head to head · open source
langchain vs CL4R1T4S
langchain has 148,892 GitHub stars, 25,031 forks, 492 open issues and last shipped yesterday. CL4R1T4S has 51,704 stars, 10,555 forks, 127 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. langchain leads on adoption by 188% (148,892 vs 51,704 stars). langchain is written in Python under MIT; CL4R1T4S is written in various languages under AGPL-3.0. langchain has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, CL4R1T4S 20%. langchain was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (agents, ai, chatgpt, gemini), 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
| langchain | CL4R1T4S | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 149K | ★ 52K |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | — |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 25K | ⑂ 11K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick langchain if
- You weight community size — 149K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick CL4R1T4S if
- You want the CL4R1T4S feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- You evaluated both and CL4R1T4S fits your workflow better
About langchain
The agent engineering platform. LangChain is a framework for building agents and LLM powered applications. It helps you chain together interoperable components and third party integrations to simplify AI application development — all while future proofing decisions as the underlying technology evolves. [!TIP] Just getting started? Check out Deep Agents — a higher level package built on LangChain for agents that have built in capabilities for common usage patterns such as planning, subagents, file system usage, and more. Quickstart If you're looking for more advanced customization or agent orchestration, check…
read the full langchain overview →
About CL4R1T4S
CL4R1T4S AI SYSTEMS TRANSPARENCY AND OBSERVABILITY FOR ALL! Full extracted system prompts, guidelines, and tools from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, xAI, Perplexity, Cursor, Windsurf, Devin, Manus, Replit, and more – virtually all major AI models + agents! 📌 Why This Exists "In order to trust the output, one must understand the input." AI labs shape how models behave using massive, unseen prompt scaffolds. Because AI is a trusted external intelligence layer for a growing number of humans, these hidden instructions can affect the perceptions and behavior of the public. These prompts define: What AIs can’t say What…
read the full CL4R1T4S overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is langchain or CL4R1T4S more popular?
langchain has 148,892 GitHub stars and CL4R1T4S has 51,704. langchain has the larger community by that measure.
Are langchain and CL4R1T4S free?
Both are open source. langchain is licensed under MIT and CL4R1T4S under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between langchain and CL4R1T4S?
langchain is written in Python and CL4R1T4S in various languages. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, langchain or CL4R1T4S?
Choose langchain if you want the larger community (148,892 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose CL4R1T4S if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.