Best Small Language Models for Hugging Face

Muse Glimmer is an open-weights model featuring 30 billion parameters, developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs, and is fine-tuned for continuous local agent operations. Its compact design allows it to function on a standard Mac or PC equipped with a single consumer GPU, making it ideal for various tasks such as local agent management, function calling, programming, and LLM-as-a-judge evaluations without reliance on cloud services or internet connectivity. This innovative model integrates advanced capabilities such as long-horizon execution, accurate tool invocation, multimodal comprehension, extended memory for context, and effective instruction following. It is proficient in accomplishing end-to-end tasks as an agent, maintains the ability to engage in multi-step reasoning over lengthy processes, can recover gracefully from failed or unanticipated tool engagements, and interprets interleaved text and images using a specialized perception encoder designed for analyzing screenshots, graphs, and document files. Furthermore, Muse Glimmer is compatible with OpenClaw and other orchestration frameworks, allowing for adjustable reasoning efforts, and has been developed with a diverse dataset encompassing over 100 languages. The model's versatility ensures that it can adapt to various applications, thus enhancing its utility in different domains.

Gemma 4 is an advanced AI model developed by Google as part of its Gemini architecture, designed to deliver strong performance while remaining accessible to developers. The model is optimized to run on a single GPU or TPU, allowing more organizations and researchers to experiment with powerful AI technology. Gemma 4 improves natural language understanding and generation, making it suitable for applications such as chatbots, text analysis, and automated content creation. Its architecture enables the model to process complex language patterns while maintaining efficient computational performance. Developers can integrate Gemma 4 into various AI projects that require intelligent text processing or conversational capabilities. The model is designed with scalability in mind, allowing it to support both research experiments and production systems. By offering high-performance AI in a more accessible format, Gemma 4 lowers the barrier for developing sophisticated AI solutions. Its flexibility makes it useful for industries ranging from technology and education to business automation. Researchers can also use the model to explore new AI techniques and improve language processing systems. Overall, Gemma 4 represents a step forward in making powerful AI models easier to deploy and use.

SmolLM2 comprises an advanced suite of compact language models specifically created for on-device functionalities. This collection features models with varying sizes, including those with 1.7 billion parameters, as well as more streamlined versions at 360 million and 135 million parameters, ensuring efficient performance on even the most limited hardware. They excel in generating text and are fine-tuned for applications requiring real-time responsiveness and minimal latency, delivering high-quality outcomes across a multitude of scenarios such as content generation, coding support, and natural language understanding. The versatility of SmolLM2 positions it as an ideal option for developers aiming to incorporate robust AI capabilities into mobile devices, edge computing solutions, and other settings where resources are constrained. Its design reflects a commitment to balancing performance and accessibility, making cutting-edge AI technology more widely available.

Gemma 3, launched by Google, represents a cutting-edge AI model constructed upon the Gemini 2.0 framework, aimed at delivering superior efficiency and adaptability. This innovative model can operate seamlessly on a single GPU or TPU, which opens up opportunities for a diverse group of developers and researchers. Focusing on enhancing natural language comprehension, generation, and other AI-related functions, Gemma 3 is designed to elevate the capabilities of AI systems. With its scalable and robust features, Gemma 3 aspires to propel the evolution of AI applications in numerous sectors and scenarios, potentially transforming the landscape of technology as we know it.

Mistral Small 3.1 represents a cutting-edge, multimodal, and multilingual AI model that has been released under the Apache 2.0 license. This upgraded version builds on Mistral Small 3, featuring enhanced text capabilities and superior multimodal comprehension, while also accommodating an extended context window of up to 128,000 tokens. It demonstrates superior performance compared to similar models such as Gemma 3 and GPT-4o Mini, achieving impressive inference speeds of 150 tokens per second. Tailored for adaptability, Mistral Small 3.1 shines in a variety of applications, including instruction following, conversational support, image analysis, and function execution, making it ideal for both business and consumer AI needs. The model's streamlined architecture enables it to operate efficiently on hardware such as a single RTX 4090 or a Mac equipped with 32GB of RAM, thus supporting on-device implementations. Users can download it from Hugging Face and access it through Mistral AI's developer playground, while it is also integrated into platforms like Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, with additional accessibility on NVIDIA NIM and more. This flexibility ensures that developers can leverage its capabilities across diverse environments and applications.

