head to head · open source
nanobot vs cindy
nanobot has 48,372 GitHub stars, 8,548 forks, 775 open issues and last shipped today. cindy has 2,765 stars, 405 forks, 1,390 open issues and last shipped today. nanobot leads on adoption by 1,649% (48,372 vs 2,765 stars). nanobot is written in Python under MIT; cindy is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. nanobot has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, cindy 15%. cindy was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ai-agent), 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
| nanobot | cindy | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 48K | ★ 2.8K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 8.5K | ⑂ 405 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick nanobot if
- You weight community size — 48K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick cindy if
- You want the cindy feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and cindy fits your workflow better
About nanobot
nanobot is an ultra lightweight, open source, self hosted personal AI agent framework written in Python, aimed at individual developers and small teams who want to run their own agent through a browser WebUI, a terminal, or chat apps instead of renting a hosted assistant.
read the full nanobot overview →
About cindy
Cindy is an open source AI agent that works out of the box: a TypeScript desktop and mobile client that runs locally on your own machine, uses your real files and logged in apps, and folds multiple agent harnesses, models and tools into one agent aimed at people who want finished work rather than another chat window.
read the full cindy overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is nanobot or cindy more popular?
nanobot has 48,372 GitHub stars and cindy has 2,765. nanobot has the larger community by that measure.
Are nanobot and cindy free?
Both are open source. nanobot is licensed under MIT and cindy under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between nanobot and cindy?
nanobot is written in Python and cindy in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, nanobot or cindy?
Choose nanobot if you want the larger community (48,372 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose cindy if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.