Best local LLMs for vision
Run local LLMs that handle images, screenshots, and docs across your GPU or Mac. We rank them using the llmrun Composite Score and highlight our top choice for every VRAM tier.
Google · IQ3_S · 12 GB · up to 16K context · on RTX 5070
- 161.9 t/s
- C
Also worth a look
Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB · 68.7 t/s · 128K ctx
Q4_K_M · 10.9 GB · 54.3 t/s · 16K ctx
Also worth a look
Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB · 68.7 t/s · 128K ctx
Best vision model by memory
Highest llmrun Composite Score that fits each size with at least 16K context and 10 t/s, at a Q3 or better quant. Speed is decode tokens per second on that size's reference GPU. The last row has no memory limit: the best model whatever it needs, on the GPU plan shown. Full ranking
8 GB · RTX 5060
Qwen3.5 9B45.8 t/s · 32K ctx
Q4_K_M · 6.6 GB
Runner-up: Gemma 3 4B IT
12 GB · RTX 5070
Gemma 4 26B A4B IT161.9 t/s · 16K ctx
IQ3_S · 12 GB
Runner-up: Qwen3.5 9B
16 GB · RTX 5080
Qwen3.8 27B41.6 t/s · 16K ctx
Q3_K_L · 15.4 GB
Runner-up: Gemma 4 26B A4B IT
24 GB · RTX 4090
Qwen3.8 27B37.6 t/s · 64K ctx
Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB
Runner-up: Gemma 4 31B IT
32 GB · RTX 5090
Qwen3.8 27B66.9 t/s · 256K ctx
Q4_K_M · 17.9 GB
Runner-up: Gemma 4 31B IT
48 GB+ · no limit · about 7× H100 SXM 80 GB
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 10171M ctx
Q4_K_M · needs 458 GB
Runner-up: Kimi K3
Vision models that run on 12 GB96
Ranked by Composite Score, models without one after. Best quant that fits with a 16K context; speed is decode tokens per second on the reference GPU.
96 models · 89 run great · 3 run well
Score: llmrun Score, 100 = average model. Fit: how well it runs on this hardware, S best to F won't fit. Ordered by Score, recency and Fit. How ranking works
Showing compatibility for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070
| Model | Quant | VRAM | Speed | Context | Score | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jina Ocr V1Vision | Q4_K_M | 3.3 GB | 382.0 t/s | 33K | S100, Runs great | |
LightOnOCR 3 1BVision | Q4_K_M | 1.8 GB | 428.2 t/s | 16K | S100, Runs great | |
Qwen3 VL 2B InstructVisionFunctions | Q4_K_M | 3.5 GB | 241.3 t/s | 262K | S100, Runs great | |
HunyuanOCRVision | Q4_K_M | 1.8 GB | 408.2 t/s | 131K | S100, Runs great | |
Qianfan OCRVision | Q4_K_M | 4.7 GB | 131.2 t/s | 33K | S95, Runs great | |
Medgemma 1.5 4B ITVision | Q4_K_M | 5 GB | 153.8 t/s | — | S97, Runs great | |
Idefics3 8B Llama3Vision | Q4_K_M | 7.5 GB | 77.3 t/s | 131K | S87, Runs great | |
Llama 3.2 11B Vision InstructVisionFunctions | Q4_K_M | 9.8 GB | 62.0 t/s | — | A82, Runs well | |
H2ovl Mississippi 2BChatVision | BF16 | 6.5 GB | 92.2 t/s | — | S90, Runs great | |
LFM2 VL 1.6BVision | Q4_K_M | 1.5 GB | 330.9 t/s | 128K | S100, Runs great | |
Dots.ocrVision | Q4_K_M | 2.6 GB | 200.4 t/s | 131K | S100, Runs great | |
Qwen2.5 VL 7B InstructVision | Q4_K_M | 6.2 GB | 81.0 t/s | 128K | S88, Runs great | |
Translategemma 4B ITVision | Q4_K_M | 5 GB | 153.8 t/s | — | S97, Runs great | |
Gemma 3n E4B ITVision | Q4_K_M | 7.7 GB | 84.3 t/s | — | S88, Runs great | |
Qwen2.5 VL 3B InstructVision | Q4_K_M | 3.2 GB | 166.1 t/s | 128K | S98, Runs great |
How much memory do you need for a vision model?
On 8 GB the best vision model is Qwen3.5 9B (score 99). At 12 GB it is Gemma 4 26B A4B IT (score 106). From 16 to 32 GB it is Qwen3.8 27B (score 122). With no memory limit, the best is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (score 133). Add a bit more breathing room to your setup when using a vision model with an image encoder alongside the language model; each image loads as extra tokens in the context. Allocate slightly more space than you would for a text-only model of equal size.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best local LLM for vision?
On 24 GB, Qwen3.8 27B is the top pick with a score of 122, running at about 38 t/s on RTX 4090. It fits up to 64K tokens of context there. On 8 GB, the best fit is Qwen3.5 9B. With no memory limit, the best is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017. Open a model to see which GPUs and Macs run it.
Can I run a vision model on a laptop or an 8 GB GPU?
Yes. On 8 GB the best pick is Qwen3.5 9B (Q4_K_M, 6.6 GB), which runs at about 46 t/s on RTX 5060. Laptops with 8 to 16 GB of memory can run smaller models in the same way.
Can local models read screenshots and documents?
Vision-language models take an image along with your prompt to answer questions, pull out text, or describe charts. Whether support works depends on the runtime; however, you can run them in Ollama or LM Studio.
Do images need extra memory?
The image encoder bumps up the model size. Each picture turns into hundreds of tokens within the context window, swelling the cache. Bigger images demand even more.