head to head · open source
Open WebUI vs ComfyUI
Open WebUI has 152,487 GitHub stars, 22,317 forks, 294 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ComfyUI has 133,792 stars, 15,838 forks, 4,894 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Open WebUI leads on adoption by 14% (152,487 vs 133,792 stars). Open WebUI is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; ComfyUI is written in Python under GPL-3.0. Open WebUI has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, ComfyUI 12%. ComfyUI was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ai), 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 | ComfyUI | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 152K | ★ 134K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 22K | ⑂ 16K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Open WebUI if
- You weight community size — 152K 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 ComfyUI if
- You want the ComfyUI 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 ComfyUI fits your workflow better
About Open WebUI
Open WebUI is a self hosted, open source AI interface that unifies access to local and cloud based large language models. It runs entirely in a web browser and supports Ollama for local model hosting alongside any OpenAI compatible API, including services like LMStudio, GroqCloud, Mistral, and OpenRouter. Built in Python, it functions as a drop in replacement for proprietary AI platforms, giving users full control over their model infrastructure and data.
read the full Open WebUI overview →
About ComfyUI
ComfyUI is a GPL 3.0 licensed Python and PyTorch node graph application, local API, and backend for running diffusion models across image, video, audio, 3D, and text workflows, built for visual professionals who want control over every model, parameter, and output, and for developers who embed those workflows into production pipelines.
read the full ComfyUI overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Open WebUI or ComfyUI more popular?
Open WebUI has 152,487 GitHub stars and ComfyUI has 133,792. Open WebUI has the larger community by that measure.
Are Open WebUI and ComfyUI free?
Both are open source. Open WebUI has no licence declared in this registry, and ComfyUI is licensed under GPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Open WebUI and ComfyUI?
Open WebUI is written in Python and ComfyUI 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, Open WebUI or ComfyUI?
Choose Open WebUI if you want the larger community (152,487 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose ComfyUI if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.