{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "underdog", "name": "Underdog", "vendor": "Conway Research", "vendorUrl": "https://underdog.ai", "kind": "platform", "category": "local-ai", "summary": "A personal AI from Conway Research that runs on the owner's Mac with Apple silicon.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/underdog", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/underdog.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/underdog.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/underdog.json", "license": "Model weights Apache-2.0 on Hugging Face (Underdog 27B 1.0 and its ternary build, Woof 4B and 2B 1.1, Bark 0.8B 1.0); woof-1.0-4B carries the Apache-2.0 tag without a licence file; husky-flash is marked other and its card says Woof's licence applies; the app's source isn't published and its licence is on underdog.ai, unchecked", "transports": [], "packages": [], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No API, MCP server, CLI or credential for agents from Conway found as of 3 October 2026. The husky-flash card names `husky serve --model ConwayResearch/husky-flash` from an \"Underdog Greyhound repository\" that isn't public, with no port or protocol documented. Conway's 27B cards run the weights through Inco AI's Splash, which listens on `127.0.0.1:8000` with an OpenAI-compatible API and no authentication unless `--api-key` is set. The weights download from Hugging Face without a gate, though the 27B card says to run `hf auth login` first. underdog.ai, whose robots.txt refuses our reader, is unchecked.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free. Underdog's pricing page says \"100% free\", \"Free forever? Yes. It's your computer doing the work\" and \"There is nothing to bill you for\", with no paid tier (text supplied on 3 October 2026, because underdog.ai refuses our reader). The model weights are free Apache-2.0 downloads on Hugging Face with no login or card. The page links a sign-in, and whether the app needs an account is unchecked.", "priceSummary": "Free", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No payment protocol on conway.tech, husky.underdog.ai, Conway's Hugging Face organisation or its GitHub repositories (3 October 2026); underdog.ai unchecked.", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-03" }, "capabilities": [ "inference.open-weights", "speech.stt" ], "tags": [ "local", "apple-silicon", "open-weights", "mlx" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-30", "graded": true, "disclosure": "Underdog competes with LocalGhost, which Anchor Terminal's founder builds. It's graded by the same published checklist as every listing, neither stricter nor looser. Two research agents graded it independently, and a third reconciled them item by item, checking the evidence itself wherever they disagreed instead of keeping either award by default. underdog.ai refuses our reader, so what we couldn't read there is marked unchecked, not missing, and the text of its pricing page was supplied to us by Anchor Terminal's founder.", "competesWith": "localghost", "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 29.5, "grade": "F", "agentReady": false, "rank": 941, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 950, "categoryRank": 19, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 15, "maintenance": 56, "payments": 60, "reliability": 33, "schema": 24, "security": 14, "transparency": 19 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "low", "date": "2026-10-03" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Apache-2.0 weights on Hugging Face for Underdog 27B 1.0, Woof 4B and 2B 1.1 and Bark 0.8B 1.0, with no gate. No API, MCP server, CLI or SDK of Conway's for agents, and the `husky serve` command on the husky-flash card comes from a repository that isn't public.", "bestFor": "An owner who wants a Mac assistant over their own mail and calendar that, per Conway, keeps everything on the machine.", "disclosure": "Underdog competes with LocalGhost, which Anchor Terminal's founder builds. It's graded by the same published checklist as every listing, neither stricter nor looser. Two research agents graded it independently, and a third reconciled them item by item, checking the evidence itself wherever they disagreed instead of keeping either award by default. underdog.ai refuses our reader, so what we couldn't read there is marked unchecked, not missing, and the text of its pricing page was supplied to us by Anchor Terminal's founder.", "strengths": [ "Apache-2.0 weights on Hugging Face for Underdog 27B 1.0, Woof 4B and 2B 1.1 and Bark 0.8B 1.0, with no gate", "Eight Underdog model repositories published between 4 and 30 September 2026, the latest Underdog 27B 1.0 and a 2-bit ternary build on 30 September", "Woof 4B and 2B 1.1 ship release-provenance.json with a byte count and SHA-256 for every file", "Husky's speed post names its hardware, macOS and MLX versions and method, and publishes its weaker results too (1.02 to 1.27 times MLX on writing)", "The 27B weights run outside the app through Splash's OpenAI-compatible API, per Conway's ternary card" ], "weaknesses": [ "No API, MCP server, CLI or SDK of Conway's for agents, and the `husky serve` command on the husky-flash card comes from a repository that isn't public", "The app's source isn't published, and none of Conway's three public GitHub repositories mentions Underdog", "The Woof 4B 1.1, Woof 2B 1.1 and Bark 0.8B 1.0 cards are one or two sentences, with no base model, context length or limits", "No security.txt at conway.tech (404), no SECURITY.md, and no disclosure policy, advisories or bug bounty found", "Conway's home page says Underdog 27B beats Claude Opus 4.6, and the 27B cards publish speed figures only" ], "agentNotes": [ "Don't look for an agent interface to Underdog. We found no API, MCP server, CLI or SDK, and underdog.ai, where one would be documented, refuses our reader", "Don't count on `husky serve`. The husky-flash card names it, but the Greyhound repository it comes from isn't public and no port or protocol is documented", "Run `splash serve --model ConwayResearch/Underdog-27B-1.0 --default-reasoning-effort medium` with Inco AI's Splash 1.1.0 or later for an OpenAI-compatible endpoint on `127.0.0.1:8000`, and pass `--api-key`, since Splash starts without authentication", "Pin