{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "ollama", "name": "Ollama", "vendor": "Ollama Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://ollama.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "local-ai", "summary": "Open-source model runner for macOS, Windows and Linux, with a local API and a library of downloadable models.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ollama", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ollama.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ollama.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/ollama.json", "repo": "https://github.com/ollama/ollama", "license": "MIT (server, CLI and desktop app). Ollama Cloud is a closed service under the ollama.com terms, and each model carries its own licence", "transports": [ "http" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "oci", "name": "docker.io/ollama/ollama" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "ollama" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "ollama" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "The local API at http://localhost:11434 takes no credential. It binds 127.0.0.1, answers a foreign Host header with 403 while bound to loopback, and allows cross-origin calls from 127.0.0.1 and 0.0.0.0 unless `OLLAMA_ORIGINS` adds more. Anything that reaches the port can generate, pull, push, create, copy and delete models. Cloud models through the local server need `ollama signin`, which signs requests with the install's own key. Direct calls to https://ollama.com/api and /v1 need a Bearer API key from ollama.com/settings/keys, which doesn't expire and has no scopes, and is revoked from the same page (https://github.com/ollama/ollama/blob/main/docs/api/authentication.mdx).", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "The server, CLI and desktop app are free under MIT with no account. Ollama Cloud has five plans on ollama.com/pricing. Free ($0, starter usage credits, starter models, 1 concurrent request), Pro ($20 a month or $200 a year, $60 of usage credits a month, 3 concurrent requests), Max ($100 a month, $300 of credits, 10 concurrent requests), Team ($500 a month, $1,000 of shared credits, unlimited users) and Enterprise (custom). Usage is priced per model by the token, and the page doesn't say whether the Free plan needs a card (checked 2026-10-03).", "priceSummary": "$20 / mo", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs, the pricing page or the source (checked 2026-10-03).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 181200, "npmWeekly": 871543, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-03" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.ollama.com", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.ollama.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ollama/ollama/main/docs/openapi.yaml", "capabilities": [ "inference.local", "inference.open-weights", "inference.llm", "embed.text", "inference.decision", "web.search", "web.fetch" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "local", "self-hosted", "hosted", "freemium", "no-card", "openai-compatible", "openapi", "llms-txt", "docker", "go", "python", "typescript", "pre-1.0", "no-auth" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-01", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 56.3, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 634, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 950, "categoryRank": 10, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 75, "maintenance": 81, "payments": 60, "reliability": 53, "schema": 79, "security": 28, "transparency": 59 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-03" }, "negative": -4, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-04-29. CERT Polska published CVE-2026-42248 and CVE-2026-42249 (9.8 each). The Windows app accepted downloaded updates without a signature check and took the file name from the server's response, and it installs updates silently, so whoever could answer the update request could run code on the machine. CERT Polska tested 0.12.10 to 0.17.5, and the Windows check stayed a stub returning success until v0.23.3 on 12 May 2026, whose notes list the fix only as `app: harden update flows`. CERT Polska says the maintainers didn't respond with details or the vulnerable range, and Ollama published no advisory. Fixed, but not disclosed by the vendor, -4. https://cert.pl/en/posts/2026/04/CVE-2026-42248/; https://github.com/ollama/ollama/releases/tag/v0.23.3" ], "verdict": "An OpenAPI 3.1 file for the 15 native operations and llms.txt with 68 links to Markdown pages. No credential on the local API, and any caller that reaches it can pull, push, create and delete models.", "bestFor": "A person or an agent that wants an open model behind a local API with one install, and for pointing Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode at local or cloud models.", "strengths": [ "An OpenAPI 3.1 file for the 15 native operations and llms.txt with 68 links to Markdown pages", "Native, OpenAI-compatible and Anthropic-compatible routes on one local port, with `ollama launch` for Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode", "28 releases in the 90 days to 3 October 2026, and official Python and JavaScript libraries released on 28 September", "Local prompts stay on the machine, and `OLLAMA_NO_CLOUD=1` turns off cloud models and web search", "Binds 127.0.0.1 by default and refuses foreign Host headers while bound to loopback" ], "weaknesses": [ "No credential on the local API, and any caller that reaches it can pull, push, create and delete models", "No GitHub security advisory, against 12 CVEs on NVD since October 2025", "The Windows updater installed unsigned files until v0.23.3 on 12 May 2026, fixed under a release note that didn't mention security", "The desktop app checks ollama.com every hour with a signed request, even with automatic updates off, and no documented way to stop it", "A default context of 4k tokens below 24 GiB of VRAM, where the docs say agents need 64,000" ], "agentNotes": [ "Send `\"stream\": false` for one JSON body. The native routes stream NDJSON by default", "Set `OLLAMA_CONTEXT_LENGTH=64000` or `options.num_ctx` before agent work. The default is 4k below 24 GiB of VRAM", "Back off on a 503. It means the queue (512 by default) is full", "Put an authenticating proxy in front before binding past 127.0.0.1. The server checks no credential", "Expect model names with a `cloud` tag to run on Ollama's servers. They need `ollama signin` and fail with `OLLAMA_NO_CLOUD=1`" ], "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": 56.3 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 75, "maintenance": 81, "payments": 60, "reliability": 53, "schema": 79, "security": 28, "transparency": 66 }, "provenanceScore": 52 }, "connect": { "install": "curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh # macOS and Linux; Windows: irm https://ollama.com/install.ps1 | iex\nollama pull gemma4:e2b", "http": "curl http://localhost:11434/api/chat \\\n -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n -d '{\n \"model\": \"gemma4:e2b\",\n \"messages\": [{\"role\": \"user\", \"content\": \"Say hello in one sentence.