head to head · open source
AstrBot vs MaxKB
AstrBot has 40,628 GitHub stars, 2,925 forks, 1,516 open issues and last shipped yesterday. MaxKB has 22,824 stars, 3,156 forks, 18 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AstrBot leads on adoption by 78% (40,628 vs 22,824 stars). AstrBot is written in Python under AGPL-3.0; MaxKB is written in Python under GPL-3.0. AstrBot has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, MaxKB 14%. AstrBot was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (agent, chatbot, 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
| AstrBot | MaxKB | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 23K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 3.2K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick AstrBot if
- You weight community size — 41K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick MaxKB if
- You want the MaxKB feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and MaxKB fits your workflow better
About AstrBot
AstrBot is an open source all in one Agent chatbot platform written in Python and licensed under AGPL 3.0. It integrates with mainstream instant messaging applications and provides conversational AI infrastructure for individuals, developers, and teams. The project lives in the AI and machine learning ecosystem, specifically the AI interaction and interfaces category, and it has been developed over roughly four years. Its repository carries 40,504 stars and 2,915 forks, and its documented homepage is astrbot.app. Topics attached to the project include agent, ai, chatbot, chatgpt, discord, docker, gemini, gpt, lla…
read the full AstrBot overview →
About MaxKB
MaxKB is an open source Python platform for building enterprise grade agents in the AI and machine learning ecosystem. It combines a web interface, LangChain based retrieval augmented generation, workflow orchestration, and MCP tool use so organizations can connect large language models to their own documents, systems, and business processes. The project is positioned as a knowledge brain deployed under the GNU General Public License version 3.
read the full MaxKB overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AstrBot or MaxKB more popular?
AstrBot has 40,628 GitHub stars and MaxKB has 22,824. AstrBot has the larger community by that measure.
Are AstrBot and MaxKB free?
Both are open source. AstrBot is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and MaxKB under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AstrBot and MaxKB?
AstrBot is written in Python and MaxKB 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, AstrBot or MaxKB?
Choose AstrBot if you want the larger community (40,628 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose MaxKB if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.