head to head · open source
rowboat vs livecontext-ce
rowboat has 18,135 GitHub stars, 1,818 forks, 167 open issues and last shipped yesterday. livecontext-ce has 776 stars, 73 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 29 days ago. rowboat leads on adoption by 2,237% (18,135 vs 776 stars). rowboat is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; livecontext-ce is written in Java under a custom or non-standard licence. rowboat has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, livecontext-ce 9%. rowboat was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (agents, ai, ai-agents, 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 | livecontext-ce | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 776 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-10-07 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 73 |
| 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 livecontext-ce if
- You want the livecontext-ce feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and livecontext-ce 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…
read the full rowboat overview →
About livecontext-ce
LiveContext The AI automation platform. One message in, a working automation out. Describe the job in chat and LiveContext builds it in front of you: a workflow you can read, AI agents with scoped access and budgets you control, and a small app your team actually uses. Chat, Workflow, Agent and App in one self hosted platform. No code to write, nothing to stitch together. An open source, self hosted alternative to n8n, Zapier and Make, with AI agents built in. The builder, built by chat: one message in, a working automation out. Five real scenarios, one loop. Watch it full size · Try the hosted version ⭐…
read the full livecontext-ce overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is rowboat or livecontext-ce more popular?
rowboat has 18,135 GitHub stars and livecontext-ce has 776. rowboat has the larger community by that measure.
Are rowboat and livecontext-ce free?
Both are open source. rowboat is licensed under Apache-2.0, and livecontext-ce has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between rowboat and livecontext-ce?
rowboat is written in TypeScript and livecontext-ce in Java. 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 livecontext-ce?
Choose rowboat if you want the larger community (18,135 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose livecontext-ce if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.