Runtime comparison
KoboldCpp vs MLX LM
KoboldCpp is a AGPL-3.0-licensed runtime for Linux · macOS · Windows running on CUDA · CPU · Vulkan · ROCm; MLX LM is MIT-licensed for macOS on Metal. Both rate 4/5 for ease of setup. Pick KoboldCpp for people who want a desktop app and no terminal; pick MLX LM for maximum control over how the model runs.
| Spec | KoboldCpp | MLX LM |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Operating systems | Linux · macOS · Windows | macOS |
| GPU backends | CUDA · CPU · Vulkan · ROCm | Metal |
| Install | binary / source | pip |
| Ease of use | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Quant formats | gguf | mlx |
| Engine | llama.cpp | mlx |
| GitHub stars | 10,973 | 6,236 |
| Latest version | v1.116.1 | v0.31.3 |
| Graphical app (GUI) | Yes | No |
| Server mode | Yes | Yes |
| OpenAI-compatible API | Yes | Yes |
| CPU offload | Yes | No |
| Multi-GPU | Yes | No |
| Speculative decoding | Yes | No |
| LoRA support | Yes | Yes |
| KV-cache quantization | Yes | Yes |
Which should you use?
KoboldCpp
Best for people who want a desktop app and no terminal. Ships a graphical app, runs on CUDA · CPU · Vulkan · ROCm.
Full KoboldCpp guide →MLX LM
Best for maximum control over how the model runs. Command line and server, runs on Metal.
Full MLX LM guide →Neither runtime changes whether a model fits — that is your memory and quantization. Check your hardware first, then pick the runtime.
Sources: KoboldCpp github.com/LostRuins/koboldcpp (as of 2026-07-08); MLX LM github.com/ml-explore/mlx-lm (as of 2026-07-08).