Llama: what it is, what it costs, and who it suits (2026)
Llama is Meta's family of “open-weight” models: anyone can download and run them.
Research-based, not tested. Written from official pages and help docs (last checked Oct 15, 2026). We haven't run our own tests of this yet, so treat it as an explainer, not a verdict. How we test
In one sentence
Free, downloadable models for people who want to run AI on their own computer or build their own apps. It's not really a consumer chatbot.
Latest models (last checked Oct 15, 2026)
Newest Llama: Llama 4 Scout/Maverick (Apr 2025). Meta's newest models are now the Muse family (Muse Wonder, Oct 12, 2026). These are paid API/subscription models, and we couldn't confirm whether they are downloadable (not verified).
- Oct 12, 2026: Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full: Meta's most capable models (new Muse family, not Llama); API and Muse Code, coming to the Muse assistant for subscribers first (Meta)
- Apr 5, 2025: Llama 4 Scout and Llama 4 Maverick: newest Llama models we could confirm (Meta)
Free vs paid (as of Oct 2026)
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Download | $0 | Llama 4 Scout and Llama 4 Maverick (released April 2025) from llama.com and Hugging Face |
| Hosted by other companies | Varies | Many cloud providers run Llama for a per-use fee |
Free option: The models are free to download (Meta's licence terms apply). There's no Llama subscription.
What it's good at
- Free and customisable: you can run it privately on your own hardware
- Llama 4 Scout handles very long inputs (up to a 10M-token context, per Meta)
- Huge community of tools and fine-tuned versions
Keep in mind
- Running it yourself takes technical skill and a powerful computer
- No new Llama release since April 2025 that we could find
- Meta's newest flagship models are a separate, paid family called Muse (see above)
Where you'll find it
- Developer tools and apps built on top of it
- Meta AI (WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram) launched Llama 4 in April 2025; which model Meta AI uses today is not verified
Last checked Oct 15, 2026. Model names change fast. Names and prices here are as of Oct 2026 and come from the sources at the bottom of the page.
See also: AI models explained · Which AI model should I use? · Best free AI models
Sources
- Meta: The Llama 4 herd: last checked Oct 15, 2026
- Llama docs: versioning: last checked Oct 15, 2026
- Opper AI: Meta model release list (third-party): last checked Oct 15, 2026
- Meta: Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full (Oct 12, 2026): last checked Oct 15, 2026
Prices and plans change often. Always confirm on the official site before you buy.
“Tested This Week” newsletter: coming soon
One short email a week: five AI tools, what they're good for, and whether they're worth it. Plain English, no hype. We're setting it up now. Meanwhile, check Tested This Week on the site.