Comparison of open-weight models: Llama, DeepSeek, Qwen, and Mistral
If you want to run the AI model on your own server or computer, these four families are the most important options. Check out the differences in their license, size, Persian quality, and use cases.
"Open-weight" means the model files have been released and you can run it without the internet and without sending data to the creator company. However, licenses are not identical and the right choice depends on your hardware and use case.
| Criterion | Llama | DeepSeek | Qwen | Mistral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creator | Meta (USA) | DeepSeek (China) | Alibaba (China) | Mistral AI (France) |
| License | Meta proprietary license with conditions | Open license (MIT for R1) | Mostly Apache 2.0 | Partially Apache 2.0, partially commercial |
| Size variety | Many | Mostly large models + distilled versions | Very high | Intermediate |
| Strength | Ecosystem and Tools | Reasoning, Math, and Code | Variety and multilingualism | Performance and speed |
| Persian quality (large versions) | Intermediate | Good | Good | Intermediate |
| Run on a regular laptop | Small versions | Distilled versions | Small versions (best variety) | Small versions |
| Best for | Fine-tuning and product building | Reasoning tasks and affordable API | General-purpose local execution | European organizations and lightweight models |
Summary and our recommendation
To start running locally, a small Qwen model or a distilled version of DeepSeek is usually the best balance of quality and speed. If you intend to fine-tune and build a product, the Llama ecosystem has the most educational resources. For commercial use, be sure to read the license text of the exact version you are downloading.
Step-by-step tutorial: Running Language Models on a Personal Computer with Ollama.
This comparison is based on user experience and public information from the creators up to date Oct 28, 2026 It is written as an editorial opinion, not the result of an official benchmark. Capabilities and prices change constantly.
Complete introduction of each option
Llama
Meta's open-weights family; approved downloadable Llama 4 models include Scout and Maverick and…
DeepSeek
The DeepSeek family now includes V4.1 Flash; the online version, API, and weight execution do not…
Qwen
The Alibaba/Qwen family includes generation 3.8 and local and cloud models; Qwen3.8-Max with…
Mistral
The Mistral family now officially includes Large 4, Small 4, and Medium 3.5; not all models have…