a Hugging Face revision. Woof 4B went from 1.0 to 1.1 in eight days with no note of what changed", "Check Woof 4B and 2B 1.1 files against the SHA-256 values in release-provenance.json before loading them" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 2, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "low", "grade": "F", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 29.5 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 15, "maintenance": 56, "payments": 60, "reliability": 33, "schema": 24, "security": 14, "transparency": 23 }, "provenanceScore": 15 }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/inference.open-weights", "tool": "https://letme.dev/underdog" }, "area": "models", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "", "domain": "underdog.ai", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "https://underdog.ai/terms", "privacy": "https://underdog.ai/privacy", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "", "securityTxt": "unknown", "checked": "2026-10-03", "notes": [ "underdog.ai's robots.txt refuses our reader (again at about 08:15 UTC on 3 October 2026), so its terms, privacy policy, changelog, domain registration and security.txt are unchecked, not missing.", "Terms (https://underdog.ai/terms) and a privacy policy (https://underdog.ai/privacy) are linked from Underdog's pricing page, whose text was supplied to us on 3 October 2026. Their content is unchecked, because our reader is refused.", "husky.underdog.ai, a separate host linked from conway.tech and the founder's page, loaded for our reader.", "conway.tech's home page links no terms or privacy policy, and conway.tech has no security.txt (404) and no llms.txt (404).", "No registered company name found. a16z says Conway Research, conway.tech says Conway, and the licence in Conway's automaton repository reads 'Copyright (c) 2026 Conway'.", "No status page applies, since Underdog runs on the owner's machine with no hosted endpoint, and no changelog was found outside underdog.ai." ], "score": 15 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/underdog.json", "live": { "slug": "underdog", "securityTxt": { "url": "https://underdog.ai/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "expires": "2027-09-17T00:00:00.000Z", "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T15:39:57.336588877Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "underdog.ai", "registered": "2020-03-30", "source": "https://rdap.identitydigital.services/rdap/domain/underdog.ai", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:05:26.708018286Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://underdog.ai/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:46:56.407331487Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "e17b8e9e48b7" }, { "url": "https://underdog.ai/terms", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T18:46:58.647640168Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "6c84bce579c3" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T18:46:58.647640168Z" } }, "answer": "vLLM scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Underdog's 29.5 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.", "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": "Model platform", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Conway Research", "b": "vLLM project (PyTorch Foundation)", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "None", "b": "None", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Model weights Apache-2.0 on Hugging Face (Underdog 27B 1.0 and its ternary build, Woof 4B and 2B 1.1, Bark 0.8B 1.0); woof-1.0-4B carries the Apache-2.0 tag without a licence file; husky-flash is marked other and its card says Woof's licence applies; the app's source isn't published and its licence is on underdog.ai, unchecked", "b": "Apache-2.0", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-30", "b": "2026-10-02", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-09-01", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-09-30", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "none", "b": "93k stars", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "2/5 (2)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "vLLM scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Underdog's 29.5 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Underdog or vLLM?" }, { "answer": "No hosted endpoint is listed for Underdog. No hosted endpoint is listed for vLLM.", "question": "Can an agent call Underdog and vLLM without installing anything?" }, { "answer": "No open-source release is listed for Underdog. vLLM is open source (Apache-2.0).", "question": "Are Underdog and vLLM open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": null, "also": [ "No incidents deducted, where vLLM loses 6 points for them" ], "goodFor": "An owner who wants a Mac assistant over their own mail and calendar that, per Conway, keeps everything on the machine.", "slug": "underdog", "watchFor": "No API, MCP server, CLI or SDK of Conway's for agents, and the `husky serve` command on the husky-flash card comes from a repository that isn't public" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 62 against 33", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 68 against 24", "Agent ergonomics, 64 against 15", "Security \u0026 auth, 50 against 14", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 88 against 56", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 67 against 19" ], "also": [ "Free to start without a card", "Open source" ], "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.open-weights", "name": "Open-weight models" }, "others": [ { "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-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-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-vllm.json", "title": "Core vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-vllm" }, { "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-vllm.json", "title": "Jan vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-vllm" }, { "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-vllm.json", "title": "KoboldCpp vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-vllm" }, { "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-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-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-vllm.json", "title": "LocalAI vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-vllm" }, { "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-vllm.json", "title": "Ollama vs vLLM", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-vllm" }, { "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/screenpipe-vs-underdog.json", "title": "screenpipe vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/screenpipe-vs-underdog" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-underdog.json", "title": "AnythingLLM vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-underdog" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-underdog.json", "title": "Docker Model Runner vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-underdog" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-underdog.json", "title": "Foundry Local vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-underdog" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-underdog.json", "title": "Core vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-underdog" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-underdog.json", "title": "GPT4All vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-underdog" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-underdog.json", "title": "Jan vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-underdog" }, { "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" }, { "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/lm-studio-vs-underdog.json", "title": "LM Studio vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-underdog" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-underdog.json", "title": "LocalAI vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-underdog" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-underdog.json", "title": "MLX LM vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-underdog" }, { "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/text-generation-webui-vs-underdog.json", "title": "TextGen vs Underdog", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/text-generation-webui-vs-underdog" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 29, "edge": "vllm", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "underdog": 33, "vllm": 62, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 44, "edge": "vllm", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "underdog": 24, "vllm": 68, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 49, "edge": "vllm", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "underdog": 15, "vllm": 64, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 36, "edge": "vllm", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "underdog": 14, "vllm": 50, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "underdog": 60, "vllm": 60, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 32, "edge": "vllm", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "underdog": 56, "vllm": 88, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 48, "edge": "vllm", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "underdog": 19, "vllm": 67, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "vLLM scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Underdog's 29.5 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do open-weight models.", "verdicts": { "underdog": "Apache-2.0 weights on Hugging Face for Underdog 27B 1.0, Woof 4B and 2B 1.1 and Bark 0.8B 1.0, with no gate. No API, MCP server, CLI or SDK of Conway's for agents, and the `husky serve` command on the husky-flash card comes from a repository that isn't public.", "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/underdog-vs-vllm", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/underdog-vs-vllm.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/underdog-vs-vllm.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/underdog-vs-vllm.min.md" }, "markdown": "vLLM scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Underdog's 29.5 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do open-weight models.\n\n- Underdog: grade F, 29.5/100, rank #941 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/underdog.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/underdog.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### Underdog (F)\n\nGood for: An owner who wants a Mac assistant over their own mail and calendar that, per Conway, keeps everything on the machine.\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No incidents deducted, where vLLM loses 6 points for them\n\nWatch for: No API, MCP server, CLI or SDK of Conway's for agents, and the `husky serve` command on the husky-flash card comes from a repository that isn't public\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 33\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 68 against 24\n- Agent ergonomics, 64 against 15\n- Security \u0026 auth, 50 against 14\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 88 against 56\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 67 against 19\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Free to start without a card\n- Open source\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 | Underdog | vLLM | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 33 | 62 | vLLM +29 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 24 | 68 | vLLM +44 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 15 | 64 | vLLM +49 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 14 | 50 | vLLM +36 |\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) | 56 | 88 | vLLM +32 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 19 | 67 | vLLM +48 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -6 | |\n| **Total** | | **29.5 · F** | **57.7 · C** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Underdog | vLLM |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Model platform | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Conway Research | vLLM project (PyTorch Foundation) |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | | HTTP |\n| Auth | None | None |\n| Pricing | Free | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Model weights Apache-2.0 on Hugging Face (Underdog 27B 1.0 and its ternary build, Woof 4B and 2B 1.1, Bark 0.8B 1.0); woof-1.0-4B carries the Apache-2.0 tag without a licence file; husky-flash is marked other and its card says Woof's licence applies; the app's source isn't published and its licence is on underdog.ai, unchecked | Apache-2.0 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | no |\n| Last release | 2026-09-30 | 2026-10-02 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-09-01 | no document linked |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-09-30 | no document linked |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | |\n| Popularity | none | 93k stars |\n| Agent reviews | 2/5 (2) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Underdog.