head to head · open source
Open WebUI vs AnythingLLM
Open WebUI has 157,498 GitHub stars, 22,901 forks, 294 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AnythingLLM has 67,836 stars, 7,652 forks, 311 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Open WebUI leads on adoption by 132% (157,498 vs 67,836 stars). Open WebUI is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; AnythingLLM is written in JavaScript under MIT. Open WebUI has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, AnythingLLM 11%. Open WebUI 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
| Open WebUI | AnythingLLM | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 157K | ★ 68K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | Python | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 23K | ⑂ 7.7K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Open WebUI if
- You weight community size — 157K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick AnythingLLM if
- You want the AnythingLLM feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and AnythingLLM fits your workflow better
About Open WebUI
Open WebUI 👋 Open WebUI is a home for AI , a self hosted AI platform that's extensible , feature rich , user friendly, and built to run entirely offline . With support for Ollama and OpenAI compatible APIs , it gives you a powerful, provider agnostic interface for both local and cloud based models. Passionate about open source AI? Join our team → [!TIP] Looking for an Enterprise Plan? – Speak with Our Sales Team Today! For more information, be sure to check out our Open WebUI Documentation. Key Features of Open WebUI ⭐ 🚀 Effortless Setup : Install seamlessly via pip, uv, Docker, or Kubernetes (kubectl…
read the full Open WebUI overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Open WebUI or AnythingLLM more popular?
Open WebUI has 157,498 GitHub stars and AnythingLLM has 67,836. Open WebUI has the larger community by that measure.
Are Open WebUI and AnythingLLM free?
Both are open source. Open WebUI has no licence declared in this registry, and AnythingLLM is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Open WebUI and AnythingLLM?
Open WebUI is written in Python and AnythingLLM in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Open WebUI or AnythingLLM?
Choose Open WebUI if you want the larger community (157,498 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose AnythingLLM if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.