Ollama vs SGLang
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. SGLang is completely free, while Ollama is freemium.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- One-command model runs
- OpenAI-compatible local API
- Model library
- Desktop chat app
- Ollama Cloud
- RadixAttention caching
- Structured output
- MoE parallelism
- Speculative decoding
- OpenAI-compatible API
| Feature | Ollama | SGLang |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Run open models locally with one command, plus optional cloud models | Fast open-source serving framework for LLMs and vision models |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Free |
| Starting price | $20/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes, fully free |
| Made by | Ollama | LMSYS |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
SGLang is completely free, while Ollama is freemium.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
5 plans
Pay as you go
Free
- Run models locally for free
- Pay per token for cloud models
- 3 concurrent requests
Pro
$20/mo
- $60 of usage credits per month
- Access to larger pro models
Max
$100/mo
- $300 of usage credits per month
- 10 concurrent requests
- Early access to new models
Team
$500/mo
- Unlimited users
- $1,000 shared credits per month
- Centralized billing, priority support
Enterprise
Custom
- Cost budgets per user and key
- Dedicated Slack support
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Ollama
- Very easy local setup
- Huge tool ecosystem
- Free for local use
- Fewer tuning options than llama.cpp
- Large models need strong hardware
- Cloud limits can change
SGLang
- Very fast on large MoE models
- Strong prefix caching
- Active development
- Needs server-class GPUs
- Docs assume expertise
- Fewer beginner guides than vLLM
Which one should you choose?
Choose Ollama if you want:
- Very easy local setup
- Huge tool ecosystem
- Free for local use
Watch out: fewer tuning options than llama.cpp.
Choose SGLang if you want:
- Very fast on large MoE models
- Strong prefix caching
- Active development
Watch out: needs server-class gpus.
Ollama vs SGLang FAQ
What is the difference between Ollama and SGLang?
Ollama: Run open models locally with one command, plus optional cloud models. SGLang: Fast open-source serving framework for LLMs and vision models. Both are models & apis tools.
Is Ollama or SGLang cheaper?
SGLang is completely free, while Ollama is freemium.
Do Ollama and SGLang have free plans?
Ollama: Yes. SGLang: Yes, fully free.
Who makes Ollama?
Ollama is made by Ollama, based in United States.
Who makes SGLang?
SGLang is made by LMSYS, based in United States.
Which should I choose, Ollama or SGLang?
Choose Ollama if you value very easy local setup and huge tool ecosystem. Choose SGLang if you value very fast on large moe models and strong prefix caching.