head to head · open source
AnythingLLM vs Athena-Public
AnythingLLM has 67,862 GitHub stars, 7,658 forks, 311 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Athena-Public has 620 stars, 84 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AnythingLLM leads on adoption by 10,845% (67,862 vs 620 stars). AnythingLLM is written in JavaScript under MIT; Athena-Public is written in Python under MIT. AnythingLLM has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, Athena-Public 14%. Athena-Public was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (ai-agents, llm), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| AnythingLLM | Athena-Public | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 68K | ★ 620 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-10-30 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.7K | ⑂ 84 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick AnythingLLM if
- You weight community size — 68K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Athena-Public if
- You want the Athena-Public feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Athena-Public fits your workflow better
About AnythingLLM
[!NOTE] We are also working on Open Computer which gives an entire computer environment for AI Agents to use. This will bring AnythingLLM's agent capabilities to a new level and a novel UX paradigm for AI Agent use. ⭐ Star the repo to stay updated! AnythingLLM: The all in one AI app you were looking for. Chat with your docs, use AI Agents, hyper configurable, multi user, & no frustrating setup required. Docs Hosted Instance English · 简体中文 · 日本語 👉 AnythingLLM for desktop (Mac, Windows, & Linux)! Download Now Chat with your docs. Automate complex workflows with AI Agents. Hyper configurable, multi user ready…
read the full AnythingLLM overview →
About Athena-Public
Project Athena A local first agentic PKM that helps you make better decisions with your own context. Capture what you learn, retrieve it when relevant, and carry your context between models — a local first memory, reasoning, and governance layer for any LLM, across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and whatever you switch to next. Own the state. Rent the intelligence. Platforms forget. Athena doesn't. Most assistants remember you so they can agree with you faster. Athena remembers you so it can tell you when you're wrong. Quickstart · How It Works · Scheduled Tasks & Self RSI · llms.txt · Docs · FAQ · Safety ·…
read the full Athena-Public overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AnythingLLM or Athena-Public more popular?
AnythingLLM has 67,862 GitHub stars and Athena-Public has 620. AnythingLLM has the larger community by that measure.
Are AnythingLLM and Athena-Public free?
Both are open source. AnythingLLM is licensed under MIT and Athena-Public under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AnythingLLM and Athena-Public?
AnythingLLM is written in JavaScript and Athena-Public in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, AnythingLLM or Athena-Public?
Choose AnythingLLM if you want the larger community (67,862 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Athena-Public if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.