head to head · open source
Open WebUI vs Open-Notebook
Open WebUI has 152,426 GitHub stars, 22,301 forks, 294 open issues and last shipped today. Open-Notebook has 39,105 stars, 4,532 forks, 110 open issues and last shipped today. Open WebUI leads on adoption by 290% (152,426 vs 39,105 stars). Open WebUI is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; Open-Notebook is written in TypeScript under MIT. Open WebUI has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, Open-Notebook 12%. Open-Notebook 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.
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Side by side
| Open WebUI | Open-Notebook | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 152K | ★ 39K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 22K | ⑂ 4.5K |
| 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 Open-Notebook if
- You want the Open-Notebook feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Open-Notebook 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 Open-Notebook
Open Notebook is an open source, privacy focused research notebook that replicates and extends Google’s Notebook LM functionality. It runs locally or self hosted, letting users manage AI powered research workflows without surrendering data to cloud providers. Built with TypeScript, Next.js, React, SurrealDB, and LangChain, it targets researchers, students, and knowledge workers seeking control over their data and tools.
read the full Open-Notebook overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Open WebUI or Open-Notebook more popular?
Open WebUI has 152,426 GitHub stars and Open-Notebook has 39,105. Open WebUI has the larger community by that measure.
Are Open WebUI and Open-Notebook free?
Both are open source. Open WebUI has no licence declared in this registry, and Open-Notebook is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Open WebUI and Open-Notebook?
Open WebUI is written in Python and Open-Notebook 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 Open-Notebook?
Choose Open WebUI if you want the larger community (152,426 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Open-Notebook if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.