Free and open first
Best Deep Learning Software in 2026
Deep learning software can support model training and deployment, with capabilities that vary across languages, formats, hardware, and workflows. Compare supported languages and model formats alongside GPU acceleration, distributed training, and training mode. Deployment targets can help you assess where a model may run, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing bring cost into the comparison. ONNX Runtime, Apache TVM, and MegEngine are among the options shown. Consider the training approach you need, the formats and languages you use, and the destinations you have in mind when weighing the listed capabilities.
- 35 apps
- Research read 24 Sept 2026
- How the order is worked out
- 1
Apache TVM
Free plan Open source AndroidAPIiPhone+5TVM offers broad model, backend, and runtime support with Python-based optimization. Treat its RPC server as a high-trust interface because API users can write files and execute code remotely.
- 2
Paperspace Gradient
Free plan Open source APIExtensionLinux+4Gradient combines browser-based notebook work with model deployment and on-demand compute. Check the limits of the selected free plan and account for paid instance utilization costs.
- 3
Apache SINGA
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1Apache SINGA brings distributed training, GPU support, and ONNX interoperability to a free library. Its listed platforms and on-premises deployment suit teams whose setup matches those options.
- 4
Caffe
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1Caffe brings configuration-based model setup, multiple interfaces, and CPU or GPU operation together in a free framework.
- 5
Deeplearning4j
Free plan APILinuxMac+2Choose Deeplearning4j for open-source deep learning in JVM applications, especially when Java or Scala, Spark training, or CUDA acceleration fits the project.
- 6
fastai
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+2fastai offers a broad set of Python components for training models and can run locally or in Google Colab. Windows Jupyter users should account for the documented slowdown in computer vision tasks.
- 7
Horovod
Free plan APILinuxMac+1Horovod provides distributed training tools and integrations across several environments, but its repository is archived and read-only.
- 8
DeepSpeed
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hostedDeepSpeed combines distributed training and inference tools with integrations and monitoring options. It is free, with support and features geared toward large-scale deep learning work.
- 9
JAX
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1Choose JAX if you want a free Python library for numerical computing with composable transformations and multiple accelerator backends.
- 10
Chainer
Free plan APILinuxMac+2Chainer offers flexible Python-based model development with dynamic computation and GPU support.
- 11
Lightning AI Studios
Free plan APILinuxMac+3Choose Lightning AI Studios if you want a persistent GPU workspace with browser coding tools, collaboration, and deployment support.
- 12
Ludwig
Free plan APILinuxMac+2Ludwig combines declarative model setup with broad data support, tuning methods and deployment options.
- 13
MegEngine
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+3MegEngine combines model development and deployment with related conversion, file, and streaming tools.
- 14
Kubeflow Trainer
Free plan APILinuxSelf-hostedKubeflow Trainer offers framework coverage, distributed training, and fine-tuning workflows for Kubernetes environments.
- 15
MLX
Free plan iPhoneLinuxMacChoose MLX if you want a free, MIT-licensed framework with tools for machine learning research, training, and deployment.
- 16
NVIDIA cuDNN
Free plan LinuxSelf-hostedWindowscuDNN supplies GPU-accelerated operations and graph-based fusion for deep-learning workloads. Compatibility requirements and the cuDNN 9 installation limit are important to check before adopting it.
- 17
NVIDIA Triton Inference Server
Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1Triton provides broad framework, protocol, hardware, and deployment coverage for model serving.
- 18
ONNX Runtime
Free plan AndroidiPhoneLinux+4ONNX Runtime offers broad framework, language, and deployment support for machine-learning workloads. Windows developers should note the guidance to use WinML for new projects rather than DirectML.
- 19
OpenVINO
Free plan LinuxMacWeb+1OpenVINO brings model optimization, compression, and serving options into a free toolkit. Its security protections require third-party tools, and the NodeJS API is still early in development.
- 20
MindSpore
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1MindSpore provides a broad framework for model development, training, and deployment across hardware and environments.
- 21
NVIDIA TensorRT
Free plan LinuxSelf-hostedWindowsChoose NVIDIA TensorRT if you need a free development toolkit to optimize deep learning inference on supported NVIDIA GPUs, with integrations for common model workflows and Triton serving.
- 22
Ray Train
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1Ray Train brings distributed training, data processing, and experiment tracking into the Ray cluster workflow. Its security guidance recommends separate clusters when workloads need isolation.
- 23
Keras
Free plan LinuxMacWindowsKeras combines model-building and training workflows with multiple backend and data-input options.
- 24
NVIDIA TAO Toolkit
Free plan LinuxSelf-hostedTAO combines model fine-tuning, data preparation, automated optimization, and deployment tooling in a free Linux package.
- 25
TensorFlow
Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+5TensorFlow provides a free platform spanning model development and deployment across multiple environments.
#1Places #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 on this list can be bought by the makers of the software on it. See the price