Hugging Face
The GitHub of machine learning - host, find, and deploy models
Hugging Face · Platforms
Launched 2016
Quick Answer
Hugging Face is the github of machine learning - host, find, and deploy models, made by Hugging Face. It offers a free tier with paid upgrades. Key uses: Model hosting, Fine-tuning, Dataset access.
Last updated:
Users
5M+ registered users (2024)
Revenue
~$70M ARR (estimate)
Valuation
$4.5B (Aug 2023)
Employees
~300
What is Hugging Face?
Hugging Face hosts 500,000+ ML models, datasets, and Spaces. The Transformers library provides easy access to BERT, GPT, Llama, and thousands of fine-tuned models.
How did Hugging Face get started?
Founded 2016 as a chatbot app. Pivoted to open-source NLP 2018. Transformers library 2019 - immediately becomes the standard. Model Hub launched. Grew to 'GitHub of AI'. $235M Series D at $4.5B (Google, Amazon, NVIDIA, Salesforce) Aug 2023.
What's new in Hugging Face in 2026?
1M+ models milestone (2025); Inference Providers marketplace (10+ backends: Together, Groq, Fireworks); SmolLM2 & SmolVLM tiny models; Serverless Inference API expansion; Hugging Face Assistants
How much does Hugging Face cost?
Free
$0/mo
- Unlimited public model downloads
- Serverless Inference API (limited)
- CPU Spaces
- Public datasets
Pro
$9/mo
- ZeroGPU for Spaces
- Inference API priority
- Private models up to 50GB
Enterprise Hub
$20/user/mo
- Private org hub
- SSO/SAML
- Audit logs
- Access controls
Inference Endpoints
From $0.06/hr
- Dedicated GPU
- Auto-scaling
- Production SLAs
What can you do with Hugging Face?
- Model hosting
- Fine-tuning
- Dataset access
- Inference API
Pros
- Huge model library
- Free tier generous
- Strong community
Cons
- GPU costs for inference
- Complex for beginners
What are the best alternatives to Hugging Face?
Compare Hugging Face Head-to-Head
Frequently Asked Questions about Hugging Face
How much does Hugging Face cost?
Hugging Face pricing: Free at $0/mo; Pro at $9/mo; Enterprise Hub at $20/user/mo; Inference Endpoints at From $0.06/hr.
Is Hugging Face free?
Hugging Face offers a free tier with limited usage. Paid plans unlock additional features.
What is Hugging Face used for?
Hugging Face is used for: Model hosting, Fine-tuning, Dataset access, Inference API.
What are the best alternatives to Hugging Face?
Top alternatives to Hugging Face include Replicate, Modal, Together AI.
What platforms does Hugging Face support?
Hugging Face is available on: Web (Hub), Python (Transformers), JavaScript, CLI, Spaces (Gradio/Streamlit).
Details
Underlying Models
Platforms
Integrations
Ideal For
- ML researchers
- AI developers
- Data scientists
- Enterprises needing open-source models