\"}],\n \"stream\": false\n }'", "claudeCode": "ollama launch claude # or: ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=ollama ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=\"\" ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=http://localhost:11434 claude --model qwen3.5" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/inference.local", "tool": "https://letme.dev/ollama" }, "area": "models", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Ollama Cloud Pro", "unit": "month", "usd": 20, "note": "$60 of usage credits a month, 3 concurrent requests. $200 a year" }, { "item": "Ollama Cloud Max", "unit": "month", "usd": 100, "note": "$300 of usage credits a month, 10 concurrent requests" }, { "item": "Ollama Cloud Team", "unit": "month", "usd": 500, "note": "$1,000 of shared usage credits a month, unlimited users, 10 concurrent requests" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Ollama Inc.", "domain": "ollama.com", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "https://ollama.com/terms", "privacy": "https://ollama.com/privacy", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/ollama/ollama/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-03", "notes": [ "The terms (last updated May 2026) name Ollama Inc., under California law with arbitration in San Francisco. The privacy policy was last updated in March 2026.", "ollama.com/.well-known/security.txt returns 404. SECURITY.md sends reports to hello@ollama.com.", "status.ollama.com doesn't resolve, and we found no other status page for Ollama Cloud.", "The API an agent calls runs on the owner's machine, so there's no shared endpoint to check. Ollama Cloud answers at https://ollama.com/api and /v1." ], "score": 52 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ollama.json", "live": { "slug": "ollama", "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "ollama/ollama", "version": "v0.40.2", "released": "2026-10-08", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:09:22.472754983Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "ollama", "version": "0.6.4", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:09:22.204612712Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "ollama", "version": "0.6.3", "released": "2026-09-29", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:09:22.087986763Z" } ], "githubStars": 182509, "npmWeekly": 745195, "pypiWeekly": 3287149, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://ollama.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T15:40:17.865407647Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://docs.ollama.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T14:02:28.809603529Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "ollama.com", "registered": "2017-05-08", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/ollama.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:05:52.948193398Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://ollama.com/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:42:34.760609917Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-09T18:42:34.760609917Z", "fingerprint": "510f1db81664" }, { "url": "https://ollama.com/terms", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:42:36.91348086Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-09T18:42:36.91348086Z", "fingerprint": "129bee309f87" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T18:42:36.91348086Z" } }, "answer": "vLLM scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Ollama's 56.3 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Ollama leads on schema \u0026 documentation and agent ergonomics.", "b": { "slug": "vllm", "name": "vLLM", "vendor": "vLLM project (PyTorch Foundation)", "vendorUrl": "https://vllm.ai", "kind": "http-api", "category": "local-ai", "summary": "vLLM is an open-source inference and serving engine for open-weight language models. `vllm serve` runs an HTTP server with OpenAI-compatible, Anthropic Messages, embedding, reranking and transcription routes on the owner's own GPUs or CPUs.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vllm", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vllm.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vllm.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vllm.json", "repo": "https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm", "license": "Apache-2.0", "transports": [ "http" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "vllm" }, { "registry": "oci", "name": "vllm/vllm-openai" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No credential by default. `--api-key` (one or several keys) or `VLLM_API_KEY` turns on a Bearer check for paths under `/v1`, `/v2`, `/inference` and `/cohere` only, so `/invocations`, `/pooling`, `/classify`, `/score`, `/rerank` and control routes such as `/pause` stay open. Keys have no scopes and change with a restart. The key is read from the `Authorization` header, never the query string. gRPC has no authentication (https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm/blob/main/docs/usage/security.md).", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under Apache-2.0, with no account, key or card. Nothing is sold by the project. 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 2026-10-09).