What is the best open source LLM?

DeepSeek V4, Qwen3.7, GLM-5.2, Kimi K2.6, and MiniMax M3 are the current leaders, each within striking distance of proprietary frontier models. For smaller, hardware-friendly options, GPT-OSS 20B, Gemma 4, and Qwen3.5 9B are the standouts.

What does 'open source' mean for LLMs?

Usually 'open weight': the trained weights are downloadable, but licenses vary — some are Apache 2.0 or MIT, others (like the Llama license) carry usage restrictions, and training data is rarely published. Check the license of a specific model before building on it.

Should I self-host or use an API?

Self-hosting pays off with steady high volume, strict data-residency needs, or fine-tuned weights. For everything else, per-token APIs are cheaper than idle GPUs. A middle path: develop against hosted open models and keep self-hosting as an exit option, since the weights are public.

Are open models cheaper than proprietary ones?

Dramatically, per token. Competition among hosts drives prices down — DeepSeek V4 Flash and Qwen3 Coder 30B cost 10–50x less than frontier proprietary models. The list above shows every provider's price for each model.

Open Source Models

Open-weight models — Llama, DeepSeek, Qwen, GLM, Kimi, GPT-OSS, Gemma, and more — served through one API

Compare

83/307

Models

33/63

Providers

Vision Models (filtered)

Tool-enabled (filtered)

Free Models (filtered)


Alibaba Cloud(cn-beijing)	deepseek-v4-pro	$1.65	$3.30	$0.14
Alibaba Cloud(us-virginia)	deepseek-v4-pro	$2.40	$4.80	$0.20
Z AI	glm-4.6v-flashx	$0.04	$0.40	$0.00
S OpenRouter	glm-4.6v	$0.30	$0.90	$0.06
NovitaAI	glm-4.6v	$0.30	$0.90	$0.06
Z AI	glm-4.6v	$0.30	$0.90	$0.05
Z AI	glm-4-32b-0414-128k	$0.10	$0.10	$0.00
Z AI	glm-4.6	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
NovitaAI	glm-4.6	$0.55	$2.20	$0.11
S OpenRouter	glm-4.6	$0.50	$2.00	$0.10
S OpenRouter	glm-4.7-flash	$0.06	$0.40	—
EmberCloud	glm-4.7-flash	$0.06	$0.40	$0.01
Z AI	glm-4.7-flashx	$0.07	$0.40	$0.01
S OpenRouter	glm-4.7	$0.40	$1.75	$0.08
ByteDance	glm-4.7	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
Cerebras	glm-4.7	$2.25	$2.75	—
Vertex AI (OpenAI-compatible)	glm-4.7	$0.60	$2.20	—
Z AI	glm-4.7	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
Together AI	glm-4.7	$0.45	$2.00	—
EmberCloud	glm-4.7	$0.38	$1.98	$0.19
S Hormouz	glm-4.7	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
S Metis	glm-4.7	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
NovitaAI	glm-4.7	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
Z AI	glm-4.5-airx	$1.10	$4.50	$0.22
Z AI	glm-4.5-x	$2.20	$8.90	$0.45
S OpenRouter	glm-4.5-air	$0.13	$0.85	$0.02
EmberCloud	glm-4.5-air	$0.13	$0.85	$0.02
Z AI	glm-4.5-air	$0.20	$1.10	$0.03
S OpenRouter	glm-4.5v	$0.60	$1.80	$0.11
NovitaAI	glm-4.5v	$0.60	$1.80	$0.11
Z AI	glm-4.5v	$0.60	$1.80	$0.11
EmberCloud	glm-4.5	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
Z AI	glm-4.5	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
S OpenRouter	glm-4.5	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
S AvalAI	qwen2-5-vl-32b-instruct	$1.40	$4.20	$0.70
S OpenRouter	qwen3-vl-235b-a22b-thinking	$0.26	$2.60	—
NovitaAI	qwen3-vl-235b-a22b-thinking	$0.98	$3.95	—
DeepInfra	qwen3-vl-235b-a22b-instruct	$0.20	$0.88	$0.11
S OpenRouter	qwen3-vl-235b-a22b-instruct	$0.21	$1.90	$0.10
NovitaAI	qwen3-vl-235b-a22b-instruct	$0.30	$1.50	—
S OpenRouter	qwen3-vl-30b-a3b-thinking	$0.13	$1.56	—
NovitaAI	qwen3-vl-30b-a3b-instruct	$0.20	$0.70	—
DeepInfra	qwen3-vl-30b-a3b-instruct	$0.15	$0.60	—
S OpenRouter	qwen3-vl-30b-a3b-instruct	$0.13	$0.52	—
S OpenRouter	qwen3-next-80b-a3b-instruct	$0.10	$1.10	$0.07
Vertex AI (OpenAI-compatible)	qwen3-next-80b-a3b-instruct	$0.15	$1.20	—
S AvalAI	qwen3-next-80b-a3b-instruct	$0.14	$0.57	$0.07
NovitaAI	qwen3-next-80b-a3b-instruct	$0.15	$1.50	—
Vertex AI (OpenAI-compatible)	qwen3-next-80b-a3b-thinking	$0.15	$1.20	—
S AvalAI	qwen3-next-80b-a3b-thinking	$0.14	$1.43	$0.07

