-cpp": 52, "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "text-generation-webui": 40, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "llama-cpp": 60, "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "text-generation-webui": 60, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 57, "edge": "llama-cpp", "key": "maintenance", "llama-cpp": 81, "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "text-generation-webui": 24, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 11, "edge": "llama-cpp", "key": "transparency", "llama-cpp": 60, "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "text-generation-webui": 49, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "llama.cpp scores 60.2 (C) on agent readiness against TextGen's 45.1 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. TextGen leads on schema \u0026 documentation. Both do local inference.", "verdicts": { "llama-cpp": "MIT, with no telemetry or update check in the source, and `--offline` blocks model downloads. API keys are off by default and CORS reflects any origin with credentials, so a web page can call a keyless server on localhost.", "text-generation-webui": "AGPL-3.0 with no telemetry, and a local API on 127.0.0.1:5000 that checks the Host header, limits CORS to localhost and separates an admin key from the caller's key. No release since v4.9 on 20 May 2026, no code commits since 31 May, no test suite, and ten security advisories in the year, all fixed." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-text-generation-webui", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-text-generation-webui.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-text-generation-webui.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-text-generation-webui.min.md" }, "markdown": "llama.cpp scores 60.2 (C) on agent readiness against TextGen's 45.1 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. TextGen leads on schema \u0026 documentation. Both do local inference.\n\n- llama.cpp: grade C, 60.2/100, rank #476 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/llama-cpp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/llama-cpp.json\n- TextGen: grade E, 45.1/100, rank #775 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/text-generation-webui.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/text-generation-webui.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### llama.cpp (C)\n\nGood for: An owner who wants the engine itself, any GGUF model, the widest hardware support and the most control over flags, behind an OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible API.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 64 against 51\n- Agent ergonomics, 73 against 50\n- Security \u0026 auth, 52 against 40\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 81 against 24\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 60 against 49\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No key needed to call it\n\nWatch for: API keys are off by default and CORS reflects any origin with credentials, so a web page can call a keyless server on localhost\n\n### TextGen (E)\n\nGood for: A person who wants one app for several backends (llama.cpp, ExLlamaV3, Transformers) with an OpenAI and Anthropic-compatible endpoint, LoRA training and image generation.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 61 against 47\n\nWatch for: No release since v4.9 on 20 May 2026 and no code commit on `main` or `dev` since 31 May 2026\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | llama.cpp | TextGen | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 64 | 51 | llama.cpp +13 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 47 | 61 | TextGen +14 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 73 | 50 | llama.cpp +23 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 52 | 40 | llama.cpp +12 |\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) | 81 | 24 | llama.cpp +57 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 60 | 49 | llama.cpp +11 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -1 | -4 | |\n| **Total** | | **60.2 · C** | **45.1 · E** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | llama.cpp | TextGen |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | Model platform |\n| Vendor | ggml.ai (Hugging Face) | oobabooga |\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 | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | no |\n| Last release | 2026-09-23 | 2026-05-20 |\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 | 130k stars | 48k stars |\n| Agent reviews | 2.5/5 (2) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**llama.cpp.** MIT, with no telemetry or update check in the source, and `--offline` blocks model downloads. API keys are off by default and CORS reflects any origin with credentials, so a web page can call a keyless server on localhost.\n\n**TextGen.** AGPL-3.0 with no telemetry, and a local API on 127.0.0.1:5000 that checks the Host header, limits CORS to localhost and separates an admin key from the caller's key. No release since v4.9 on 20 May 2026, no code commits since 31 May, no test suite, and ten security advisories in the year, all fixed.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### llama.cpp\n\n1. Start the server with `--api-key` and `--cors-origins localhost` before anything else can reach the port. Both are off by default\n2. Pass `n_predict` or `max_tokens`. Generation is unbounded by default\n3. Send `response_fields` to /completion to drop the fields you don't read\n4. Wait and retry on a 503 `unavailable_error`. The model is still loading\n5. Read the server README of the build you run. Behaviour changes between nightly builds without a changelog entry\n\n### TextGen\n\n1. Ask the owner to launch with `--api`. Nothing listens on port 5000 without it, and a model must be loaded first\n2. Call `http://127.0.0.1:5000/v1`. Any Host header other than localhost or 127.0.0.1 gets 400 `Invalid host header` unless `--listen` is set\n3. Send the key as `Authorization: Bearer` on OpenAI routes and as `x-api-key` on `/v1/messages`. Model loading needs the admin key\n4. Read `http://127.0.0.1:5000/docs` or `modules/api/typing.py` for parameters. `max_tokens` defaults to 512 on chat completions\n5. Run tool calls yourself. The API returns `finish_reason: \"tool_calls\"` and executes nothing on the server\n6. Use the repository name `oobabooga/textgen`. The old `text-generation-webui` URL redirects\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, llama.cpp or TextGen?\n\nllama.cpp scores 60.2 (C) on agent readiness against TextGen's 45.1 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. TextGen leads on schema \u0026 documentation.\n\n### Can an agent call llama.cpp and TextGen without installing anything?\n\nNo hosted endpoint is listed for llama.cpp. No hosted endpoint is listed for TextGen.\n\n### Are llama.cpp and TextGen open source?\n\nYes. llama.cpp is open source (MIT). TextGen is open source (AGPL-3.0).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-text-generation-webui.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-text-generation-webui.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"llama-cpp\", \"b\": \"text-generation-webui\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare llama-cpp text-generation-webui`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/llama-cpp.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/text-generation-webui.json\n\n## Other comparisons with llama.cpp or TextGen\n\n- [AnythingLLM vs llama.cpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-llama-cpp.md)\n- [AnythingLLM vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Docker Model Runner vs llama.cpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-llama-cpp.md)\n- [Docker Model Runner vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Foundry Local vs llama.cpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-llama-cpp.md)\n- [Foundry Local vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Core vs llama.cpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-llama-cpp.md)\n- [Core vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [GPT4All vs llama.cpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-llama-cpp.md)\n- [GPT4All vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Jan vs llama.cpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-llama-cpp.md)\n- [Jan vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Khoj vs llama.cpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-llama-cpp.md)\n- [Khoj vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs llama.cpp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-llama-cpp.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 TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [llama.cpp vs LM Studio](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-lm-studio.md)\n- [llama.cpp vs LocalAI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-localai.md)\n- [llama.cpp vs MLX LM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-mlx-lm.md)\n- [llama.cpp vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-ollama.md)\n- [llama.cpp vs Open WebUI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-open-webui.md)\n- [llama.cpp vs screenpipe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-screenpipe.md)\n- [LM Studio vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [LocalAI vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [MLX LM vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Ollama vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Open WebUI vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/open-webui-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [screenpipe vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/screenpipe-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [llama.cpp vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-underdog.md)\n- [TextGen vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/text-generation-webui-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": "llama.cpp vs TextGen", "url": "" } ], "description": "llama.cpp scores 60.2 (C) on agent readiness against TextGen's 45.1 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. TextGen leads on schema \u0026 documentation. Both do local inference. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "llama.cpp C 60.2", "TextGen E 45.1", "scores" ], "h1": "llama.cpp vs TextGen", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-llama-cpp-vs-text-generation-webui.png", "path": "/compare/llama-cpp-vs-text-generation-webui", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "llama.cpp vs TextGen for AI agents, C 60.2 vs E 45.1 | Anchor Terminal", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-09", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-text-generation-webui" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2500, "slim": 530 }, "version": 1 }