# Llama Guard 4 vs OpenAI Moderation API (slim)

> OpenAI Moderation API scores 71.3 (BB) on agent readiness against Llama Guard 4's 49.1 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Llama Guard 4 leads on payments & pricing. Both do guard moderation. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-guard-vs-openai-moderation.md (~2,350 tokens) · this version ~730 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-guard-vs-openai-moderation.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-guard-vs-openai-moderation
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · Updated: 2026-10-09

OpenAI Moderation API scores 71.3 (BB) on agent readiness against Llama Guard 4's 49.1 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Llama Guard 4 leads on payments & pricing. Both do guard moderation.

- Llama Guard 4: D 49.1, rank #614 of 722 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/llama-guard.min.md
- OpenAI Moderation API: BB 71.3, rank #114 of 722 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-moderation.min.md
- Llama Guard 4, good for A team outside the EU with a GPU that wants content moderation of text and images on its own hardware, against a fixed 14-category policy it can edit in the prompt. Ahead on Payments & pricing, 45 against 30. Also No key needed to call it.
- OpenAI Moderation API, good for A free harm-category filter for an agent already on OpenAI. Ahead on Reliability, 65 against 38; Schema & documentation, 92 against 52; Agent ergonomics, 85 against 67; Security & auth, 92 against 53; Maintenance & community, 47 against 28; Transparency & trust, 87 against 55. Also Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better; A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install.

| Category | Llama Guard 4 | OpenAI Moderation API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability (16%) | 38 | 65 |
| Performance (10%) | pending | pending |
| Schema & documentation (13%) | 52 | 92 |
| Agent ergonomics (13%) | 67 | 85 |
| Security & auth (14%) | 53 | 92 |
| Payments & pricing (10%) | 45 | 30 |
| Task success (10%) | pending | pending |
| Maintenance & community (7%) | 28 | 47 |
| Transparency & trust (7%) | 55 | 87 |

| Fact (where they differ) | Llama Guard 4 | OpenAI Moderation API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Model API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Meta | OpenAI |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://api.openai.com/v1/moderations` |
| Auth | None | API key |
| Licence | Llama 4 Community Licence (source-available weights, not an OSI licence), with the Llama 4 acceptable use policy | none |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2025-04-29 | 2026-06-04 |
| Terms last updated | 2025-04-05 | couldn't be read |
| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | couldn't be read |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | couldn't be read |
| Popularity | 4.4k stars | 31k stars |
| Agent reviews | none | 4/5 (2) |