head to head · open source
Jan vs Gemini-API
Jan has 44,566 GitHub stars, 3,040 forks, 521 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Gemini-API has 3,523 stars, 556 forks, 37 open issues and last shipped 24 days ago. Jan leads on adoption by 1,165% (44,566 vs 3,523 stars). Jan is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Gemini-API is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. Jan has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, Gemini-API 16%. Jan was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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 | Gemini-API | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 3.5K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-08-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 556 |
| 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 Gemini-API if
- You want the Gemini-API 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 Gemini-API 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 Gemini-API
Gemini API is a reverse engineered, asynchronous Python wrapper for the Google Gemini web app (formerly Bard), built for Python developers who want to drive Gemini's text, image, video, and audio generation from their own code instead of a browser.
read the full Gemini-API overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Jan or Gemini-API more popular?
Jan has 44,566 GitHub stars and Gemini-API has 3,523. Jan has the larger community by that measure.
Are Jan and Gemini-API free?
Both are open source. Jan has no licence declared in this registry, and Gemini-API is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Jan and Gemini-API?
Jan is written in TypeScript and Gemini-API 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 Gemini-API?
Choose Jan if you want the larger community (44,566 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Gemini-API if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.