AI · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to LLM CLI tool now supports self-hosted language models via plugins

LLM is my command-line utility and Python library for working with large language models such as GPT-4. I just released version 0.5 with a huge new feature: you can now …

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. LLM CLI tool now supports self-hosted language models via plugins launched in 2023; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1
My LLM CLI tool can run tools now, from Python code or plugins▲529
LLM 0.26 is out with the biggest new feature since I started the project: support for tools. You can now use the LLM CLI tool—and Python library—to grant LLMs from …
2025 · simonwillison.net · its alternatives →
2
LLM, a Rust Crate/CLI for CPU Inference of LLMs (LLaMA, GPT-NeoX, etc.)▲45
G'day, HN! I'm one of the maintainers of `llm`. I've been working alongside a trusty group of contributors to bring this project to life, and we're now at a point where we're ready to share it with the world. Large language models (LLMs) are taking the computing world by storm due to their emergent abilities that allow them to perform a wide variety of tasks, including translation, summarization, code generation, and even some degree of reasoning. However, the ecosystem around LLMs is still in its infancy, and it can be difficult to get started with these models. `llm` is a one-stop shop for…
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
3
LLM-Term – Simple Rust-based CLI assist tool▲32
Current AI-assisted CLI tools are often part of larger systems and work better on Linux. I built llm-term to address these. It's a Rust-based tool that compiles into a single binary file. You only need to download the binary, add it to your PATH, and configure your OpenAI key to get started. While llm-term offers an option for gpt-4o, it works great with gpt-4o-mini. So it's not costly. I appreciate any feedback or suggestions.
2024 · github.com · its alternatives →
4
Find the best local LLM for your hardware, ranked by benchmarks▲283
Find the local LLM that actually runs and performs best on your hardware. Ranked by real, recency-aware benchmarks, not parameter count. One command, run it instantly. - Andyyyy64/whichllm
May 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
5
LLM Explorer▲152
Find your best LLM for a local inference
2023 · its alternatives →
6
ChainForge, a visual tool for prompt engineering and LLM evaluation▲177
Hi HN! We’re been working hard on this low-code tool for rapid prompt discovery, robustness testing and LLM evaluation. We’ve just released documentation to help new users learn how to use it and what it can already do. Let us know what you think! :)
2023 · chainforge.ai · its alternatives →
7
Bash4LLM+ – A lightweight, dependency-free Bash wrapper for LLM APIs▲60
Bash4LLM is a single-file Bash wrapper for interacting with LLMs from the terminal. I created it because I wanted something simple that worked without installing Python, Node, or any other runtime. It uses only Bash, curl, and jq. You can send prompts, start a small chat, process files line by line, stream output, and save session metadata in JSON format. I tried to make it safe and predictable: no use of the system /tmp, no use of eval. Groq is supported by default, and other providers can be added with dedicated Bash scripts in the extras/providers/ folder. Example: echo…
Jun 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →
8
Open Codex – OpenAI Codex CLI with open-source LLMs▲106
Hey HN, I’ve built Open Codex, a fully local, open-source alternative to OpenAI’s Codex CLI. My initial plan was to fork their project and extend it. I even started doing that. But it turned out their code has several leaky abstractions, which made it hard to override core behavior cleanly. Shortly after, OpenAI introduced breaking changes. Maintaining my customizations on top became increasingly difficult. So I rewrote the whole thing from scratch using Python. My version is designed to support local LLMs. Right now, it only works with phi-4-mini (GGUF) via…
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
9
Ollama – Run LLMs on your Mac▲284
Hi HN A few folks and I have been working on this project for a couple weeks now. After previously working on the Docker project for a number of years (both on the container runtime and image registry side), the recent rise in open source language models made us think something similar needed to exist for large language models too. While not exactly the same as running linux containers, running LLMs shares quite a few of the same challenges. There are "base layers" (e.g. models like Llama 2), specific configuration to run correctly (parameters, temperature, context window sizes etc). There's…
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
