head to head · open source
langchain vs ruby_llm
langchain has 148,892 GitHub stars, 25,031 forks, 492 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ruby_llm has 4,490 stars, 530 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped yesterday. langchain leads on adoption by 3,216% (148,892 vs 4,490 stars). langchain is written in Python under MIT; ruby_llm is written in Ruby under MIT. langchain has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, ruby_llm 12%. langchain was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 6 topic tags (agents, ai, ai-agents, anthropic), 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 | ruby_llm | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 149K | ★ 4.5K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Ruby |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 25K | ⑂ 530 |
| 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 ruby_llm if
- You want the ruby_llm feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Ruby
- You evaluated both and ruby_llm 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 ruby_llm
Build AI features the Ruby way RubyLLM is the Ruby native AI framework. Work with models, tools, and agents through one consistent API, in plain Ruby or Rails. Website · Getting Started · What's New in 2.0 Battle tested at Fully private work AI [!NOTE] Using RubyLLM? Share your story! Takes 5 minutes. 17 providers. One Ruby API. Build with the models you want. Move between hosted and local providers without rewriting your application, or connect an OpenAI compatible endpoint. Browse models and pricing · Connect a provider Start with one line. Add files, tools, and agents These examples use 2.0.0 . Follow Getting…
read the full ruby_llm overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is langchain or ruby_llm more popular?
langchain has 148,892 GitHub stars and ruby_llm has 4,490. langchain has the larger community by that measure.
Are langchain and ruby_llm free?
Both are open source. langchain is licensed under MIT and ruby_llm under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between langchain and ruby_llm?
langchain is written in Python and ruby_llm in Ruby. 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 ruby_llm?
Choose langchain if you want the larger community (148,892 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose ruby_llm if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.