Fine-tuning vs RAG — which do you use when?
mediumAnswer
- Use RAG when the knowledge changes or is large (docs, wikis) — you inject facts at query time without retraining.
- Use fine-tuning when you need to teach a style, tone, format, or specialized skill (code style, domain jargon).
- They are complementary: fine-tune for behavior, RAG for knowledge.
- Prefer RAG first — it is cheaper, updateable, and easier to audit.
Check yourself — multiple choice
- Fine-tune to add new factual knowledge that changes often
- RAG for fresh knowledge, fine-tune for style/format/skills
- Fine-tuning is always cheaper than RAG
- RAG cannot combine with fine-tuning
RAG for facts, fine-tuning for behavior — often both.
#fine-tuning#rag
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