Xinference
Open-source server that runs open LLM, embedding, speech, image and video models behind one OpenAI-compatible API.
Is Xinference free?
Yes, Xinference has a free plan. What you get: Open source (Apache-2.0): free to self-host the Community Edition. To get it: install with pip install xinference, the installer script or Docker; then run xinference-local and launch a model. Watch out: the Docker image is for NVIDIA GPUs and needs Docker and CUDA set up first. Verified on inference.readthedocs.io.
Free plan at a glance
- Includes
- Open source (Apache-2.0): free to self-host the Community Edition
Apache-2.0 open source (Community Edition); no usage limits are stated.
- Duration
- Free forever
How to get it free
Self-host- Install with pip install xinference, the installer script or Docker
- Run xinference-local and launch a model
Good to know
- The Docker image is for NVIDIA GPUs and needs Docker and CUDA set up first
github.com, Checked Source
Overview
Xinference (Xorbits Inference) is an open-source platform for serving open language, embedding, rerank, speech, image and video models on a laptop, on-prem or in the cloud. It offers an OpenAI-compatible REST API, a web UI and distributed deployment across machines.
Key features
- OpenAI-compatible REST API with function calling, plus RPC, CLI and a web UI
- Built-in models for chat, embeddings, rerank, images, audio and video
- Runs on GPUs and CPUs, including Apple Metal, with engines such as vLLM and llama.cpp
- Distributed inference across multiple workers and machines
- Installs with pip, a one-command script, Docker or a Helm chart on Kubernetes
- Integrates with LangChain, LlamaIndex, Dify and Chatbox
Best for
- People
- Developers self-hosting open models behind one API, Teams building RAG or agent apps on Dify, LangChain or LlamaIndex, Researchers testing many open models
Limitations
- You run the models on your own hardware
- Xinference Enterprise (with Xinference Cloud and a hosted Model API) is a separate commercial edition; prices aren't on these pages
FAQ
- Is Xinference free?
- Yes. Xinference has a free plan: Open source (Apache-2.0): free to self-host the Community Edition. We last checked inference.readthedocs.io's pricing page on 2026-11-12.
- What does the Xinference free plan include?
- Open source (Apache-2.0): free to self-host the Community Edition. Source: https://inference.readthedocs.io/en/latest (checked 2026-11-12).
- How do I get Xinference for free?
- Steps: Install with pip install xinference, the installer script or Docker; Run xinference-local and launch a model. Start at https://github.com/xorbitsai/inference (checked 2026-10-24).
- Do I need an account to use Xinference for free?
- Not for the free option: the free route is to self-host Xinference (Install with pip install xinference, the installer script or Docker). Checked 2026-10-24.
- What's the catch with Xinference's free plan?
- The Docker image is for NVIDIA GPUs and needs Docker and CUDA set up first. Checked 2026-10-24.
- What are free alternatives to Xinference?
- Exa (free credits), Requesty (free plan) and Crawl4AI (free credits) are free alternatives. We checked their free offers on 2026-11-12.
- Does Xinference have a paid version?
- Yes. Xinference Enterprise is the commercial edition for teams running models in production, deployed in your own cloud or data centre, as managed Xinference Cloud, or through a hosted Model API. Prices aren't shown on these pages.Source: inference.readthedocs.io/en/latest
- Is Xinference compatible with the OpenAI API?
- Yes. It offers an OpenAI-compatible RESTful API, including function calling, as well as RPC, a CLI and a web UI.Source: github.com/xorbitsai/inference
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Sources
- Free offer
- Verified on inference.readthedocs.io/en/latest
…Inference (Xinference) is an open-source platform to streamline the operation and integration of a wide array of AI…
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Checked against
Added by our team. We check that a free option exists and record the date; signing up is between you and Xinference, so read their privacy policy and terms first.
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