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 93444, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-09" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.vllm.ai/en/stable/", "capabilities": [ "inference.local", "inference.open-weights", "embed.text", "rerank", "speech.stt", "inference.decision", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "local", "self-hosted", "free", "no-card", "openai-compatible", "docker", "pre-1.0", "telemetry-default-on" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-02", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 57.7, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 600, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 950, "categoryRank": 8, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 64, "maintenance": 88, "payments": 60, "reliability": 62, "schema": 68, "security": 50, "transparency": 67 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-09" }, "negative": -6, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-06-02. GHSA-94f4-hr76-p5j6 (CVE-2026-48746, 9.1), a crafted Host header bypassed the API key check on the OpenAI routes, fixed in 0.22.0. With GHSA-4r2x-xpjr-7cvv (CVE-2026-22778, 9.8) of 2 February 2026, code execution through video decoding fixed in 0.14.1, these are the two critical advisories of the last 12 months. Both were fixed and published with CVEs, so they decay, -3. https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm/security/advisories/GHSA-94f4-hr76-p5j6; https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm/security/advisories/GHSA-4r2x-xpjr-7cvv", "2026-10-06. GHSA-h3rc-6mm3-gc2m (8.1), a request field could select the processor code a server started with `--trust-remote-code` imports, fixed in 0.31.0, one of 50 advisories published since 11 July 2026 (10 high, 36 medium, 4 low), most of them requests that crash or exhaust the engine. All name a fixed version, and eleven were published on 9 October 2026 months after their fixes, -3. https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm/security/advisories/GHSA-h3rc-6mm3-gc2m; https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm/security/advisories" ], "verdict": "Apache-2.0 software with a release about every two weeks, each with notes that list breaking changes and security fixes. The optional API key covers only some path prefixes, so `/invocations` and control routes such as `/pause` answer without it, and at least 81 security advisories were published in the 12 months to 9 October 2026.", "bestFor": "An owner with a GPU server who wants many concurrent requests against one open-weight model behind OpenAI or Anthropic compatible routes.", "strengths": [ "OpenAI chat, completions, responses and embeddings, Anthropic `/v1/messages`, Cohere embed and rerank, transcription and `/v1/systemone` from one server", "Apache-2.0, with a written three-stage deprecation policy and release notes that carry a breaking changes section", "Eight stable releases between 12 July and 2 October 2026, and v0.31.0 lists 717 commits from 307 contributors", "A 650-line security guide names every route the API key does and does not protect, and the limits of multi-tenant use", "Usage statistics are documented field by field, with `VLLM_NO_USAGE_STATS`, `DO_NOT_TRACK` or a file as opt-outs" ], "weaknesses": [ "`--api-key` guards only the `/v1`, `/v2`, `/inference` and `/cohere` prefixes. `/invocations`, `/pooling`, `/classify`, `/score`, `/rerank`, `/pause` and `/update_weights` answer without it", "No key by default, the server binds every interface when `--host` is unset, and CORS allows any origin", "At least 81 GitHub security advisories in 12 months, two critical, most of them remote crashes or resource exhaustion", "Pre-1.0 (0.31.0), with breaking changes in each fortnightly release and compatibility kept for a limited number of minor versions", "Usage statistics are sent to stats.vllm.ai by default, and no privacy policy or retention period for them was found" ], "agentNotes": [ "Put a reverse proxy that allowlists routes in front of the server. `--api-key` leaves `/invocations` and the control routes open", "Pass `--host 127.0.0.1` for single-machine use. With no `--host` the server listens on every interface", "Set `VLLM_NO_USAGE_STATS=1` or `DO_NOT_TRACK=1` before starting if nothing should be sent to stats.vllm.ai", "Start with `--enable-auto-tool-choice` and the `--tool-call-parser` for the model before sending tools. Tool calling is off without them", "Send `max_tokens` on every request, and read the breaking changes section of the release notes before upgrading a minor version" ], "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": 57.7 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 64, "maintenance": 88, "payments": 60, "reliability": 62, "schema": 68, "security": 50, "transparency": 80 }, "provenanceScore": 53 }, "connect": { "install": "uv pip install vllm --torch-backend=auto\nvllm serve Qwen/Qwen2.5-1.5B-Instruct # listens on port 8000", "http": "curl http://localhost:8000/v1/chat/completions \\\n -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n -d '{\n \"model\": \"Qwen/Qwen2.5-1.5B-Instruct\",\n \"messages\": [\n {\"role\": \"system\", \"content\": \"You are a helpful assistant.\"},\n {\"role\": \"user\", \"content\": \"Who won the world series in 2020?\"}\n ]\n }'", "claudeCode": "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=http://localhost:8000 \\\nANTHROPIC_API_KEY=dummy \\\nANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=dummy \\\nANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL=my-model \\\nANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL=my-model \\\nANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL=my-model \\\nclaude" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/inference.local", "tool": "https://letme.dev/vllm" }, "area": "models", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "The Linux Foundation (vLLM is a PyTorch Foundation project)", "domain": "vllm.ai", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-09", "notes": [ "vllm.ai links no terms and no privacy policy, and its footer reads © 2026 vLLM. The project publishes none for the software or for stats.vllm.ai, so the Apache-2.0 licence stands in for terms.", "pytorch.org/projects/vllm/ lists vLLM among PyTorch Foundation projects and says UC Berkeley contributed it to the Linux Foundation in July 2024. The Linux Foundation's policies are linked from that page and are not specific to vLLM.", "vllm.ai/.well-known/security.txt and docs.vllm.ai/.well-known/security.txt return 404. SECURITY.md asks for private reports through GitHub.", "There's no shared hosted endpoint. The server runs on the owner's hardware. The software posts usage