head to head · open source
Open WebUI vs kelivo
Open WebUI has 152,426 GitHub stars, 22,301 forks, 294 open issues and last shipped today. kelivo has 3,967 stars, 438 forks, 467 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Open WebUI leads on adoption by 3,742% (152,426 vs 3,967 stars). Open WebUI is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; kelivo is written in Dart under AGPL-3.0. Open WebUI has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, kelivo 11%. Open WebUI was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (ai, 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 | kelivo | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 152K | ★ 4.0K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Dart |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 22K | ⑂ 438 |
| 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 kelivo if
- You want the kelivo feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Dart
- You evaluated both and kelivo 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 kelivo
Kelivo An open source LLM client for mobile and desktop. Use every major model in one app, give it a workspace to get real work done, and keep your data on your own device. Website · User Guide · Download · Report an Issue English · 简体中文 💡 Overview Kelivo is a cross platform LLM client built with Flutter for Android, iOS, macOS, Windows and Linux. Connect your own API keys or sign in with a supported subscription, and switch between OpenAI, Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek, OpenRouter and any OpenAI compatible service without switching apps. Kelivo goes beyond chat. Models can search the web, call MCP servers, follow sk…
read the full kelivo overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Open WebUI or kelivo more popular?
Open WebUI has 152,426 GitHub stars and kelivo has 3,967. Open WebUI has the larger community by that measure.
Are Open WebUI and kelivo free?
Both are open source. Open WebUI has no licence declared in this registry, and kelivo is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Open WebUI and kelivo?
Open WebUI is written in Python and kelivo in Dart. 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 kelivo?
Choose Open WebUI if you want the larger community (152,426 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose kelivo if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.