head to head · open source
dots vs open-dots
dots has 32,530 GitHub stars, 4,757 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. open-dots has 7,074 stars, 920 forks, 21 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. dots leads on adoption by 360% (32,530 vs 7,074 stars). dots is written in Python under MIT; open-dots is written in Python under Apache-2.0. dots has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, open-dots 13%. dots was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (agentic-ai, ai-agent), 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
| dots | open-dots | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 33K | ★ 7.1K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-13 | 2026-11-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 920 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick dots if
- You weight community size — 33K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick open-dots if
- You want the open-dots 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 open-dots fits your workflow better
About dots
dots Every AI agent is a model and a browser. You can swap the model with one flag. The browser is what the website sees. Windows, in PowerShell: Linux: Then open The conversation on the left, the browser on the right, live. It all comes down to the browser When a web agent fails, the model is rarely why. The page never loaded, a challenge appeared, the login expired, the click did not land. All of that happens in the browser, before the model gets to think. So dots is built around one: A real Firefox engine, patched in C++. The fingerprint is decided inside the engine, not painted over with JavaScript that a…
About open-dots
Open Dots: Open Source Alternative to OpenAI Dots ▶ Watch: OpenAI Dots Alternative: Free, Open Source & Any Model Open Dots is an open source alternative to OpenAI Dots: a self hosted AI workspace for chat, tool use, approvals, connectors, and computer tasks. It brings model conversations, a governed action gateway, approval prompts, and an optional isolated browser runtime into one local first app. Open Dots is independently built and is not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenAI, xAI, or any model provider. It offers a self hostable, inspectable alternative for people looking for an open source OpenAI Dots…
read the full open-dots overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is dots or open-dots more popular?
dots has 32,530 GitHub stars and open-dots has 7,074. dots has the larger community by that measure.
Are dots and open-dots free?
Both are open source. dots is licensed under MIT and open-dots under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between dots and open-dots?
dots is written in Python and open-dots 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, dots or open-dots?
Choose dots if you want the larger community (32,530 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose open-dots if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.