LocalAITools · 200 models reviewed

The LLM license comparison for models you want to ship.

Name: LocalAITools AI model license database
Creator: LocalAITools

LocalAITools is an LLM license comparison for 200 models: plain-language commercial-use verdicts, MAU thresholds like Llama’s 700M limit, and exact terms for every major open-source LLM. Building on an open model? I write commercial-use clearance reports on the license first.

Clear my model See how it works →

200models reviewed

5license flags

1clear answer

200models reviewed 5license flags

Sample preview of the LLM license database.

●Direct answers

Quick answers

The questions everyone asks, answered straight.

Can I use Llama commercially?

Yes, with conditions worth knowing. The Llama Community License permits commercial use until 700M monthly active users, then you need Meta’s separate license. Apache 2.0 and MIT models have no such tripwire. Our LLM license comparison lists every model with its exact terms, so you never guess.

Which other open-source LLMs allow commercial use?

Most of them, under different terms. Apache 2.0 and MIT models permit commercial use outright. Community licenses for Gemma and DeepSeek allow it with conditions. We keep a per-model list with exact terms, so there’s no guessing. Check before you ship.

How does the Llama license differ from Apache 2.0 for SaaS?

Apache 2.0 asks only for attribution; the Llama Community License adds real restrictions. The MAU threshold, plus a ban on training competing models on outputs. Our side-by-side shows which clauses actually matter when you’re shipping SaaS. Read it before you pick a base model.

●Features

An LLM license comparison in plain language

Commercial-use verdicts, thresholds, exact terms. Read them before you ship.

Commercial-use verdicts per model

Llama, Gemma, DeepSeek, Qwen, Mistral: a plain-language verdict per model. Allowed, allowed with conditions, or restricted, with the exact clause cited.

MAU thresholds explained

Llama’s 700M monthly-active-user threshold, decoded. What counts, what happens when you cross it, how to stay compliant as you scale.

Apache 2.0 vs MIT vs copyleft

The licenses AI models actually ship under, side by side. Including what open weights vs open source really means for your SaaS.

Licenses for startups

Filter by what founders actually need: the best open source LLM for commercial use, fine-tuning rights, redistribution, attribution.

●The dataset

Inside the LLM license comparison dataset

What we collected, field by field. Every verdict traceable to the license text.

Table 1: LLM license comparison coverage by license type (launch dataset).
License type	Models	Key fields
Apache 2.0 / MIT	80+	Commercial use, attribution terms
Community licenses	60+	MAU thresholds, conditions
Copyleft & restricted	40+	Redistribution and fine-tuning terms
Research-only	20+	Non-commercial limits

Table 2: Fields in each license record (illustrative sample values).
Field	What it means	Sample value
License name	The license the model ships under	Apache 2.0
Commercial use	Whether you can ship a product	allowed with conditions
MAU threshold	User-count trigger for extra licensing	700M MAU
Attribution	Credit requirement	required

Key terms, defined

Commercial use: Using a model in something that makes money. Allowed or not depends on the license, not on whether the weights are public.
MAU threshold: A monthly-active-user tripwire in some community licenses. Cross it and you owe the licensor a separate license.
Open weights vs open source: Open weights means downloadable weights. Open source, by the OSI definition, also guarantees broad reuse rights. Many “open” models are only the former.
Copyleft: Licenses that force derivative works to share the same terms. A real headache for proprietary products.
Redistribution: The right to pass the model, or your fine-tune of it, on to others. Some licenses say no.
Fine-tuning rights: Whether you may train the model further on your data and ship the result.

●Preview

A sneak peek inside LocalAITools

A peek under the hood. This is the data I work from.

Sample Model A
Apache 2.0commercial OKattribution

Sample Model B
Community licenseconditions apply700M MAU

Sample Model C
Research-onlyrestrictedno commercial use

Just a sample of the data. Clear my model, and I will put the full dataset to work for you.

●Topic hub

The AI model license topic hub

One keyword would not do it justice. The whole AI model license topic, mapped:

Commercial-use verdicts

Allowed, allowed with conditions, or restricted. Per model, no guessing.

Llama license terms

Llama license commercial use: the 700M MAU threshold and what it means for you.

Apache 2.0 vs MIT

Apache 2.0 vs MIT license, AI-model edition. The diffs that matter.

MAU thresholds

User-count tripwires, and what happens when you cross one.

Licenses for startups

What founders actually need: SaaS use, fine-tuning, redistribution.

Open weights vs open source

Why “open weights” and “open source” are not the same thing. It matters.

Can I use Llama commercially? The license decides

The question every AI startup has to answer before shipping.

“Can I use Llama commercially?” It is the question we hear most, and the answer depends on the version, the license text and your scale. LocalAITools’ LLM license comparison looks past the headline: redistribution rights, fine-tuning terms, the output-training ban, and MAU thresholds like the one in the Llama 4 license terms.

The best open source LLM for commercial use is rarely the strongest model. Apache 2.0-licensed models give startups the most freedom; community licenses (see Llama, Gemma license commercial use terms) add conditions that bite at scale. Grasping Apache 2.0 vs MIT license differences for AI models, and what open weights vs open source really means, saves founders from nasty licensing surprises.

Checking DeepSeek license commercial use terms? Comparing open source AI models for startups generally? Our AI model license explained database gives the per-model verdict with the source license linked. Clear my model to put this data to work for you.

●FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Answers about AI model licenses and commercial use

Llama 4 community license 700M MAU threshold: explained

The Llama Community License permits commercial use, but past 700 million monthly active users you need a separate license from Meta. Most startups never trigger it. Building a consumer app with mass reach? Our LLM license comparison flags every model with MAU-style thresholds so you can plan ahead.

Which open source LLMs allow commercial use? (full list)

Plenty. Apache 2.0 or MIT models, like Mistral’s Apache-licensed releases, permit commercial use outright. Community licenses for Llama, Gemma and DeepSeek allow it with conditions. We keep a per-model list with exact terms, so there’s no guessing.

Llama license vs Apache 2.0: the differences that matter for SaaS

Apache 2.0 lets you use, modify and sell with only attribution required. The Llama Community License adds the MAU threshold and bans training competing models on outputs. Our side-by-side shows which clauses actually matter for SaaS.

Can I use DeepSeek in a commercial product?

Yes, generally. DeepSeek’s license terms permit commercial use, including distilling smaller models, with attribution. Still, check the current license text for your exact model version. We link the source license on every database entry.

What happens if my product exceeds the Llama MAU limit?

Past 700M monthly active users, you must request an additional license from Meta. The model doesn’t retroactively become illegal, but using it without that license would breach the terms. At that scale you’d negotiate directly anyway. We track which models carry triggers like this.

●References

Sources & further reading

Hugging Face: Model weights, model cards and license metadata. The hub.

arXiv: Papers on model training and the licensing choices behind them.

GitHub: Where model licenses are actually published: the repos.

Ollama: Run open models locally. Check the license before you ship.

●Work with me

Know if you can legally ship that model

A clearance report on the open model's license, before you build your product on it.

$59 per model

✓ Can you use this model commercially
✓ License terms in plain English
✓ Delivered within 5 days

Clear my model

Tell me about your situation and I will get back to you.