head to head · open source
Open WebUI vs lobe-ui
Open WebUI has 152,426 GitHub stars, 22,301 forks, 294 open issues and last shipped yesterday. lobe-ui has 2,203 stars, 269 forks, 61 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Open WebUI leads on adoption by 6,819% (152,426 vs 2,203 stars). Open WebUI is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; lobe-ui is written in TypeScript under MIT. Open WebUI has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, lobe-ui 12%. Open WebUI was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 13541 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Open WebUI | lobe-ui | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 152K | ★ 2.2K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 22K | ⑂ 269 |
| 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 lobe-ui if
- You want the lobe-ui feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and lobe-ui 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 lobe-ui
Lobe UI is an MIT licensed, TypeScript first React component library for building AIGC web applications, aimed at front end teams shipping chat, assistant, and generative AI interfaces who want Ant Design's foundation with AI oriented components and providers already wired together.
read the full lobe-ui overview →
More in AI & Machine Learning
Related comparisons
More AI Interaction & Interfaces projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the AI Interaction & Interfaces field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Open WebUI or lobe-ui more popular?
Open WebUI has 152,426 GitHub stars and lobe-ui has 2,203. Open WebUI has the larger community by that measure.
Are Open WebUI and lobe-ui free?
Both are open source. Open WebUI has no licence declared in this registry, and lobe-ui is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Open WebUI and lobe-ui?
Open WebUI is written in Python and lobe-ui 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 lobe-ui?
Choose Open WebUI if you want the larger community (152,426 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose lobe-ui if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.