head to head · open source
LocalAI vs server
LocalAI has 50,208 GitHub stars, 4,577 forks, 201 open issues and last shipped yesterday. server has 8,534 stars, 2,264 forks, 495 open issues and last shipped yesterday. LocalAI leads on adoption by 488% (50,208 vs 8,534 stars). LocalAI is written in Go under MIT; server is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. LocalAI has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, server 27%. server 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
| LocalAI | server | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 50K | ★ 8.5K |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-05 | 2026-11-05 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.6K | ⑂ 2.3K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick LocalAI if
- You weight community size — 50K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick server if
- You want the server feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and server fits your workflow better
About LocalAI
Deutsch Español français 日本語 한국어 Português Русский 中文 LocalAI is the open source AI engine. Run any model LLMs, vision, voice, image, video on any hardware. No GPU required. A small core, not a bundle. Each backend wraps a best in class engine (llama.cpp, vLLM, whisper.cpp, stable diffusion, MLX...) in its own image, pulled only when a model needs it. You install nothing you don't use. Composable by design : backends are separate and pulled on demand, so you install only what your model needs Open and extensible : load any model, or build your own backend in any language against an open interface Drop in API…
read the full LocalAI overview →
About server
MariaDB Server MariaDB Server is one of the most widely deployed open source relational databases. It is built by a global community of contributors together with the MariaDB Foundation and MariaDB plc, and it powers workloads from small applications to large scale production systems. MariaDB began as a fork of MySQL, led by the original MySQL developers, and it maintains a high degree of MySQL compatibility. It has since grown into a database with its own capabilities, including native vector search, multiple pluggable storage engines, synchronous clustering, and analytical features, while remaining a…
read the full server overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalAI or server more popular?
LocalAI has 50,208 GitHub stars and server has 8,534. LocalAI has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalAI and server free?
Both are open source. LocalAI is licensed under MIT and server under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalAI and server?
LocalAI is written in Go and server in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, LocalAI or server?
Choose LocalAI if you want the larger community (50,208 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose server if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.