AI Model Profile
gpt-oss-20b
gpt-oss-20b is OpenAI's medium-sized open-weight gpt-oss model for low-latency, local, or specialized use cases.
Before you choose · Choose an AI setup
gpt-oss-20b: workflow and access check
Use a smaller open-weight reasoning model as a local test candidate.
Dated source review · Official-source review; no new hands-on test
This review covers the notes below. Earlier prices, tests and Product Facts retain their original dates.
OpenAI identifies gpt-oss-20b as a text-input/text-output open-weight reasoning model with 21B total and 3.6B active parameters, released under Apache 2.0. This is the named model, not a promise about any hosted endpoint. OpenAI gpt-oss-20b model documentation
Check before choosing: Verify the exact downloaded file and runtime, estimate memory at the chosen context, and run the setup fixture. Model weights do not establish zero operating cost.
Return to Choose an AI setup → · Browse retained reviews and tests
Review scope and source notes
Earlier article text, prices, tests and Product Facts keep their original dates and scope. This check covers only the cited notes here; it does not refresh the whole profile or its machine-readable facts.
Checked by: Codex-assisted official-source review. Task fit is editorial guidance. Test the exact plan, model and route with your own fixture.
Commercial relationship: Not established by this source review. Existing article disclosures still apply.
- OpenAI gpt-oss-20b model documentation — Model description; Key features; Current snapshot details. Checked 2026-09-20.
Maintenance history
- 2026-09-20 · source recheck · Source recheck
- Family
- gpt-oss
- Release date
- Unknown
- Status
- Current
- Context window
- Unknown
- Output limit
- Unknown
- API
- no
- Open weights
- yes
- Local/self-hosted
- yes
- Pricing
- Open weights; operating cost depends on local or hosted inference provider.
- Evidence state
- Recheck due
Benchmark Caveat
Benchmarks and provider capability notes are directional, not universal rankings. Results can shift with prompts, tool use, latency targets, pricing tier, safety filters, context length, and the workload mix a real team runs.
See the linked official model, docs, model-card, or pricing source for provider-published capability notes.
Best for
Teams testing smaller local reasoning models, desktop inference, or private-cloud agent workflows.
Skip if
Skip if you need the strongest gpt-oss capability or a managed OpenAI API model.
Strengths
OpenAI positions gpt-oss-20b for low-latency and specialized local use.
Weaknesses
Smaller open models can be efficient but still need hallucination, safety, and instruction-following tests.
Agent suitability
Useful for agent workflows when the provider supports tool use, long context, structured outputs, or workflow-specific APIs.
Kingy AI take
Use this as a source-backed shortlist candidate, not a universal ranking. Re-check official provider docs and run a task-specific trial before production adoption.
Verification & Sources
- Evidence state
- Recheck due
- Source links
- 4
- Freshness
- Needs recheck: checked June 24, 2026
- Last updated
- June 23, 2026
What this evidence state means
- Definition
- The claim was previously checked, but its review window expired or a material change may have invalidated it.
- Required provenance
- The prior evidence and check date are retained, together with the expiry or change signal that triggered recheck.
- Owner
- Kingy freshness queue owner and assigned editorial reviewer
- Freshness rule
- This is already outside its freshness rule. It must not be presented as current until reviewed against current evidence.
- Disputes and corrections
- Use “Suggest a correction” on the record. Kingy editorial reviews the cited evidence, records material corrections, and changes or removes the state when it is not supported.
Key source checks
Suggest a correction
Full Model Notes
gpt-oss-20b is OpenAI’s medium-sized open-weight gpt-oss model for low-latency, local, or specialized use cases.
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Coding notes
Use official docs and live evals before selecting this model for production coding workflows.
Reasoning notes
Provider capability notes are useful but should be validated on representative prompts and tools.
Creative notes
Use a small creative test set before standardizing outputs for brand, media, or customer-facing work.
Research notes
Track release notes and model lifecycle notices because availability and aliases can change.
API pricing notes
Check the official pricing page before budget decisions; Kingy does not freeze token, credit, or subscription prices in model cards.
License notes
Commercial/API terms apply unless the linked official source states otherwise.
Hardware requirements
OpenAI describes gpt-oss-20b as the smaller low-latency gpt-oss option; exact hardware depends on quantization and serving stack.
Official Model Links
Model Intelligence Research Map
Use these internal paths to move from this model profile into provider pages, static comparison pages, related Kingy records, and the broader AI launch graph. These are research paths, not rankings.