head to head · open source
OpenClaw vs AnythingLLM
OpenClaw has 389,982 GitHub stars, 81,978 forks, 6,671 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AnythingLLM has 66,141 stars, 7,347 forks, 311 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenClaw leads on adoption by 490% (389,982 vs 66,141 stars). OpenClaw is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; AnythingLLM is written in JavaScript under MIT. OpenClaw has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, AnythingLLM 11%. OpenClaw 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
| OpenClaw | AnythingLLM | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 390K | ★ 66K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 82K | ⑂ 7.3K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenClaw if
- You weight community size — 390K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick AnythingLLM if
- You want the AnythingLLM feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and AnythingLLM fits your workflow better
About OpenClaw
OpenClaw is an open source, self hosted AI assistant in the AI & Machine Learning / AI Interaction & Interfaces category that runs on hardware the user controls and meets them inside the messaging channels they already use, for individuals who want a personal assistant on a laptop and teams that want a shared deployment.
read the full OpenClaw overview →
About AnythingLLM
AnythingLLM is a local first AI application that enables users to chat with their documents using any large language model (LLM), local or cloud hosted. It runs as a self hosted service—by default in Docker—and provides a complete interface for document ingestion, agent orchestration, multi user access, and workflow automation without requiring external cloud dependencies. The project lives in the local AI and AI interaction ecosystem, targeting users who want full control over their data and model selection.
read the full AnythingLLM overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenClaw or AnythingLLM more popular?
OpenClaw has 389,982 GitHub stars and AnythingLLM has 66,141. OpenClaw has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenClaw and AnythingLLM free?
Both are open source. OpenClaw has no licence declared in this registry, and AnythingLLM is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between OpenClaw and AnythingLLM?
OpenClaw is written in TypeScript and AnythingLLM in JavaScript. 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 AnythingLLM?
Choose OpenClaw if you want the larger community (389,982 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose AnythingLLM if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.