head to head · open source
AstrBot vs Kai
AstrBot has 40,717 GitHub stars, 2,941 forks, 1,516 open issues and last shipped today. Kai has 1,255 stars, 185 forks, 127 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. AstrBot leads on adoption by 3,144% (40,717 vs 1,255 stars). AstrBot is written in Python under AGPL-3.0; Kai is written in Kotlin under Apache-2.0. AstrBot has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, Kai 15%. AstrBot was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (ai, chatbot), 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
| AstrBot | Kai | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 1.3K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 185 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick AstrBot if
- You weight community size — 41K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Kai if
- You want the Kai feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and Kai fits your workflow better
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 →
About Kai
Kai 9000 is an Apache 2.0 licensed, open source AI assistant written in Kotlin that runs with persistent memory across Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and the web, built for people who want a personal assistant that keeps its context and works on their own devices.
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Frequently asked questions
Is AstrBot or Kai more popular?
AstrBot has 40,717 GitHub stars and Kai has 1,255. AstrBot has the larger community by that measure.
Are AstrBot and Kai free?
Both are open source. AstrBot is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Kai under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AstrBot and Kai?
AstrBot is written in Python and Kai in Kotlin. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, AstrBot or Kai?
Choose AstrBot if you want the larger community (40,717 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Kai if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.