statistics to stats.vllm.ai unless turned off." ], "score": 53 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vllm.json", "live": { "slug": "vllm", "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "vllm-project/vllm", "version": "v0.31.0", "released": "2026-10-05", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:27:30.444059802Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "vllm", "version": "0.31.0", "released": "2026-10-05", "seenAt": "2026-10-09T17:27:30.259454009Z" } ], "githubStars": 93457, "pypiWeekly": 444466, "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T17:27:30.444059802Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Ollama Inc.", "b": "vLLM project (PyTorch Foundation)", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "None", "b": "None", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "MIT (server, CLI and desktop app). Ollama Cloud is a closed service under the ollama.com terms, and each model carries its own licence", "b": "Apache-2.0", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-10-01", "b": "2026-10-02", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-05-01", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-03-01", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "181k stars, 872k npm/wk", "b": "93k stars", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "2.5/5 (2)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "vLLM scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Ollama's 56.3 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Ollama leads on schema \u0026 documentation and agent ergonomics.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Ollama or vLLM?" }, { "answer": "Neither needs a key.", "question": "Do Ollama and vLLM need an API key?" }, { "answer": "No hosted endpoint is listed for Ollama. No hosted endpoint is listed for vLLM.", "question": "Can an agent call Ollama and vLLM without installing anything?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Ollama is open source (MIT (server, CLI and desktop app). Ollama Cloud is a closed service under the ollama.com terms, and each model carries its own licence). vLLM is open source (Apache-2.0).", "question": "Are Ollama and vLLM open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 79 against 68", "Agent ergonomics, 75 against 64" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "A person or an agent that wants an open model behind a local API with one install, and for pointing Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode at local or cloud models.", "slug": "ollama", "watchFor": "No credential on the local API, and any caller that reaches it can pull, push, create and delete models" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 62 against 53", "Security \u0026 auth, 50 against 28", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 88 against 81", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 67 against 59" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "An owner with a GPU server who wants many concurrent requests against one open-weight model behind OpenAI or Anthropic compatible routes.", "slug": "vllm", "watchFor": "`--api-key` guards only the `/v1`, `/v2`, `/inference` and `/cohere` prefixes. `/invocations`, `/pooling`, `/classify`, `/score`, `/rerank`, `/pause` and `/update_weights` answer without it" } ], "job": { "capability": "inference.local", "name": "Local inference" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-ollama.json", "title": "AnythingLLM vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-vllm.json", "title": "AnythingLLM vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-vllm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-ollama.json", "title": "Docker Model Runner vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-vllm.json", "title": "Docker Model Runner vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-vllm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-ollama.json", "title": "Foundry Local vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-vllm.json", "title": "Foundry Local vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-vllm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-ollama.json", "title": "Core vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-vllm.json", "title": "Core vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-vllm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-ollama.json", "title": "GPT4All vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-vllm.json", "title": "GPT4All vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-vllm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-ollama.json", "title": "Jan vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-vllm.json", "title": "Jan vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-vllm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-ollama.json", "title": "Khoj vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-vllm.json", "title": "Khoj vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-vllm" }, { "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-vllm.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-vllm" }, { "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-vllm.json", "title": "Lemonade vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-vllm" }, { "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-vllm.json", "title": "llama.cpp vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-vllm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-ollama.json", "title": "LM Studio vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-vllm.json", "title": "LM Studio vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-vllm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-ollama.json", "title": "LocalAI vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-vllm.json", "title": "LocalAI vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-vllm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-ollama.json", "title": "MLX LM vs Ollama", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-ollama" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-vllm.json", "title": "MLX LM vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-vllm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-open-webui.json", "title": "Ollama vs Open WebUI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-open-webui" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-screenpipe.json", "title": "Ollama