# Ollama vs vLLM

> vLLM scores 57.7 (C) to Ollama's 56.3 (C) for local inference. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-vllm
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-vllm.md (~2,500 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-vllm.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-vllm.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

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 & documentation and agent ergonomics. Both do local inference.

- 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
- 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
- Best local AI models and assistants: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/local-ai/index.md
- All 184 local ai comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/local-ai/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Ollama (C)

Good 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.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 79 against 68
- Agent ergonomics, 75 against 64

Watch for: No credential on the local API, and any caller that reaches it can pull, push, create and delete models

### vLLM (C)

Good for: An owner with a GPU server who wants many concurrent requests against one open-weight model behind OpenAI or Anthropic compatible routes.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 62 against 53
- Security & auth, 50 against 28
- Maintenance & community, 88 against 81
- Transparency & trust, 67 against 59

Watch for: `--api-key` guards only the `/v1`, `/v2`, `/inference` and `/cohere` prefixes. `/invocations`, `/pooling`, `/classify`, `/score`, `/rerank`, `/pause` and `/update_weights` answer without it


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Ollama | vLLM | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 53 | 62 | vLLM +9 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 79 | 68 | Ollama +11 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 75 | 64 | Ollama +11 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 28 | 50 | vLLM +22 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 81 | 88 | vLLM +7 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 59 | 67 | vLLM +8 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -4 | -6 | |
| **Total** | | **56.3 · C** | **57.7 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Ollama | vLLM |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Ollama Inc. | vLLM project (PyTorch Foundation) |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | None | None |
| Pricing | Freemium | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| 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 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| Last release | 2026-10-01 | 2026-10-02 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-05-01 | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-03-01 | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text |  |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes |  |
| Popularity | 181k stars, 872k npm/wk | 93k stars |
| Agent reviews | 2.5/5 (2) | none |

## 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.

## Before you call either

### Ollama

1. Send `"stream": false` for one JSON body. The native routes stream NDJSON by default
2. Set `OLLAMA_CONTEXT_LENGTH=64000` or `options.num_ctx` before agent work. The default is 4k below 24 GiB of VRAM
3. Back off on a 503. It means the queue (512 by default) is full
4. Put an authenticating proxy in front before binding past 127.0.0.1. The server checks no credential
5. Expect model names with a `cloud` tag to run on Ollama's servers. They need `ollama signin` and fail with `OLLAMA_NO_CLOUD=1`

### vLLM

1. Put a reverse proxy that allowlists routes in front of the server. `--api-key` leaves `/invocations` and the control routes open
2. Pass `--host 127.0.0.1` for single-machine use. With no `--host` the server listens on every interface
3. Set `VLLM_NO_USAGE_STATS=1` or `DO_NOT_TRACK=1` before starting if nothing should be sent to stats.vllm.ai
4. Start with `--enable-auto-tool-choice` and the `--tool-call-parser` for the model before sending tools. Tool calling is off without them
5. Send `max_tokens` on every request, and read the breaking changes section of the release notes before upgrading a minor version

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Ollama or vLLM?

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 & documentation and agent ergonomics.

### Do Ollama and vLLM need an API key?

Neither needs a key.

### Can an agent call Ollama and vLLM without installing anything?

No hosted endpoint is listed for Ollama. No hosted endpoint is listed for vLLM.

### Are Ollama and vLLM open source?

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).


## For agents

- 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
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "ollama", "b": "vllm"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare ollama vllm`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/ollama.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vllm.json

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