LFM3 1.7B

In non-nerd speak

Who makes it: Liquid AI. The files come from the maker's own Hugging Face account.

License: LFM Open License v1.0. Liquid AI's own license. It is free for business use only while your company makes under 10 million US dollars a year.

Business use: Only if your company makes under 10 million US dollars a year. Bigger companies need a deal with Liquid AI.

Training data: We have not found a full public data release. Not yet checked in depth.

Will it say no?

Not sure yet. The maker's card does not say how often it says no. So we won't guess.

This comes from what the maker wrote, checked Oct 27, 2026. We have not run our own tests yet. It sits next to the trust score and does not change it. How we pick these labels.

Will it run on my computer?

Pick a computer with at least 8 GB of memory. On a Mac, that is the unified memory. On a PC, a graphics card with that much VRAM is fastest. A PC with only normal RAM will also work, just slower.

Liquid AI says it runs in 1 GB of memory (source). Our estimate is about 4 GB. So 1 GB machines will be a tight fit. Close the 40 browser tabs first.

Not sure? Use our pick-by-computer guide.

How to run it in LM Studio

1. Get LM Studio from lmstudio.ai and open it.
2. Open the Discover tab. Search for LiquidAI/LFM3-1.7B-GGUF.
3. Pick a file that ends in Q4_K_M. It is the best mix of size and quality for most people.
4. Click Download. When it is done, open a new chat and load the model.

The files are GGUF builds that LM Studio can load. We checked that this repo exists on Oct 29, 2026. Full LM Studio guide.

How to use it with Hermes

Does it fit? Yes. Its memory window is big enough for Hermes.

1. Load the model in LM Studio. Set the context length to at least 64000.
2. In LM Studio, open the Developer tab and start the server.
3. In a terminal, run hermes model. Choose LM Studio and press Enter to keep http://localhost:1234/v1.
4. Pick this model from the list. Then run hermes to start.

Steps based on the Hermes docs. Full Hermes guide.

Common questions

Is LFM3 1.7B truly open source?

No, open weights with custom rules. Liquid AI's own license. It is free for business use only while your company makes under 10 million US dollars a year.

Can I use LFM3 1.7B for my business?

Only if your company makes under 10 million US dollars a year. Bigger companies need a deal with Liquid AI.

Do I need to sign up to download LFM3 1.7B?

No. Download without an account.

How much memory does LFM3 1.7B need?

Liquid AI says it runs within 1 GB of memory. Our estimate is about 4 GB of RAM for a 4-bit file of about 1.0 GB. This is a rough guide, not a test. So a 1 GB machine will be a tight fit.

Similar models to compare

Same maker first, then models that need about the same memory.

Where LFM3 1.7B shows up

• Best local AI for low-RAM laptops
• Other models that fit a 8 GB computer
• What its license means

Change history

• Oct 27, 2026 New model LFM3 1.7B: Added Liquid AI's LFM3 1.7B. A tiny, fast model for agents and tool use on a phone or laptop, about 1 GB at 4-bit. LFM Open License v1.0; business use only under 10 million US dollars a year. No sign-up needed.

All changes on the site

Sources we checked

If the maker's page and this page disagree, trust the maker. Tell us what we got wrong.