LMDeploy vs New API
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted local llm runners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | LMDeploy | New API |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Local LLM Runners | Local LLM Runners |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 16,384 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,097 | ★ 48,815 |
| First released | 2023 | 2024 |
| Replaces | OpenAI API, Hugging Face Inference Endpoints | OpenRouter, OpenAI API |
What are LMDeploy and New API?
LMDeploy
LMDeploy is an inference and serving toolkit from the OpenMMLab ecosystem for deploying large language models efficiently. It offers quantization, a high-throughput serving engine, and an OpenAI-compatible API.
- High-throughput inference engine
- Weight quantization support
- OpenAI-compatible serving
- Multi-GPU deployment
New API
New API is a large-model interface management and distribution system derived from One API, providing an OpenAI-compatible gateway with richer billing, rendering and provider support. It is designed for running a self-hosted AI relay service.
- OpenAI-compatible relay
- Multi-provider channels
- Detailed billing
- Modern dashboard
LMDeploy vs New API: key differences
LMDeploy is written in Python, while New API is built with Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for LMDeploy versus MIT for New API. New API is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 16,384 MB for LMDeploy. New API has the considerably larger community, at 48,815 GitHub stars versus 8,097.
Why pick each one
Choose LMDeploy if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8.1k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Choose New API if…
- OpenAI-compatible gateway
- Broad provider support
- Built-in billing and quotas
Watch out for
- Docs primarily Chinese
- Niche relay use case
Frequently asked questions
Is LMDeploy or New API better?
New API is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider LMDeploy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are LMDeploy and New API free and open-source?
Yes. LMDeploy is licensed under Apache-2.0 and New API under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run LMDeploy and New API with Docker?
LMDeploy: yes. New API: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, LMDeploy or New API?
New API has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 16,384 MB for LMDeploy. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.