head to head · open source
GPT4All vs Jan
GPT4All has 77,401 GitHub stars, 8,291 forks, 771 open issues and last shipped 1.3 years ago. Jan has 44,516 stars, 3,032 forks, 521 open issues and last shipped today. GPT4All leads on adoption by 74% (77,401 vs 44,516 stars). GPT4All is written in C++ under MIT; Jan is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. GPT4All has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, Jan 7%. Jan 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.
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Side by side
| GPT4All | Jan | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 77K | ★ 45K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | C++ | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2025-05-27 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 8.3K | ⑂ 3.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick GPT4All if
- You weight community size — 77K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Jan if
- You want the Jan feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Jan fits your workflow better
About GPT4All
GPT4All is an MIT licensed C++ chat application and Python client from Nomic that runs large language models privately on everyday desktops and laptops, built for developers and teams who want local inference without API calls, GPUs, or sending data off device.
read the full GPT4All overview →
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.
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Frequently asked questions
Is GPT4All or Jan more popular?
GPT4All has 77,401 GitHub stars and Jan has 44,516. GPT4All has the larger community by that measure.
Are GPT4All and Jan free?
Both are open source. GPT4All is licensed under MIT, and Jan has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between GPT4All and Jan?
GPT4All is written in C++ and Jan in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, GPT4All or Jan?
Choose GPT4All if you want the larger community (77,401 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Jan if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.