head to head · open source
Open WebUI vs LibreChat
Open WebUI has 152,394 GitHub stars, 22,296 forks, 294 open issues and last shipped yesterday. LibreChat has 44,217 stars, 9,087 forks, 732 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Open WebUI leads on adoption by 245% (152,394 vs 44,217 stars). Open WebUI is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; LibreChat is written in TypeScript under MIT. Open WebUI has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, LibreChat 21%. LibreChat 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 | LibreChat | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 152K | ★ 44K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 22K | ⑂ 9.1K |
| 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 LibreChat if
- You want the LibreChat feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and LibreChat 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 LibreChat
LibreChat is an open source, self hostable chat interface designed as an enhanced ChatGPT clone. It unifies access to multiple AI models—including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Mistral, AWS Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, and others—within a single web application. Built in TypeScript, it supports real time streaming, multi model switching, and advanced agent workflows while providing features like message search, artifacts, code interpreter, and secure multi user authentication.
read the full LibreChat overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Open WebUI or LibreChat more popular?
Open WebUI has 152,394 GitHub stars and LibreChat has 44,217. Open WebUI has the larger community by that measure.
Are Open WebUI and LibreChat free?
Both are open source. Open WebUI has no licence declared in this registry, and LibreChat is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Open WebUI and LibreChat?
Open WebUI is written in Python and LibreChat 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 LibreChat?
Choose Open WebUI if you want the larger community (152,394 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose LibreChat if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.