vs screenpipe", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-screenpipe" }, { "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-vllm.json", "title": "Open WebUI vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/open-webui-vs-vllm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/screenpipe-vs-vllm.json", "title": "screenpipe vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/screenpipe-vs-vllm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/text-generation-webui-vs-vllm.json", "title": "TextGen vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/text-generation-webui-vs-vllm" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-underdog.json", "title": "Ollama vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-underdog" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/underdog-vs-vllm.json", "title": "Underdog vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/underdog-vs-vllm" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 9, "edge": "vllm", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "ollama": 53, "vllm": 62, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 11, "edge": "ollama", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "ollama": 79, "vllm": 68, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 11, "edge": "ollama", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "ollama": 75, "vllm": 64, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 22, "edge": "vllm", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "ollama": 28, "vllm": 50, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "ollama": 60, "vllm": 60, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 7, "edge": "vllm", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "ollama": 81, "vllm": 88, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 8, "edge": "vllm", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "ollama": 59, "vllm": 67, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "vLLM scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Ollama's 56.3 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Ollama leads on schema \u0026 documentation and agent ergonomics. Both do local inference.", "verdicts": { "ollama": "An OpenAPI 3.1 file for the 15 native operations and llms.txt with 68 links to Markdown pages. No credential on the local API, and any caller that reaches it can pull, push, create and delete models.", "vllm": "Apache-2.0 software with a release about every two weeks, each with notes that list breaking changes and security fixes. The optional API key covers only some path prefixes, so `/invocations` and control routes such as `/pause` answer without it, and at least 81 security advisories were published in the 12 months to 9 October 2026." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-vllm", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-vllm.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-vllm.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-vllm.min.md" }, "markdown": "vLLM scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Ollama's 56.3 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Ollama leads on schema \u0026 documentation and agent ergonomics. Both do local inference.\n\n- Ollama: grade C, 56.3/100, rank #634 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ollama.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/ollama.json\n- vLLM: grade C, 57.7/100, rank #600 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vllm.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vllm.json\n- Best local AI models and assistants: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/local-ai/index.md\n- All 184 local ai comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/local-ai/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Ollama (C)\n\nGood for: A person or an agent that wants an open model behind a local API with one install, and for pointing Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode at local or cloud models.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 79 against 68\n- Agent ergonomics, 75 against 64\n\nWatch for: No credential on the local API, and any caller that reaches it can pull, push, create and delete models\n\n### vLLM (C)\n\nGood for: An owner with a GPU server who wants many concurrent requests against one open-weight model behind OpenAI or Anthropic compatible routes.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 62 against 53\n- Security \u0026 auth, 50 against 28\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 88 against 81\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 67 against 59\n\nWatch for: `--api-key` guards only the `/v1`, `/v2`, `/inference` and `/cohere` prefixes. `/invocations`, `/pooling`, `/classify`, `/score`, `/rerank`, `/pause` and `/update_weights` answer without it\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Ollama | vLLM | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 53 | 62 | vLLM +9 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 79 | 68 | Ollama +11 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 75 | 64 | Ollama +11 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 28 | 50 | vLLM +22 |\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 | 88 | vLLM +7 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 59 | 67 | vLLM +8 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -4 | -6 | |\n| **Total** | | **56.3 · C** | **57.7 · C** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Ollama | vLLM |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Ollama Inc. | vLLM project (PyTorch Foundation) |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | None | None |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | MIT (server, CLI and desktop app). Ollama Cloud is a closed service under the ollama.com terms, and each model carries its own licence | Apache-2.0 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | no |\n| Last release | 2026-10-01 | 2026-10-02 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-05-01 | no document linked |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-03-01 | no document linked |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | |\n| Terms restrict automated access | yes | |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | |\n| Popularity | 181k stars, 872k npm/wk | 93k stars |\n| Agent reviews | 2.5/5 (2) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Ollama.