10
Ell – A command-line interface for LLMs written in Bash▲214
Hi HN! I've created a CLI tool called "ell" that allows you to interact with LLMs directly from your terminal. Designed with the Unix philosophy in mind, ell is simple, modular, and extensible. You can easily pipe input and output to integrate with other tools. Its templates and hook-based plugins enable you to customize and extend its functionality to suit any needs. Check out the README for usage instructions and examples. I developed this tool because existing solutions often felt too heavy, with many dependencies, or they weren't friendly to piping and customization. I, on the contrary,…
2024 · github.com · its alternatives →
11
liteLLM▲120
One library to standardize all LLM APIs
2023 · litellm.ai · its alternatives →
12
Marsha – An LLM-Based Programming Language▲140
Marsha is a functional, higher-level, English-based programming language that gets compiled into tested Python software by an LLM - alantech/marsha
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
13
A CLI that makes LLMs convenient to use for developers▲26
Command-line interface for the Arcane Engine. Contribute to arc-eng/cli development by creating an account on GitHub.
2024 · github.com · its alternatives →
14
llmformat.com▲99
Store you AI templates easily and powerfully
2023 · its alternatives →
15
Open-Source Alternative to OpenAI Platform, for Local Models▲93
Hi everyone, we’re a small team, supported by Mozilla, who are working on re-imagining a UI for training, tuning and testing local LLMs. Everything is open source. If you’ve been training your own LLMs or have always wanted to, we’d love for you to play with the tool and give feedback on what the future development experience for LLM engineering could look like.
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
16
Prompting LLMs in Bash scripts▲79
https://github.com/elijah-potter/ofc
2025 · elijahpotter.dev · its alternatives →
17IG
Interactive Graph by LLM (GPT-4o)▲45
Data automation and visualization platform for spreadsheet users.
2024 · columns.ai · its alternatives →
18
Find the Best LLM for Your Needs▲33
Find the Best LLM for Your Needs through E2E Testing - Yuyz0112/relia
2024 · github.com · its alternatives →
19
Local LLM Notepad – run a GPT-style model from a USB stick▲40
What it is A single 45 MB Windows .exe that embeds llama.cpp and a minimal Tk UI. Copy it (plus any .gguf model) to a flash drive, double-click on any Windows PC, and you’re chatting with an LLM—no admin rights, Cloud, or network. Why I built it Existing “local LLM” GUIs assume you can pip install, pass long CLI flags, or download GBs of extras. I wanted something my less-technical colleagues could run during a client visit by literally plugging in a USB drive. How it works PyInstaller one-file build → bundles Python runtime, llama_cpp_python, and the UI into a single PE. On first launch, it…
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
20
Map with an LLM▲76
Christmas project from a personal need to find ideal locations.
2024 · godview.ai · its alternatives →
21
Create-LLM – Train your own LLM in 60 seconds▲54
https://medium.com/@theaniketgiri/three-months-ago-i-wanted-...
Oct 2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
22
LLMFlows – LangChain alternative for explicit and transparent apps▲49
Hi HN! Over the last several weekends, I've been building LLMFlows as an alternative to langchain. There's been a lot of discussion on the shortcomings of langchain in the past few weeks, but when I first tried it in March, I thought there are 3 main problems: 1. Too many abstractions 2. Hidden prompts and opinionated logic in chains which makes it hard to customize 3. Hard to debug This inspired me to try and build a framework that solves these 3 issues, and therefore I started building LLFlows with the "philosophy" of being "simple, explicit, and transparent." A few weekends later, I think…
2023 · github.com · its alternatives →
23
Llm2sh – Translate plain-language requests into shell commands▲67
This is my take on the common "use llms to generate shell commands" utility. Emphasis is placed on good CLI UX, simplicity, and flexibility. `llm2sh` supports multiple LLM providers and lets LLMs generate multi-command sequences to handle complex tasks. There is also limited support for commands requiring `sudo` and other basic input. I recommend using Groq llama3-70b for day-to-day use. The ultra-low latency is a game-changer - its near-instant responses helps `llm2sh` integrate seamlessly into day-to-day tasks without breaking you out of the 'zone'. For more advanced tasks, swapping to…
2024 · github.com · its alternatives →
24DO
Directory of All LLM Models(Closed and Open Source)▲31
2024 · llmmodels.org · its alternatives →

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