head to head · open source
AnythingLLM vs cindy
AnythingLLM has 66,141 GitHub stars, 7,347 forks, 311 open issues and last shipped yesterday. cindy has 2,749 stars, 399 forks, 1,390 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AnythingLLM leads on adoption by 2,306% (66,141 vs 2,749 stars). AnythingLLM is written in JavaScript under MIT; cindy is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. AnythingLLM has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, cindy 15%. cindy was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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 | cindy | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 66K | ★ 2.7K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.3K | ⑂ 399 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick AnythingLLM if
- You weight community size — 66K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick cindy if
- You want the cindy feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and cindy fits your workflow better
About AnythingLLM
AnythingLLM is a local first AI application that enables users to chat with their documents using any large language model (LLM), local or cloud hosted. It runs as a self hosted service—by default in Docker—and provides a complete interface for document ingestion, agent orchestration, multi user access, and workflow automation without requiring external cloud dependencies. The project lives in the local AI and AI interaction ecosystem, targeting users who want full control over their data and model selection.
read the full AnythingLLM overview →
About cindy
Cindy is an open source AI agent that works out of the box: a TypeScript desktop and mobile client that runs locally on your own machine, uses your real files and logged in apps, and folds multiple agent harnesses, models and tools into one agent aimed at people who want finished work rather than another chat window.
read the full cindy overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AnythingLLM or cindy more popular?
AnythingLLM has 66,141 GitHub stars and cindy has 2,749. AnythingLLM has the larger community by that measure.
Are AnythingLLM and cindy free?
Both are open source. AnythingLLM is licensed under MIT and cindy under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AnythingLLM and cindy?
AnythingLLM is written in JavaScript and cindy in TypeScript. 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 cindy?
Choose AnythingLLM if you want the larger community (66,141 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose cindy if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.