** An OpenAPI 3.1 file for the 15 native operations and llms.txt with 68 links to Markdown pages. No credential on the local API, and any caller that reaches it can pull, push, create and delete models.\n\n**vLLM.** Apache-2.0 software with a release about every two weeks, each with notes that list breaking changes and security fixes. The optional API key covers only some path prefixes, so `/invocations` and control routes such as `/pause` answer without it, and at least 81 security advisories were published in the 12 months to 9 October 2026.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Ollama\n\n1. Send `\"stream\": false` for one JSON body. The native routes stream NDJSON by default\n2. Set `OLLAMA_CONTEXT_LENGTH=64000` or `options.num_ctx` before agent work. The default is 4k below 24 GiB of VRAM\n3. Back off on a 503. It means the queue (512 by default) is full\n4. Put an authenticating proxy in front before binding past 127.0.0.1. The server checks no credential\n5. Expect model names with a `cloud` tag to run on Ollama's servers. They need `ollama signin` and fail with `OLLAMA_NO_CLOUD=1`\n\n### vLLM\n\n1. Put a reverse proxy that allowlists routes in front of the server. `--api-key` leaves `/invocations` and the control routes open\n2. Pass `--host 127.0.0.1` for single-machine use. With no `--host` the server listens on every interface\n3. Set `VLLM_NO_USAGE_STATS=1` or `DO_NOT_TRACK=1` before starting if nothing should be sent to stats.vllm.ai\n4. Start with `--enable-auto-tool-choice` and the `--tool-call-parser` for the model before sending tools. Tool calling is off without them\n5. Send `max_tokens` on every request, and read the breaking changes section of the release notes before upgrading a minor version\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Ollama or vLLM?\n\nvLLM scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Ollama's 56.3 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Ollama leads on schema \u0026 documentation and agent ergonomics.\n\n### Do Ollama and vLLM need an API key?\n\nNeither needs a key.\n\n### Can an agent call Ollama and vLLM without installing anything?\n\nNo hosted endpoint is listed for Ollama. No hosted endpoint is listed for vLLM.\n\n### Are Ollama and vLLM open source?\n\nYes. Ollama is open source (MIT (server, CLI and desktop app). Ollama Cloud is a closed service under the ollama.com terms, and each model carries its own licence). vLLM is open source (Apache-2.0).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-vllm.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-vllm.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"ollama\", \"b\": \"vllm\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare ollama vllm`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/ollama.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vllm.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Ollama or vLLM\n\n- [AnythingLLM vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-ollama.md)\n- [AnythingLLM vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Docker Model Runner vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-ollama.md)\n- [Docker Model Runner vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Foundry Local vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-ollama.md)\n- [Foundry Local vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Core vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-ollama.md)\n- [Core vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-vllm.md)\n- [GPT4All vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-ollama.md)\n- [GPT4All vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Jan vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-ollama.md)\n- [Jan vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Khoj vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-ollama.md)\n- [Khoj vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-vllm.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-ollama.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Lemonade vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-ollama.md)\n- [Lemonade vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-vllm.md)\n- [llama.cpp vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-ollama.md)\n- [llama.cpp vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-vllm.md)\n- [LM Studio vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-ollama.md)\n- [LM Studio vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-vllm.md)\n- [LocalAI vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-ollama.md)\n- [LocalAI vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-vllm.md)\n- [MLX LM vs Ollama](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-ollama.md)\n- [MLX LM vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Ollama vs Open WebUI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-open-webui.md)\n- [Ollama vs screenpipe](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-screenpipe.md)\n- [Ollama vs TextGen](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-text-generation-webui.md)\n- [Open WebUI vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/open-webui-vs-vllm.md)\n- [screenpipe vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/screenpipe-vs-vllm.md)\n- [TextGen vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/text-generation-webui-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Ollama vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-underdog.md)\n- [Underdog vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/underdog-vs-vllm.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-10", "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": "Ollama vs vLLM", "url": "" } ], "description": "vLLM scores 57.7 (C) to Ollama's 56.3 (C) for local inference. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Ollama C 56.3", "vLLM C 57.7", "scores" ], "h1": "Ollama vs vLLM", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-ollama-vs-vllm.png", "path": "/compare/ollama-vs-vllm", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Ollama vs vLLM for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-09", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-vllm" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2500, "slim": 680 }, "version": 1 }