head to head · open source
Jan vs AstrBot
Jan has 44,512 GitHub stars, 3,032 forks, 521 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AstrBot has 40,628 stars, 2,925 forks, 1,516 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Jan leads on adoption by 10% (44,512 vs 40,628 stars). Jan is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; AstrBot is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. Jan has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, AstrBot 7%. Jan was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (chatgpt, gpt, 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
| Jan | AstrBot | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 41K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 2.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Jan if
- You weight community size — 45K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick AstrBot if
- You want the AstrBot feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and AstrBot fits your workflow better
About Jan
Jan is an open source desktop application that serves as a ChatGPT replacement, enabling users to run large language models (LLMs) locally on their machines or connect to cloud based providers like OpenAI and Anthropic. It is built with Tauri, TypeScript, and integrates llama.cpp for efficient local inference, targeting privacy conscious users who want full control over their AI workflows without sending data to third parties.
About AstrBot
AstrBot is an open source all in one Agent chatbot platform written in Python and licensed under AGPL 3.0. It integrates with mainstream instant messaging applications and provides conversational AI infrastructure for individuals, developers, and teams. The project lives in the AI and machine learning ecosystem, specifically the AI interaction and interfaces category, and it has been developed over roughly four years. Its repository carries 40,504 stars and 2,915 forks, and its documented homepage is astrbot.app. Topics attached to the project include agent, ai, chatbot, chatgpt, discord, docker, gemini, gpt, lla…
read the full AstrBot overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Jan or AstrBot more popular?
Jan has 44,512 GitHub stars and AstrBot has 40,628. Jan has the larger community by that measure.
Are Jan and AstrBot free?
Both are open source. Jan has no licence declared in this registry, and AstrBot is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Jan and AstrBot?
Jan is written in TypeScript and AstrBot 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, Jan or AstrBot?
Choose Jan if you want the larger community (44,512 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose AstrBot if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.