head to head · open source
Jan vs row-bot
Jan has 44,566 GitHub stars, 3,040 forks, 521 open issues and last shipped yesterday. row-bot has 1,503 stars, 172 forks, 30 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Jan leads on adoption by 2,865% (44,566 vs 1,503 stars). Jan is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; row-bot is written in Python under Apache-2.0. Jan has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, row-bot 11%. row-bot 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
| Jan | row-bot | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 45K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 172 |
| 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 row-bot if
- You want the row-bot 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 row-bot 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 row-bot
Row Bot is a local first, Apache 2.0 desktop AI assistant written in Python: it reasons through messy context, orchestrates tools and model providers, and works inside the files, repositories, workflows, and channels a user chooses.
read the full row-bot overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Jan or row-bot more popular?
Jan has 44,566 GitHub stars and row-bot has 1,503. Jan has the larger community by that measure.
Are Jan and row-bot free?
Both are open source. Jan has no licence declared in this registry, and row-bot is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Jan and row-bot?
Jan is written in TypeScript and row-bot 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 row-bot?
Choose Jan if you want the larger community (44,566 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose row-bot if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.