KTransformers is an open-source framework for efficient inference and supervised fine-tuning of large language models through heterogeneous CPU-GPU computing. Its current project presents two first-class paths: kt-kernel inference and SFT through a LLaMA-Factory integration. The inference path uses CPU-optimized AMX, AVX512 or AVX2 kernels, quantization and heterogeneous expert placement so hot experts can remain on GPU while colder experts use CPU memory; it also documents a Python API and SGLang integration for serving. The SFT path targets very large Mixture-of-Experts models with CPU-GPU hybrid training, quantization and LoRA-style workflows on constrained accelerator memory. Model support, kernel availability and performance depend strongly on the processor instruction set, GPU, quantization, model architecture and release. Speedup and memory claims in the repository are maintainer benchmarks for named setups and should not be generalized without local testing. KTransformers is best for experienced teams optimizing large MoE inference or fine-tuning on mixed hardware; users seeking a turnkey managed endpoint or broad plug-and-play local runtime may prefer a higher-level platform.


KTransformers
Heterogeneous CPU-GPU inference and SFT for large MoE models
Open-source framework for running and fine-tuning large Mixture-of-Experts models with heterogeneous CPU-GPU execution, optimized kernels, limited VRAM and SGLang or LLaMA-Factory integrations.
Pricing
Free and open source under Apache-2.0. Users pay for their own CPU, GPU, memory, storage and operations; no hosted KTransformers subscription or public software price table was verified on 2026-08-13.
Platforms
Python-based CPU-GPU heterogeneous framework with kt-kernel inference, AMX/AVX acceleration, quantized MoE execution, SGLang serving integration and LLaMA-Factory SFT workflows. Current verified release: v0.6.4.
Categories
Tags
Use Cases
Alternatives
All KTransformers alternatives →SGLang
Fast serving framework for LLMs and vision models
SGLang is an open-source serving framework for large language and vision-language models, designed for low latency and high throughput. It features RadixAttention for automatic KV cache reuse, compressed finite state machines for fast structured output generation, continuous batching, and tensor parallelism. With over 25,000 GitHub stars, it supports models like LLaMA, Mistral, Qwen, and Gemma on NVIDIA and AMD GPUs.
vLLM
High-throughput LLM serving engine
vLLM is an Apache-2.0 LLM inference and serving engine focused on high-throughput self-hosted model APIs. It combines PagedAttention, continuous batching, prefix caching, quantization options, OpenAI-compatible serving, structured outputs, metrics, Docker/Kubernetes deployment guidance and integrations with agent and LLM frameworks.
LMDeploy
Open-source toolkit for quantizing, deploying, and serving LLMs and vision-language models
LMDeploy is an Apache-2.0 toolkit for self-hosting LLM and vision-language model inference with TurboMind and PyTorch engines. It combines continuous batching, blocked KV cache, tensor parallelism, AWQ and KV-cache quantization with OpenAI-compatible APIs, multi-GPU distribution, offline pipelines, and production metrics.
Ollama
Run LLMs locally with one command
Tool for running large language models locally on your machine with a simple CLI interface. Download and run Llama 3, Mistral, Gemma, Phi, Code Llama, and dozens of other open-source models with a single command. Features model management, GPU acceleration (NVIDIA/AMD/Apple Silicon), OpenAI-compatible API server, Modelfile for customization, and multi-model switching. Ideal for offline AI development, privacy-sensitive use cases, and local testing. 120K+ GitHub stars.
TensorRT-LLM
NVIDIA's LLM inference optimization and acceleration library
TensorRT-LLM is NVIDIA's open-source library for optimizing LLM inference on NVIDIA GPUs. It provides kernel fusion, quantization (FP8, INT4, INT8), KV cache optimization, and in-flight batching to maximize throughput. Supports multi-GPU and multi-node setups with tensor and pipeline parallelism, and integrates with Triton Inference Server for production deployment of models like LLaMA, GPT, Mistral, and Qwen.
Related Tools
computed discovery: shared active categories · kept separate from editor-verified Alternatives
vLLM Production Stack
Official Kubernetes and Helm reference stack built on the vLLM inference engine
Official vLLM reference implementation for scaling the existing inference engine on Kubernetes with Helm, request routing, KV-cache offload, autoscaling and Prometheus/Grafana observability.
NVIDIA Dynamo
Distributed inference orchestration above vLLM, SGLang and TensorRT-LLM
Open-source, datacenter-scale orchestration layer that coordinates vLLM, SGLang and TensorRT-LLM across nodes with disaggregated serving, KV-aware routing, multi-tier cache management and automatic scaling.
GPUStack
Open-source GPU control plane for scalable AI model serving
Open-source GPU cluster manager that configures vLLM, SGLang, TensorRT-LLM or custom engines, serves models through compatible APIs, and provisions SSH-accessible GPU instances across on-premises, Kubernetes and cloud environments.
Mooncake
Disaggregated KV cache storage and transfer for LLM serving
Open-source infrastructure for disaggregated LLM serving that pools KV caches across prefill and decode workers, with high-performance transfer, distributed storage and integrations for vLLM and SGLang.
LMCache
Reusable KV cache infrastructure for scalable LLM inference
Open-source KV cache management layer that persists, offloads and reuses model key-value caches across requests and serving engines to reduce repeated prefill work and improve inference throughput.
AIBrix
Cloud-native control plane for scalable GenAI inference
Open-source Kubernetes-native building blocks for deploying, routing and scaling GenAI inference, including an LLM gateway, autoscaling, LoRA management and KV-cache offloading.
FAQ
What is KTransformers?
Open-source framework for running and fine-tuning large Mixture-of-Experts models with heterogeneous CPU-GPU execution, optimized kernels, limited VRAM and SGLang or LLaMA-Factory integrations.
Is KTransformers free?
Yes — KTransformers is open source and free to use. Free and open source under Apache-2.0. Users pay for their own CPU, GPU, memory, storage and operations; no hosted KTransformers subscription or public software price table was verified on 2026-08-13.
Is KTransformers open source?
Yes — KTransformers is open source.
What are the best KTransformers alternatives?
The top editor-verified KTransformers alternatives are SGLang, vLLM, LMDeploy, and more.