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MetaPathology

Llama for pathology

Meta's natively multimodal, open-weight Mixture-of-Experts family (Scout and Maverick), free to download and self-host.

Not specifically recommended

Llama isn't on our list for pathology. It's usable for general work, but first look at the options we recommend for pathology.

GDPR profileOur summary of what the provider itself publishes about your data: EU hosting possible, no training on your data for business use, and self-hosting available. Caution applies to a model with a documented problem, such as an investigation by a regulator. How we measure
GDPR: Caution
QualityQuality from blind duels on LMArena: users choose between two anonymous answers. A difference of about 20 points is noticeable, a few points is noise. How we measure
–Elo, independent
Editorial scoreOur own assessment on 10 of suitability for professional work, price and privacy. This is a judgement, not a measurement; that is why it always sits alongside the Elo. How we measure
7,6
Entry price
Free
Full GDPR check

What Llama does in pathology

Core tasks in pathology
  • Digitising and managing tissue slides in an image management system (scanners, LIMS, archive)
  • Detecting and grading cancer on H&E slides (e.g. Gleason score, mitotic counting, tumour size)
  • Counting and quantifying biomarkers in IHC stains (HER2, ER/PR, Ki-67, PD-L1)
  • Monitoring slide quality, prioritising cases and providing a second read as quality control
Where Llama is strong
  • Open weights, fully self-hostable
  • Fine-tunable on your own data
  • Very large context window (Scout 10M)
  • GPU-efficient (Mixture-of-Experts)

Llama raises a concrete GDPR point. The Llama 4 Acceptable Use Policy prohibits the multimodal models for businesses headquartered in the EU. Dutch companies may therefore not install the multimodal Llama 4 models themselves under the licence. Weigh this heavily before deploying it in pathology.

Confidentiality and GDPR

GDPR: Caution

You process special category personal data (health) and sometimes data for genetic research. Software for diagnostic use is an in vitro diagnostic medical device: check whether the algorithm is CE-marked under the IVDR for your exact application and tissue type. Many apps are 'research use only'. Choose providers with ISO 27001 and ISO 13485, a data processing agreement and clear data location (EU hosting or on-premise). Also ask whether your slides are used to train models. Under the EU AI Act, medical AI falling under the IVDR is classed as high-risk. Validate every algorithm locally on your own scanner and stains before using it in routine practice.

Self-hosting gives full data control within your own EU infrastructure, a strong GDPR argument.

Rule of thumb Use the business variant with a data processing agreement, and keep a human in the loop for decisions that matter.
Caution the Llama 4 Acceptable Use Policy prohibits the multimodal models for businesses headquartered in the EU. Dutch businesses therefore may not install the multimodal Llama 4 models themselves under the licence terms.

Prices

Self-hostingFreeOpen weights; infrastructure costs only
Meta AI$0Free in WhatsApp/Instagram/Messenger
Hosted API (third parties)from ~$0.03 / 1M inVia Bedrock, Azure, Together, Groq, Novita, varies widely by provider and model size; Meta's own Llama API retired July 2026

Questions about Llama for pathology

Is Llama suitable for pathology?
Not specifically. Llama isn't on our list for pathology; it's broadly usable, but first look at the options we recommend for pathology. Keep a professional in the loop for every use.
May I put confidential data into Llama?
You process special category personal data (health) and sometimes data for genetic research. Software for diagnostic use is an in-vitro diagnostic medical device: check whether the algorithm is CE-marked under the IVDR for precisely your application and tissue type. Many apps are only 'research use only'. Choose providers with ISO 27001 and ISO 13485, a data processing agreement and clear data location (EU hosting or on-premise). Also ask whether your slides are used to train models. Under the EU AI Act, medical AI that falls under the IVDR is classed as high-risk. Validate every algorithm locally on your own scanner and stains before using it in routine practice. Self-hosting gives full data control within your own EU infrastructure, a strong GDPR argument.
What does Llama cost?
There is self-hosting (free), Meta AI ($0), Hosted API (third parties) (from ~$0.03 / 1M in). Check current prices on the official site.

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