Introducing Gemma 3n, our cutting-edge open multimodal model designed specifically for optimal on-device performance and efficiency. With a focus on responsive and low-footprint local inference, Gemma 3n paves the way for a new generation of intelligent applications that can be utilized on the move. It has the capability to analyze and respond to a blend of images and text, with plans to incorporate video and audio functionalities in the near future. Developers can create smart, interactive features that prioritize user privacy and function seamlessly without an internet connection. The model boasts a mobile-first architecture, significantly minimizing memory usage. Co-developed by Google's mobile hardware teams alongside industry experts, it maintains a 4B active memory footprint while also offering the flexibility to create submodels for optimizing quality and latency. Notably, Gemma 3n represents our inaugural open model built on this revolutionary shared architecture, enabling developers to start experimenting with this advanced technology today in its early preview. As technology evolves, we anticipate even more innovative applications to emerge from this robust framework.

Solar Mini is an advanced pre-trained large language model that matches the performance of GPT-3.5 while providing responses 2.5 times faster, all while maintaining a parameter count of under 30 billion. In December 2023, it secured the top position on the Hugging Face Open LLM Leaderboard by integrating a 32-layer Llama 2 framework, which was initialized with superior Mistral 7B weights, coupled with a novel method known as "depth up-scaling" (DUS) that enhances the model's depth efficiently without the need for intricate modules. Following the DUS implementation, the model undergoes further pretraining to restore and boost its performance, and it also includes instruction tuning in a question-and-answer format, particularly tailored for Korean, which sharpens its responsiveness to user prompts, while alignment tuning ensures its outputs align with human or sophisticated AI preferences. Solar Mini consistently surpasses rivals like Llama 2, Mistral 7B, Ko-Alpaca, and KULLM across a range of benchmarks, demonstrating that a smaller model can still deliver exceptional performance. This showcases the potential of innovative architectural strategies in the development of highly efficient AI models.

LFM2 represents an advanced series of on-device foundation models designed to provide a remarkably swift generative-AI experience across a diverse array of devices. By utilizing a novel hybrid architecture, it achieves decoding and pre-filling speeds that are up to twice as fast as those of similar models, while also enhancing training efficiency by as much as three times compared to its predecessor. These models offer a perfect equilibrium of quality, latency, and memory utilization suitable for embedded system deployment, facilitating real-time, on-device AI functionality in smartphones, laptops, vehicles, wearables, and various other platforms, which results in millisecond inference, device durability, and complete data sovereignty. LFM2 is offered in three configurations featuring 0.35 billion, 0.7 billion, and 1.2 billion parameters, showcasing benchmark results that surpass similarly scaled models in areas including knowledge recall, mathematics, multilingual instruction adherence, and conversational dialogue assessments. With these capabilities, LFM2 not only enhances user experience but also sets a new standard for on-device AI performance.

The Gemma family consists of advanced, lightweight models developed using the same innovative research and technology as the Gemini models. These cutting-edge models are equipped with robust security features that promote responsible and trustworthy AI applications, achieved through carefully curated data sets and thorough refinements. Notably, Gemma models excel in their various sizes—2B, 7B, 9B, and 27B—often exceeding the performance of some larger open models. With the introduction of Keras 3.0, users can experience effortless integration with JAX, TensorFlow, and PyTorch, providing flexibility in framework selection based on specific tasks. Designed for peak performance and remarkable efficiency, Gemma 2 is specifically optimized for rapid inference across a range of hardware platforms. Furthermore, the Gemma family includes diverse models that cater to distinct use cases, ensuring they adapt effectively to user requirements. These lightweight language models feature a decoder and have been trained on an extensive array of textual data, programming code, and mathematical concepts, which enhances their versatility and utility in various applications.

Jamba stands out as the most potent and effective long context model, specifically designed for builders while catering to enterprise needs. With superior latency compared to other leading models of similar sizes, Jamba boasts a remarkable 256k context window, the longest that is openly accessible. Its innovative Mamba-Transformer MoE architecture focuses on maximizing cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Key features available out of the box include function calls, JSON mode output, document objects, and citation mode, all designed to enhance user experience. Jamba 1.5 models deliver exceptional performance throughout their extensive context window and consistently achieve high scores on various quality benchmarks. Enterprises can benefit from secure deployment options tailored to their unique requirements, allowing for seamless integration into existing systems. Jamba can be easily accessed on our robust SaaS platform, while deployment options extend to strategic partners, ensuring flexibility for users. For organizations with specialized needs, we provide dedicated management and continuous pre-training, ensuring that every client can leverage Jamba’s capabilities to the fullest. This adaptability makes Jamba a prime choice for enterprises looking for cutting-edge solutions.

