PrismML's 1-bit LLMs that run on phones and laptopsAlternative to
LFM3
GPT-5.4 mini & nanoOpen source alternatives to Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
4 open source tools do the job of Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite. About Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteFree
1-bit BonsaiApache 2.0CodeAll 4 alternatives
Questions about alternatives to Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
What is the best open source alternative to Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?
1-bit Bonsai is listed first. Choose 1-bit Bonsai when high-volume text tasks must stay on the device, with no per-token bill and nothing sent to Google.
Is there a free alternative to Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?
Yes. The code of all 4 is public under Apache 2.0, MIT or OpenMDW 1.1, so you can use them with no licence fee. Running one yourself costs the server and your time to look after it, and some makers also sell a hosted plan.
How do I choose between them?
Start from the job you use Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite for. Choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash when output cost matters most; it charges $0.30 / $1.20 per million tokens at peak and half that off-peak, with a 1M context, though it reads text and images only. Choose Mellum2 when you want a 12B open model for routing, RAG and sub-agent steps that runs on your own servers.
Which Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite alternatives can I host on my own server?
All 4: 1-bit Bonsai, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, Mellum2 and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning. Each tool's page says what it needs to run.
What licences do they use?
Apache 2.0 (2), MIT (1), OpenMDW 1.1 (1). MIT, BSD and Apache let you change and reuse the code freely.
What do I lose by leaving Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?
The hosting. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite's maker runs the servers for you; with an open source tool the updates, backups, security fixes and support are yours, unless you take the maker's hosted plan. Features differ too, so check what each one imports and exports before you move your data.