Short answer (as of Oct 14, 2026): No, not by the official definition. Llama is open weights. It is free to download and most businesses can use it, but Meta's own license adds rules.
The short version
Meta lets you download Llama for free. You can run it, change it, and use it in most businesses. But Meta wrote its own license with its own rules. That makes Llama open weights, not open source.
The Open Source Initiative, the group that keeps the official definition, says Llama 3.x is "still not Open Source by any stretch of the imagination." Read their post.
What Meta's license makes you do
Here is what we found when we read the Llama licenses: Yes for most businesses. If your products had over 700 million monthly users, you need a separate deal with Meta. You must follow Meta's use policy and show "Built with Llama" if you share it.
- It is free to use. No fee to Meta.
- Huge companies (over 700 million monthly users) need a separate deal.
- You must follow Meta's use policy.
- If you share it or build a product on it, show "Built with Llama."
- On Hugging Face, you sign up and accept Meta's terms before you can download the official files.
So for a small business, Llama is usually fine. It is just not "anything goes." Nobody wants a surprise from legal.
Every Llama model we checked
| Model | Maker | Trust | Quality | RAM needed | Business | Sign-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Llama 3.2 3B | Meta | 58 | Basic | 5 GB | With limits | Yes |
| Llama 3.1 8B | Meta | 58 | Good | 8 GB | With limits | Yes |
| Llama 3.3 70B | Meta | 58 | Top home tier | 53 GB | With limits | Yes |
| Llama 4 Scout | Meta | 58 | Top home tier | 81 GB | With limits | Yes |
| Hermes 3 8B | Nous Research | 64 | Good | 8 GB | With limits | No |
Hermes 3 8B is made by Nous Research but is built on Llama 3.1, so Meta's license comes with it.
Want a real open source license instead?
These small models use an OSI-approved license (like Apache 2.0 or MIT) and fit in about 9 GB: Olmo 3 7B, SmolLM3 3B, Qwen3.5 9B. See all of them in best local AI for business use.
New to these words? Our licenses page and glossary explain them.
Common questions
Is Llama open source?
No, not by the official definition. The Open Source Initiative says Meta's Llama license is not open source. Llama is open weights: free to download and use, but under Meta's own rules.
Can I use Llama for my business?
Yes for most businesses. If your products had over 700 million monthly users, you need a separate deal with Meta. You must follow Meta's use policy and show "Built with Llama" if you share it.
Is Llama free?
Yes. Meta does not charge to download or use Llama. You do have to accept Meta's license and follow its use policy.
What is the difference between open source and open weights?
Open source means a standard license, approved by the Open Source Initiative, with no extra rules on who can use it. Open weights means you can download the model, but the maker sets its own rules.
Sources we checked
- Open Source Initiative: Meta's LLaMa license is still not Open Source, checked Oct 14, 2026
- Llama 3.1 Community License, checked Oct 14, 2026
- Llama 4 Community License, checked Oct 14, 2026
- Open Source Definition, checked Oct 14, 2026
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