Kamil Józwik

LLM Fine-Tuning Tools

Explore the best fine-tuning tools for Large Language Models - from flexible open-source frameworks to managed cloud services

Complexity levels:
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedExpert

Open-Source Frameworks

Self-hosted frameworks offering maximum control and flexibility7 tools

Hugging Face Transformers

Industry-standard library for training and fine-tuning transformers. Provides the broadest model support with mature Trainer API that abstracts training complexity.

Complexity
Intermediate
Supported Models
All major LLMs (Llama, Mistral, Gemma, GPT-2, BERT, T5, etc.)

Axolotl

LLM-specific fine-tuning tool with YAML configuration. Beginner-friendly approach that simplifies complex fine-tuning with declarative configs.

Complexity
Beginner
Supported Models
Llama, Mistral, Falcon, Qwen, and other popular open models

Unsloth

Speed-optimized fine-tuning framework achieving 2-5x faster training with 70% less memory usage through advanced optimization techniques.

Complexity
Intermediate
Supported Models
Llama 3/4, Mistral, Gemma, Phi, Qwen

TorchTune

PyTorch-native fine-tuning library with lean design and maximum extensibility. Provides low-level control for researchers and advanced users.

Complexity
Advanced
Supported Models
Llama, Gemma, Mistral, Phi

LLaMA Factory

Unified efficient fine-tuning toolkit with WebUI. Features GUI for no-code fine-tuning and supports 100+ LLMs with built-in best practices.

Complexity
Beginner
Supported Models
Llama, LLaVA, Mistral, Qwen, Gemma, ChatGLM, Phi, DeepSeek, Yi, etc.

XTuner

Efficient fine-tuning toolkit enabling 7B models on 8GB GPU and 200B MoE models without expert parallelism. Optimized for ultra-large scale.

Complexity
Intermediate
Supported Models
InternLM, Llama, Qwen, Mistral, Gemma, DeepSeek-MoE, Mixtral

Keras (with KerasNLP)

High-level deep learning API supporting PyTorch, JAX, and TensorFlow backends. Provides user-friendly interface for LLM fine-tuning with LoRA/QLoRA.

Complexity
Intermediate
Supported Models
Gemma, GPT-2, BERT, PaLI-Gemma (vision-language)

Cloud Platforms

Enterprise cloud platforms with full MLOps integration4 tools

AWS SageMaker

Comprehensive ML platform with full MLOps integration. JumpStart provides pre-built fine-tuning solutions and managed infrastructure.

Complexity
Advanced
WebsitePay-as-you-go
Supported Models
All major open models + Bedrock proprietary models

Google Vertex AI

Google Cloud AI platform with native TPU support and tight BigQuery integration. Offers AutoML and custom training options.

Complexity
Intermediate
WebsitePay-as-you-go
Supported Models
Gemma, PaLM, Llama, Mistral, and custom models

Azure ML

Enterprise-focused ML platform emphasizing governance, compliance, and hybrid cloud deployment. Strong integration with Microsoft ecosystem.

Complexity
Advanced
WebsitePay-as-you-go
Supported Models
Azure OpenAI models, Llama, Mistral, Phi

Databricks

Unified analytics and AI platform combining data and ML workflows. Offers data proximity advantage with built-in MLflow tracking.

Complexity
Intermediate
WebsitePay-as-you-go
Supported Models
Llama, Mistral, MPT, Falcon, and custom models

Managed Services

Simplified, fully managed fine-tuning services4 tools

OpenAI Fine-tuning API

Simplest fine-tuning experience via API. Upload data, initiate training, deploy - all managed. Limited to OpenAI models but zero infrastructure hassle.

Complexity
Beginner
WebsitePay-as-you-go
Supported Models
GPT-4, GPT-4o-mini, GPT-3.5-turbo

Hugging Face AutoTrain

No-code AutoML platform for fine-tuning. Point-and-click interface with automatic hyperparameter optimization and multi-model support.

Complexity
Beginner
WebsitePay-as-you-go
Supported Models
Most Hugging Face models (Llama, Mistral, GPT-2, BERT, etc.)

Predibase

Low-code platform specializing in LoRA fine-tuning. Includes deployment infrastructure and optimized for production use.

Complexity
Beginner
WebsiteSubscription
Supported Models
Llama, Mistral, CodeLlama, and other popular models

Mistral Fine-tuning API

Mistral AI managed fine-tuning service using efficient LoRA training. Platform integration (la Plateforme) for cost-effective model customization.

Complexity
Beginner
WebsitePay-as-you-go
Supported Models
Mistral 7B, Mistral Small, Mistral Large, Pixtral

Specialized Tools

Niche tools for specific use cases and optimizations2 tools

kluster.ai

AI cloud platform offering serverless inference and fine-tuning with cost savings up to 50%. Features adaptive inference and built-in model verification.

Complexity
Intermediate
WebsitePay-as-you-go
Supported Models
Llama 3.1/3.3, DeepSeek-R1, and custom models

picoLLM (Picovoice)

On-device LLM inference engine with novel quantization (not fine-tuning). Enables compression of custom/fine-tuned models for edge deployment.

Complexity
Advanced
WebsiteEnterprise
Supported Models
Custom models + open-weight models (Llama, Mistral, Phi, Gemma)

Choosing the Right Tool

For Beginners

Start with Axolotl, LLaMA Factory, or managed services like OpenAI Fine-tuning API for the easiest experience.

For Performance

Consider Unsloth for 2-5x faster training or vLLM for optimized production serving.

For Enterprise

AWS SageMaker, Azure ML, or Databricks provide comprehensive MLOps integration.

For Maximum Control

Hugging Face Transformers or TorchTune offer full flexibility for research and custom workflows.