Phi-4 is an advanced small language model (SLM) comprising 14 billion parameters, showcasing exceptional capabilities in intricate reasoning tasks, particularly in mathematics, alongside typical language processing functions. As the newest addition to the Phi family of small language models, Phi-4 illustrates the potential advancements we can achieve while exploring the limits of SLM technology. It is currently accessible on Azure AI Foundry under a Microsoft Research License Agreement (MSRLA) and is set to be released on Hugging Face in the near future. Due to significant improvements in processes such as the employment of high-quality synthetic datasets and the careful curation of organic data, Phi-4 surpasses both comparable and larger models in mathematical reasoning tasks. This model not only emphasizes the ongoing evolution of language models but also highlights the delicate balance between model size and output quality. As we continue to innovate, Phi-4 stands as a testament to our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what's achievable within the realm of small language models.

Phi-4-reasoning is an advanced transformer model featuring 14 billion parameters, specifically tailored for tackling intricate reasoning challenges, including mathematics, programming, algorithm development, and strategic planning. Through a meticulous process of supervised fine-tuning on select "teachable" prompts and reasoning examples created using o3-mini, it excels at generating thorough reasoning sequences that optimize computational resources during inference. By integrating outcome-driven reinforcement learning, Phi-4-reasoning is capable of producing extended reasoning paths. Its performance notably surpasses that of significantly larger open-weight models like DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Llama-70B and nears the capabilities of the comprehensive DeepSeek-R1 model across various reasoning applications. Designed for use in settings with limited computing power or high latency, Phi-4-reasoning is fine-tuned with synthetic data provided by DeepSeek-R1, ensuring it delivers precise and methodical problem-solving. This model's ability to handle complex tasks with efficiency makes it a valuable tool in numerous computational contexts.

Phi-4-reasoning-plus is an advanced reasoning model with 14 billion parameters, enhancing the capabilities of the original Phi-4-reasoning. It employs reinforcement learning for better inference efficiency, processing 1.5 times the number of tokens compared to its predecessor, which results in improved accuracy. Remarkably, this model performs better than both OpenAI's o1-mini and DeepSeek-R1 across various benchmarks, including challenging tasks in mathematical reasoning and advanced scientific inquiries. Notably, it even outperforms the larger DeepSeek-R1, which boasts 671 billion parameters, on the prestigious AIME 2025 assessment, a qualifier for the USA Math Olympiad. Furthermore, Phi-4-reasoning-plus is accessible on platforms like Azure AI Foundry and HuggingFace, making it easier for developers and researchers to leverage its capabilities. Its innovative design positions it as a top contender in the realm of reasoning models.

Phi-4-mini-reasoning is a transformer-based language model with 3.8 billion parameters, specifically designed to excel in mathematical reasoning and methodical problem-solving within environments that have limited computational capacity or latency constraints. Its optimization stems from fine-tuning with synthetic data produced by the DeepSeek-R1 model, striking a balance between efficiency and sophisticated reasoning capabilities. With training that encompasses over one million varied math problems, ranging in complexity from middle school to Ph.D. level, Phi-4-mini-reasoning demonstrates superior performance to its base model in generating lengthy sentences across multiple assessments and outshines larger counterparts such as OpenThinker-7B, Llama-3.2-3B-instruct, and DeepSeek-R1. Equipped with a 128K-token context window, it also facilitates function calling, which allows for seamless integration with various external tools and APIs. Moreover, Phi-4-mini-reasoning can be quantized through the Microsoft Olive or Apple MLX Framework, enabling its deployment on a variety of edge devices, including IoT gadgets, laptops, and smartphones. Its design not only enhances user accessibility but also expands the potential for innovative applications in mathematical fields.

Phi-4-mini-flash-reasoning is a 3.8 billion-parameter model that is part of Microsoft's Phi series, specifically designed for edge, mobile, and other environments with constrained resources where processing power, memory, and speed are limited. This innovative model features the SambaY hybrid decoder architecture, integrating Gated Memory Units (GMUs) with Mamba state-space and sliding-window attention layers, achieving up to ten times the throughput and a latency reduction of 2 to 3 times compared to its earlier versions without compromising on its ability to perform complex mathematical and logical reasoning. With a support for a context length of 64K tokens and being fine-tuned on high-quality synthetic datasets, it is particularly adept at handling long-context retrieval, reasoning tasks, and real-time inference, all manageable on a single GPU. Available through platforms such as Azure AI Foundry, NVIDIA API Catalog, and Hugging Face, Phi-4-mini-flash-reasoning empowers developers to create applications that are not only fast but also scalable and capable of intensive logical processing. This accessibility allows a broader range of developers to leverage its capabilities for innovative solutions.