head to head · open source
Open WebUI vs row-bot
Open WebUI has 152,426 GitHub stars, 22,301 forks, 294 open issues and last shipped today. row-bot has 1,495 stars, 172 forks, 31 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Open WebUI leads on adoption by 10,096% (152,426 vs 1,495 stars). Open WebUI is written in Python under a custom or non-standard licence; row-bot is written in Python under Apache-2.0. Open WebUI has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, row-bot 12%. Open WebUI was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ollama), 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 | row-bot | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 152K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 22K | ⑂ 172 |
| 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 row-bot if
- You want the row-bot feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and row-bot 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 row-bot
Row Bot (formerly Thoth) Row Bot is a local first desktop AI assistant for doing real work with models, memory, and tools. Its name is the operating model: Reason through messy context, Orchestrate tools and model providers, and Work inside the files, repos, workflows, and channels you choose. It combines chat, durable memory, tool use, Agent Profiles, Goal Mode, automatic parent led agent orchestration, profile first workflows, Developer Studio, Designer Studio, Smart Skills, Skills Hub, Custom Tools, Plugin System v2, progressive external tool and skill discovery, context metering and rolling compaction, provid…
read the full row-bot overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Open WebUI or row-bot more popular?
Open WebUI has 152,426 GitHub stars and row-bot has 1,495. Open WebUI has the larger community by that measure.
Are Open WebUI and row-bot free?
Both are open source. Open WebUI has no licence declared in this registry, and row-bot is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Open WebUI and row-bot?
Open WebUI is written in Python and row-bot 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 row-bot?
Choose Open WebUI if you want the larger community (152,426 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose row-bot if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.