head to head · open source
rowboat vs bisheng
rowboat has 18,126 GitHub stars, 1,816 forks, 167 open issues and last shipped yesterday. bisheng has 12,105 stars, 1,991 forks, 138 open issues and last shipped yesterday. rowboat leads on adoption by 50% (18,126 vs 12,105 stars). rowboat is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; bisheng is written in Python under Apache-2.0. rowboat has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, bisheng 16%. rowboat was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (ai, llm), 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
| rowboat | bisheng | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 12K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 2.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick rowboat if
- You weight community size — 18K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick bisheng if
- You want the bisheng 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 bisheng fits your workflow better
About rowboat
Rowboat A desktop AI coworker with a memory of your work and built in surfaces to act on it. 简体中文 · 日本語 · 한국어 · Español · Français · Português Rowboat indexes your work into a living knowledge graph and uses that to get work done on your machine. It includes work surfaces for collaborating with AI: email client, notes, browser, code mode, meeting note taker, and workspaces for different projects. Download latest for Mac/Windows/Linux: Download Demo apps to code · Demo knowledge graph ⭐ If you find Rowboat useful, please star the repo. It helps more people find it. Overview Brain Rowboat indexes email, meetings…
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About bisheng
Proudly made by Chinese，May we, like the creators of Deepseek and Black Myth: Wukong, bring more wonder and greatness to the world. 源自中国匠心，希望我们能像 [Deepseek]、[黑神话：悟空] 团队一样，给世界带来更多美好。 简体中文 English 日本語 BISHENG is an open LLM application devops platform, focusing on enterprise scenarios. It has been used by a large number of industry leading organizations and Fortune 500 companies. "Bi Sheng" was the inventor of movable type printing, which played a vital role in promoting the transmission of human knowledge. We hope that BISHENG can also provide strong support for the widespread implementation of intelligent…
read the full bisheng overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is rowboat or bisheng more popular?
rowboat has 18,126 GitHub stars and bisheng has 12,105. rowboat has the larger community by that measure.
Are rowboat and bisheng free?
Both are open source. rowboat is licensed under Apache-2.0 and bisheng under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between rowboat and bisheng?
rowboat is written in TypeScript and bisheng 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, rowboat or bisheng?
Choose rowboat if you want the larger community (18,126 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose bisheng if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.