Ollama vs Petals
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted local llm runners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Ollama
Run large language models locally with a simple CLI and API
VS
Petals
Run large language models collaboratively in a swarm
| Feature | Ollama | Petals |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Local LLM Runners | Local LLM Runners |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 8,192 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | source, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 178,027 | ★ 10,483 |
| First released | 2023 | 2022 |
| Replaces | ChatGPT, OpenAI API | OpenAI API |
Why pick each one
Choose Petals if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 10.5k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Ollama or Petals better?
Ollama is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Petals if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Ollama and Petals free and open-source?
Yes. Ollama is licensed under MIT and Petals under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ollama and Petals with Docker?
Ollama: yes. Petals: yes.