Ollama vs vLLM
Self-host pick — both replace OpenAI API (LLM inference API).
Both Ollama and vLLM self-host as a replacement for OpenAI API (LLM inference API). Pick Ollama if you want the lighter footprint — 5min single binary, free on a workstation with a 16gb+ gpu; ~$200/mo for an a10/rtx 4090 cloud gpu; cpu-only works for 7b models but is too slow for production. Pick vLLM if you need production inference at scale — vLLM's continuous batching is what you want when 10+ concurrent users hit the endpoint — 30min docker run with --gpus and $200-1500/mo depending on gpu class; an a100 80gb runs llama 3.
| Ollamaopen-source | vLLMopen-source | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Setup time | 5min single binary | 30min docker run with --gpus |
| Monthly cost | Free on a workstation with a 16GB+ GPU; ~$200/mo for an A10/RTX 4090 cloud GPU; CPU-only works for 7B models but is too slow for production. | $200-1500/mo depending on GPU class; an A100 80GB runs Llama 3.1 70B comfortably with PagedAttention batching. |
| GitHub | ollama/ollama | vllm-project/vllm |
| Replaces | OpenAI API | OpenAI API |
Good fit for
Ollama
Single-machine deployments and laptops; the easiest on-ramp from OpenAI for a developer team.
Weak at:Multi-tenant serving and batched throughput — Ollama serializes requests; for concurrent traffic switch to vLLM.
vLLM
Production inference at scale — vLLM's continuous batching is what you want when 10+ concurrent users hit the endpoint.
Weak at:Single-GPU model fit — large models (70B+) need multi-GPU tensor parallelism and careful VRAM budgeting.
In a terminal? npx -y github:SolvoHQ/os-alt-cli openai-api prints OpenAI API's self-host options including both —
how the CLI works →
FAQ
Which is easier to self-host, Ollama or vLLM?
Ollama: 5min single binary. vLLM: 30min docker run with --gpus.
What does each cost to run?
Ollama: Free on a workstation with a 16GB+ GPU; ~$200/mo for an A10/RTX 4090 cloud GPU; CPU-only works for 7B models but is too slow for production.. vLLM: $200-1500/mo depending on GPU class; an A100 80GB runs Llama 3.1 70B comfortably with PagedAttention batching.. Both projects are free and open source.
Do Ollama and vLLM replace the same SaaS?
Yes — both are open-source alternatives to OpenAI API.