head to head · open source
OpenClaw vs Open WebUI
OpenClaw has 393,664 GitHub stars, 82,735 forks, 6,671 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Open WebUI has 157,498 stars, 22,901 forks, 294 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenClaw leads on adoption by 150% (393,664 vs 157,498 stars). OpenClaw is written in TypeScript under MIT; Open WebUI is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence. OpenClaw has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, Open WebUI 15%. OpenClaw 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
| OpenClaw | Open WebUI | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 394K | ★ 157K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 83K | ⑂ 23K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenClaw if
- You weight community size — 394K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Open WebUI if
- You want the Open WebUI feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Open WebUI fits your workflow better
About OpenClaw
OpenClaw 🦞 — Your assistant, on your devices, in your chats OpenClaw is an open source AI assistant that runs on your own computer and meets you in the channels you already use: Discord, iMessage, Slack, Teams, Telegram, WhatsApp, and 20+ more, plus native apps for macOS, iOS, Android, Windows, and Linux. One Gateway runs it as a personal assistant on a laptop or as a shared team deployment; configuration is the only difference. Yours, with no catch. State, memory, and credentials live on your hardware. Models and agent harnesses (Claude, Codex, local models) are plugins you can swap without changing anything…
read the full OpenClaw overview →
About Open WebUI
Open WebUI 👋 Open WebUI is a home for AI , a self hosted AI platform that's extensible , feature rich , user friendly, and built to run entirely offline . With support for Ollama and OpenAI compatible APIs , it gives you a powerful, provider agnostic interface for both local and cloud based models. Passionate about open source AI? Join our team → [!TIP] Looking for an Enterprise Plan? – Speak with Our Sales Team Today! For more information, be sure to check out our Open WebUI Documentation. Key Features of Open WebUI ⭐ 🚀 Effortless Setup : Install seamlessly via pip, uv, Docker, or Kubernetes (kubectl…
read the full Open WebUI overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenClaw or Open WebUI more popular?
OpenClaw has 393,664 GitHub stars and Open WebUI has 157,498. OpenClaw has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenClaw and Open WebUI free?
Both are open source. OpenClaw is licensed under MIT, and Open WebUI has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between OpenClaw and Open WebUI?
OpenClaw is written in TypeScript and Open WebUI 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, OpenClaw or Open WebUI?
Choose OpenClaw if you want the larger community (393,664 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Open WebUI if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.