head to head · open source
Open WebUI vs Khoj
Open WebUI has 152,426 GitHub stars, 22,301 forks, 294 open issues and last shipped today. Khoj has 37,399 stars, 2,484 forks, 148 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. Open WebUI leads on adoption by 308% (152,426 vs 37,399 stars). Open WebUI is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; Khoj is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. Open WebUI has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, Khoj 7%. 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 | Khoj | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 152K | ★ 37K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-08-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 22K | ⑂ 2.5K |
| 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 Khoj if
- You want the Khoj feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Khoj 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 Khoj
Khoj is a self hostable, open source AI second brain written in Python that turns any local or online large language model into a personal research, automation, and agent platform for individuals, small teams, and enterprises that want their documents and queries kept under their own control.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Open WebUI or Khoj more popular?
Open WebUI has 152,426 GitHub stars and Khoj has 37,399. Open WebUI has the larger community by that measure.
Are Open WebUI and Khoj free?
Both are open source. Open WebUI has no licence declared in this registry, and Khoj is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Open WebUI and Khoj?
Open WebUI is written in Python and Khoj 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 Khoj?
Choose Open WebUI if you want the larger community (152,426 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Khoj if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.