--- title: "AstrBot vs heretic" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/astrbotdevs-astrbot-vs-p-e-w-heretic" tools: ["astrbotdevs-astrbot", "p-e-w-heretic"] --- # AstrBot vs heretic *GraphCanon updated Aug 16, 2026* ## Verdict Pick AstrBot if astrBot is an AI agent assistant and development framework that integrates multiple instant messaging platforms with various language models and plugins under the AGPL-3.0 license; pick heretic if heretic is a Python-based tool that removes censorship from language models automatically. [AstrBot](https://astrbot.app) reports 39k GitHub stars, 2.8k forks, and 1.4k open issues, last pushed Aug 16, 2026. [heretic](https://heretic-project.org) has 28k stars, 3.0k forks, and 74 open issues, last pushed Aug 14, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [AstrBot's repository](https://github.com/AstrBotDevs/AstrBot) and [heretic's repository](https://github.com/p-e-w/heretic). | | [AstrBot](/tools/astrbotdevs-astrbot.md) | [heretic](/tools/p-e-w-heretic.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | AI Agent Assistant & development framework that integrates lots of IM platforms, LLMs, plugins and AI feature | Fully automatic censorship removal for language models | | Stars | 39,240 | 27,709 | | Forks | 2,799 | 2,997 | | Open issues | 1,401 | 74 | | Language | Python | Python | | Adopt for | AstrBot is an AI agent assistant and development framework that integrates multiple instant messaging platforms with various language models and plugins under the AGPL-3.0 license. | Heretic is a Python-based tool that removes censorship from language models automatically. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 | | Categories | AI Agents, LLM Frameworks | Evaluation & Observability, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [AstrBot](/tools/astrbotdevs-astrbot.md) | [heretic](/tools/p-e-w-heretic.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 0d | 2d | | Open issues (now) | 1.4k | 74 | | Stars delta | +2.8k (30d) | +1.3k (30d) | | Open issues delta | +58 (30d) | +2 (30d) | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/astrbotdevs-astrbot/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/p-e-w-heretic/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: AstrBot - **Adopt for:** AstrBot is an AI agent assistant and development framework that integrates multiple instant messaging platforms with various language models and plugins under the AGPL-3.0 license. ## Decision facts: heretic - **Adopt for:** Heretic is a Python-based tool that removes censorship from language models automatically. ## Choose when ### Choose AstrBot if… - Tags unique to AstrBot: agent, ai, astrbot, chatbot. - Also covers AI Agents. - AstrBot ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - When you require a highly integrative environment where your AI agents can communicate across different instant messaging platforms like Discord, Telegram, QQ, and others. ### Choose heretic if… - Tags unique to heretic: abliteration, llm, transformer. - Also covers Evaluation & Observability. - Use Heretic if your work involves uncovering full capabilities of censored or restricted language models. Heretic excels in tasks requiring the removal of such restrictions. ## When NOT to use AstrBot - If you are looking for proprietary solutions or do not want to comply with the AGPL-3.0 open-source license requirements, as AstrBot might not suit businesses preferring closed development. - In scenarios where a very streamlined or simple AI agent without extensive plugin and platform customizability is required due to time constraints or a specific project scope that does not need broad, - +adaptability. ## When NOT to use heretic - Avoid Heretic if operating within jurisdictions where removing censorship from language models is illegal or against organizational policies. This could result in regulatory violations. - If your project does not benefit from uncensored content produced by language models (e.g., compliance-driven applications that require filtering mechanisms), using Heretic might be unnecessary. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between AstrBot and heretic? AstrBot: AI Agent Assistant & development framework that integrates lots of IM platforms, LLMs, plugins and AI feature. heretic: Fully automatic censorship removal for language models. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose AstrBot over heretic? Choose AstrBot over heretic when Tags unique to AstrBot: agent, ai, astrbot, chatbot; Also covers AI Agents; AstrBot ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; When you require a highly integrative environment where your AI agents can communicate across different instant messaging platforms like Discord, Telegram, QQ, and others. ### When should I choose heretic over AstrBot? Choose heretic over AstrBot when Tags unique to heretic: abliteration, llm, transformer; Also covers Evaluation & Observability; Use Heretic if your work involves uncovering full capabilities of censored or restricted language models. Heretic excels in tasks requiring the removal of such restrictions. ### When should I avoid AstrBot? If you are looking for proprietary solutions or do not want to comply with the AGPL-3.0 open-source license requirements, as AstrBot might not suit businesses preferring closed development. In scenarios where a very streamlined or simple AI agent without extensive plugin and platform customizability is required due to time constraints or a specific project scope that does not need broad, +adaptability. ### When should I avoid heretic? Avoid Heretic if operating within jurisdictions where removing censorship from language models is illegal or against organizational policies. This could result in regulatory violations. If your project does not benefit from uncensored content produced by language models (e.g., compliance-driven applications that require filtering mechanisms), using Heretic might be unnecessary. ### Is AstrBot or heretic more popular on GitHub? AstrBot has more GitHub stars (39,240 vs 27,709). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are AstrBot and heretic open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (AstrBot: AGPL-3.0, heretic: AGPL-3.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to AstrBot or heretic? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [AstrBot alternatives](/tools/astrbotdevs-astrbot/alternatives) and [heretic alternatives](/tools/p-e-w-heretic/alternatives) ([AstrBot markdown twin](/tools/astrbotdevs-astrbot/alternatives.md), [heretic markdown twin](/tools/p-e-w-heretic/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/astrbotdevs-astrbot-vs-p-e-w-heretic.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, AstrBot or heretic? AstrBot: Very active. heretic: Very active. 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 AstrBot and heretic? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [AstrBot trust report](/tools/astrbotdevs-astrbot/trust); [heretic trust report](/tools/p-e-w-heretic/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=astrbotdevs-astrbot`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=astrbotdevs-astrbot) - 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/_