--- title: "askimo vs qabot" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/askimo-ai-askimo-vs-hardbyte-qabot" tools: ["askimo-ai-askimo", "hardbyte-qabot"] --- # askimo vs qabot *GraphCanon updated Aug 15, 2026* ## Verdict Pick askimo when askimo is primarily Kotlin; qabot is Python; pick qabot when qabot is primarily Python; askimo is Kotlin. [askimo](https://askimo.chat) reports 318 GitHub stars, 66 forks, and 19 open issues, last pushed Aug 13, 2026. [qabot](https://github.com/hardbyte/qabot) has 245 stars, 20 forks, and 2 open issues, last pushed Mar 5, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [askimo's repository](https://github.com/askimo-ai/askimo) and [qabot's repository](https://github.com/hardbyte/qabot). | | [askimo](/tools/askimo-ai-askimo.md) | [qabot](/tools/hardbyte-qabot.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | AI Client for chat, RAG, and agents with multi-provider model support. | CLI-based natural language queries on local or remote data | | Stars | 318 | 245 | | Forks | 66 | 20 | | Open issues | 19 | 2 | | Language | Kotlin | Python | | Adopt for | - | qabot enables CLI-based natural language queries on local or remote data. It is licensed under Apache-2.0. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | AI Agents, Data & Retrieval | Data & Retrieval | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [askimo](/tools/askimo-ai-askimo.md) | [qabot](/tools/hardbyte-qabot.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Dormant (18%) | | Days since push | 0d | 527d | | Open issues (now) | 19 | 2 | | Stars delta | Unknown | 0 (30d) | | Open issues delta | Unknown | 0 (30d) | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/askimo-ai-askimo/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/hardbyte-qabot/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: askimo - **Pricing:** unknown - The pricing information on the Askimo repository is not specified. ## Decision facts: qabot - **Adopt for:** qabot enables CLI-based natural language queries on local or remote data. It is licensed under Apache-2.0. ## Choose when ### Choose askimo if… - askimo is primarily Kotlin; qabot is Python. - License: askimo is AGPL-3.0, qabot is Apache-2.0. - Pricing: The pricing information on the Askimo repository is not specified.. - Tags unique to askimo: agentic-workflow, ai-assistant, artificial-intelligence, chat-client. - Also covers AI Agents. - Use for Kotlin developers who need to integrate chat and AI agents with multi-provider support including Claude, Codex, Gemini, and OpenAI. ### Choose qabot if… - qabot is primarily Python; askimo is Kotlin. - License: qabot is Apache-2.0, askimo is AGPL-3.0. - Tags unique to qabot: natural-language-processing, query interface. - qabot ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - Prefer qabot for users who prefer command-line interaction over graphical interfaces. ## When NOT to use askimo - Avoid if you require a solution that supports languages other than Kotlin, as Askimo is exclusively built for Kotlin environments. - Not suitable if your project has strict licensing requirements and requires proprietary code, due to its AGPL-3.0 license which might impose restrictions. ## When NOT to use qabot - Avoid if your workflow requires frequent visual analysis and interactivity. - Skip qabot for scenarios with limited data transfer budgets as it might incur charges with remote data access. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between askimo and qabot? askimo: AI Client for chat, RAG, and agents with multi-provider model support.. qabot: CLI-based natural language queries on local or remote data. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose askimo over qabot? Choose askimo over qabot when askimo is primarily Kotlin; qabot is Python; License: askimo is AGPL-3.0, qabot is Apache-2.0; Pricing: The pricing information on the Askimo repository is not specified.; Tags unique to askimo: agentic-workflow, ai-assistant, artificial-intelligence, chat-client; Also covers AI Agents; Use for Kotlin developers who need to integrate chat and AI agents with multi-provider support including Claude, Codex, Gemini, and OpenAI. ### When should I choose qabot over askimo? Choose qabot over askimo when qabot is primarily Python; askimo is Kotlin; License: qabot is Apache-2.0, askimo is AGPL-3.0; Tags unique to qabot: natural-language-processing, query interface; qabot ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; Prefer qabot for users who prefer command-line interaction over graphical interfaces. ### When should I avoid askimo? Avoid if you require a solution that supports languages other than Kotlin, as Askimo is exclusively built for Kotlin environments. Not suitable if your project has strict licensing requirements and requires proprietary code, due to its AGPL-3.0 license which might impose restrictions. ### When should I avoid qabot? Avoid if your workflow requires frequent visual analysis and interactivity. Skip qabot for scenarios with limited data transfer budgets as it might incur charges with remote data access. ### Is askimo or qabot more popular on GitHub? askimo has more GitHub stars (318 vs 245). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are askimo and qabot open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (askimo: AGPL-3.0, qabot: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to askimo or qabot? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [askimo alternatives](/tools/askimo-ai-askimo/alternatives) and [qabot alternatives](/tools/hardbyte-qabot/alternatives) ([askimo markdown twin](/tools/askimo-ai-askimo/alternatives.md), [qabot markdown twin](/tools/hardbyte-qabot/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/askimo-ai-askimo-vs-hardbyte-qabot.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, askimo or qabot? askimo: Very active. qabot: Dormant. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for askimo and qabot? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [askimo trust report](/tools/askimo-ai-askimo/trust); [qabot trust report](/tools/hardbyte-qabot/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=askimo-ai-askimo`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=askimo-ai-askimo) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_