head to head · open source
Open WebUI vs cindy
Open WebUI has 157,575 GitHub stars, 22,923 forks, 294 open issues and last shipped yesterday. cindy has 9,009 stars, 1,086 forks, 1,390 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Open WebUI leads on adoption by 1,649% (157,575 vs 9,009 stars). Open WebUI is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; cindy is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Open WebUI has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, cindy 12%. cindy was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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
| Open WebUI | cindy | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 158K | ★ 9.0K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 23K | ⑂ 1.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Open WebUI if
- You weight community size — 158K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other 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 Open WebUI
Open WebUI 👋 Open WebUI is a home for AI , a self hosted AI platform that's extensible , feature rich , user friendly, and built to run entirely offline . With support for Ollama and OpenAI compatible APIs , it gives you a powerful, provider agnostic interface for both local and cloud based models. Passionate about open source AI? Join our team → [!TIP] Looking for an Enterprise Plan? – Speak with Our Sales Team Today! For more information, be sure to check out our Open WebUI Documentation. Key Features of Open WebUI ⭐ 🚀 Effortless Setup : Install seamlessly via pip, uv, Docker, or Kubernetes (kubectl…
read the full Open WebUI overview →
About cindy
English · 简体中文 🌐 cindy.app · ⬇️ Download Cindy is an open source AI agent that works out of the box. She brings multiple harnesses, models and tools into one agent that finishes real work in your projects and apps. Ready from day one, yours to shape over time. Cindy runs locally on your own machine, using your real files and logged in apps. The first supported harnesses are Claude Code and Codex — more are being added, and a native harness is in the works. Models and harnesses mix freely and can switch mid task while your workspace, memory, skills and tools stay continuous; one task can even be planned…
read the full cindy overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Open WebUI or cindy more popular?
Open WebUI has 157,575 GitHub stars and cindy has 9,009. Open WebUI has the larger community by that measure.
Are Open WebUI and cindy free?
Both are open source. Open WebUI has no licence declared in this registry, and cindy is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Open WebUI and cindy?
Open WebUI 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, Open WebUI or cindy?
Choose Open WebUI if you want the larger community (157,575 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose cindy if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.