** Apache-2.0 weights on Hugging Face for Underdog 27B 1.0, Woof 4B and 2B 1.1 and Bark 0.8B 1.0, with no gate. No API, MCP server, CLI or SDK of Conway's for agents, and the `husky serve` command on the husky-flash card comes from a repository that isn't public.\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### Underdog\n\n1. Don't look for an agent interface to Underdog. We found no API, MCP server, CLI or SDK, and underdog.ai, where one would be documented, refuses our reader\n2. Don't count on `husky serve`. The husky-flash card names it, but the Greyhound repository it comes from isn't public and no port or protocol is documented\n3. Run `splash serve --model ConwayResearch/Underdog-27B-1.0 --default-reasoning-effort medium` with Inco AI's Splash 1.1.0 or later for an OpenAI-compatible endpoint on `127.0.0.1:8000`, and pass `--api-key`, since Splash starts without authentication\n4. Pin a Hugging Face revision. Woof 4B went from 1.0 to 1.1 in eight days with no note of what changed\n5. Check Woof 4B and 2B 1.1 files against the SHA-256 values in release-provenance.json before loading them\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, Underdog or vLLM?\n\nvLLM scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Underdog's 29.5 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Can an agent call Underdog and vLLM without installing anything?\n\nNo hosted endpoint is listed for Underdog. No hosted endpoint is listed for vLLM.\n\n### Are Underdog and vLLM open source?\n\nNo open-source release is listed for Underdog. vLLM is open source (Apache-2.0).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/underdog-vs-vllm.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/underdog-vs-vllm.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"underdog\", \"b\": \"vllm\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare underdog vllm`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/underdog.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vllm.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Underdog or vLLM\n\n- [AnythingLLM vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Docker Model Runner vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Foundry Local vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Core vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-vllm.md)\n- [GPT4All vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Jan vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Khoj vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/khoj-vs-vllm.md)\n- [KoboldCpp vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/koboldcpp-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Lemonade vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lemonade-vs-vllm.md)\n- [llama.cpp vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-vllm.md)\n- [LM Studio vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-vllm.md)\n- [LocalAI vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-vllm.md)\n- [MLX LM vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-vllm.md)\n- [Ollama vs vLLM](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-vllm.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- [screenpipe vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/screenpipe-vs-underdog.md)\n- [AnythingLLM vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anythingllm-vs-underdog.md)\n- [Docker Model Runner vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-model-runner-vs-underdog.md)\n- [Foundry Local vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/foundry-local-vs-underdog.md)\n- [Core vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ghost-core-vs-underdog.md)\n- [GPT4All vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gpt4all-vs-underdog.md)\n- [Jan vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jan-vs-underdog.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- [llama.cpp vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llama-cpp-vs-underdog.md)\n- [LM Studio vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lm-studio-vs-underdog.md)\n- [LocalAI vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localai-vs-underdog.md)\n- [MLX LM vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlx-lm-vs-underdog.md)\n- [Ollama vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ollama-vs-underdog.md)\n- [TextGen vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/text-generation-webui-vs-underdog.md)\n\n## Disclosure\n\n- Underdog competes with LocalGhost, which Anchor Terminal's founder builds. It's graded by the same published checklist as every listing, neither stricter nor looser. Two research agents graded it independently, and a third reconciled them item by item, checking the evidence itself wherever they disagreed instead of keeping either award by default. underdog.ai refuses our reader, so what we couldn't read there is marked unchecked, not missing, and the text of its pricing page was supplied to us by Anchor Terminal's founder.\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": "Underdog vs vLLM", "url": "" } ], "description": "vLLM scores 57.7 (C) to Underdog's 29.5 (F) for open-weight models. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Underdog F 29.5", "vLLM C 57.7", "scores" ], "h1": "Underdog vs vLLM", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-underdog-vs-vllm.png", "path": "/compare/underdog-vs-vllm", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Underdog vs vLLM for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-09", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/underdog-vs-vllm" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2750, "slim": 730 }, "version": 1 }