head to head · open source
AnythingLLM vs row-bot
AnythingLLM has 66,155 GitHub stars, 7,348 forks, 311 open issues and last shipped yesterday. row-bot has 1,495 stars, 172 forks, 31 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AnythingLLM leads on adoption by 4,325% (66,155 vs 1,495 stars). AnythingLLM is written in JavaScript under MIT; row-bot is written in Python under Apache-2.0. AnythingLLM has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, row-bot 12%. AnythingLLM was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| AnythingLLM | row-bot | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 66K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.3K | ⑂ 172 |
| 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 row-bot if
- You want the row-bot feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and row-bot 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 row-bot
Row Bot (formerly Thoth) Row Bot is a local first desktop AI assistant for doing real work with models, memory, and tools. Its name is the operating model: Reason through messy context, Orchestrate tools and model providers, and Work inside the files, repos, workflows, and channels you choose. It combines chat, durable memory, tool use, Agent Profiles, Goal Mode, automatic parent led agent orchestration, profile first workflows, Developer Studio, Designer Studio, Smart Skills, Skills Hub, Custom Tools, Plugin System v2, progressive external tool and skill discovery, context metering and rolling compaction, provid…
read the full row-bot overview →
More in AI & Machine Learning
Related comparisons
More AI Interaction & Interfaces projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the AI Interaction & Interfaces field.
Frequently asked questions
Is AnythingLLM or row-bot more popular?
AnythingLLM has 66,155 GitHub stars and row-bot has 1,495. AnythingLLM has the larger community by that measure.
Are AnythingLLM and row-bot free?
Both are open source. AnythingLLM is licensed under MIT and row-bot under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AnythingLLM and row-bot?
AnythingLLM is written in JavaScript and row-bot 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 row-bot?
Choose AnythingLLM if you want the larger community (66,155 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose row-bot if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.