Open Source Models

Open-weight models — Llama, DeepSeek, Qwen, GLM, Kimi, GPT-OSS, Gemma, and more — served through one API

Compare

83/307

Models

33/63

Providers

Vision Models (filtered)

Tool-enabled (filtered)

Free Models (filtered)


Alibaba Cloud(cn-beijing)	deepseek-v4-pro	$1.65	$3.30	$0.14
Alibaba Cloud(us-virginia)	deepseek-v4-pro	$2.40	$4.80	$0.20
Z AI	glm-4.6v-flashx	$0.04	$0.40	$0.00
S OpenRouter	glm-4.6v	$0.30	$0.90	$0.06
NovitaAI	glm-4.6v	$0.30	$0.90	$0.06
Z AI	glm-4.6v	$0.30	$0.90	$0.05
Z AI	glm-4-32b-0414-128k	$0.10	$0.10	$0.00
Z AI	glm-4.6	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
NovitaAI	glm-4.6	$0.55	$2.20	$0.11
S OpenRouter	glm-4.6	$0.50	$2.00	$0.10
S OpenRouter	glm-4.7-flash	$0.06	$0.40	—
EmberCloud	glm-4.7-flash	$0.06	$0.40	$0.01
Z AI	glm-4.7-flashx	$0.07	$0.40	$0.01
S OpenRouter	glm-4.7	$0.40	$1.75	$0.08
ByteDance	glm-4.7	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
Cerebras	glm-4.7	$2.25	$2.75	—
Vertex AI (OpenAI-compatible)	glm-4.7	$0.60	$2.20	—
Z AI	glm-4.7	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
Together AI	glm-4.7	$0.45	$2.00	—
EmberCloud	glm-4.7	$0.38	$1.98	$0.19
S Hormouz	glm-4.7	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
S Metis	glm-4.7	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
NovitaAI	glm-4.7	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
Z AI	glm-4.5-airx	$1.10	$4.50	$0.22
Z AI	glm-4.5-x	$2.20	$8.90	$0.45
S OpenRouter	glm-4.5-air	$0.13	$0.85	$0.02
EmberCloud	glm-4.5-air	$0.13	$0.85	$0.02
Z AI	glm-4.5-air	$0.20	$1.10	$0.03
S OpenRouter	glm-4.5v	$0.60	$1.80	$0.11
NovitaAI	glm-4.5v	$0.60	$1.80	$0.11
Z AI	glm-4.5v	$0.60	$1.80	$0.11
EmberCloud	glm-4.5	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
Z AI	glm-4.5	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
S OpenRouter	glm-4.5	$0.60	$2.20	$0.11
S AvalAI	qwen2-5-vl-32b-instruct	$1.40	$4.20	$0.70
S OpenRouter	qwen3-vl-235b-a22b-thinking	$0.26	$2.60	—
NovitaAI	qwen3-vl-235b-a22b-thinking	$0.98	$3.95	—
DeepInfra	qwen3-vl-235b-a22b-instruct	$0.20	$0.88	$0.11
S OpenRouter	qwen3-vl-235b-a22b-instruct	$0.21	$1.90	$0.10
NovitaAI	qwen3-vl-235b-a22b-instruct	$0.30	$1.50	—
S OpenRouter	qwen3-vl-30b-a3b-thinking	$0.13	$1.56	—
NovitaAI	qwen3-vl-30b-a3b-instruct	$0.20	$0.70	—
DeepInfra	qwen3-vl-30b-a3b-instruct	$0.15	$0.60	—
S OpenRouter	qwen3-vl-30b-a3b-instruct	$0.13	$0.52	—
S OpenRouter	qwen3-next-80b-a3b-instruct	$0.10	$1.10	$0.07
Vertex AI (OpenAI-compatible)	qwen3-next-80b-a3b-instruct	$0.15	$1.20	—
S AvalAI	qwen3-next-80b-a3b-instruct	$0.14	$0.57	$0.07
NovitaAI	qwen3-next-80b-a3b-instruct	$0.15	$1.50	—
Vertex AI (OpenAI-compatible)	qwen3-next-80b-a3b-thinking	$0.15	$1.20	—
S AvalAI	qwen3-next-80b-a3b-thinking	$0.14	$1.43	$0.07

Open Source Models

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Open Source Models

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best open source LLM?

What does 'open source' mean for LLMs?

Should I self-host or use an API?

Are open models cheaper than proprietary ones?