HT Sherpa

A model is the software that produces AI answers. This guide compares models and tools. New to this? Choose a setup path first. Use the lists below when you want more detail.

New words, in plain language
Local / cloud
Local runs on your computer. Cloud runs on computers managed online.
Model / tokens
A model produces AI answers. Tokens are small pieces of text; some services charge for the tokens used.
Account / identity
An account is a sign-in. Your cloud identity is the account you use for online services.
Connector / permissions
A connector links an AI tool to another service. Permissions are the access you allow.

Field Guide · Week of 5 October 2026

gpt-oss 20B

OpenAI · United States · OpenAI

OpenAI’s first open weights since GPT-2. Built to run in 16 GB. Apache license. Very widely downloaded.

Where it runs
Runs on your computer
Memory
16 GB (native 4-bit)
Size
21B MoE · 3.6B active
License
Apache 2.0
Hugging Face downloads
6.3M
Hugging Face likes
5.1k
Card last updated
26 August 2025
On your computer · #3United States · #3

Why it is on this week’s list

The name people already trust, in a size a laptop can hold. We still pick Gemma when the writing has to stay calm.

Use it when

You want an OpenAI-shaped voice on your own disk.

Skip it when

Regulated work where you prefer a non-OpenAI lineage.

Published scores

Scores as of 17 August 2026. A blank test is not a zero. We just will not invent it.

GPQA Diamond
71.5*

OpenAI gpt-oss card (high) · 2025-08-05

No tools, high reasoning.

SWE-Bench Verified
60.7*

OpenAI gpt-oss card (high) · 2025-08-05

LiveCodeBench
—

No public number we will stand behind.

MMLU / MMLU-Pro
85.3*

OpenAI gpt-oss card (high) · 2025-08-05

AIME
—

No public number we will stand behind.

Humanity’s Last Exam
10.9*

OpenAI gpt-oss card · 2025-08-05

No tools.

What these numbers actually mean
Walk me through installing thisHugging Face cardAll lists