exo vs Wllama
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted local llm runners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | exo | Wllama |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Local LLM Runners | Local LLM Runners |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | source | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 47,624 | ★ 1,309 |
| First released | 2024 | 2024 |
| Replaces | OpenAI API | OpenAI API |
What are exo and Wllama?
exo
exo is an open-source project that unifies multiple everyday devices into a single AI compute cluster for running large language models. It splits models across phones, laptops, and desktops and exposes an OpenAI-compatible API.
- Distributes models across devices
- OpenAI-compatible API
- Automatic device discovery
- No master node required
Wllama
Wllama is an open-source WebAssembly binding for llama.cpp that allows large language models to run entirely inside the browser. It can be hosted as a static site to provide fully client-side AI inference.
- Browser-based inference
- WebAssembly powered
- No server needed
- Static site deployable
exo vs Wllama: key differences
Exo is written in Python, while Wllama is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for exo versus MIT for Wllama. Wllama is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 8,192 MB for exo. Exo has the considerably larger community, at 47,624 GitHub stars versus 1,309.
Why pick each one
Choose exo if…
- Pools everyday devices
- OpenAI-compatible API
- Runs fully offline
Watch out for
- Experimental and evolving
- Network limits performance
Choose Wllama if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is exo or Wllama better?
Neither is universally better. exo has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are exo and Wllama free and open-source?
Yes. exo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Wllama under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run exo and Wllama with Docker?
exo: check the project docs for container support. Wllama: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, exo or Wllama?
Wllama has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 8,192 MB for exo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.