---
title: "kotaemon vs agentic-rag-for-dummies"
type: "comparison"
canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/cinnamon-kotaemon-vs-giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies"
tools: ["cinnamon-kotaemon", "giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies"]
---

# kotaemon vs agentic-rag-for-dummies

*GraphCanon updated Aug 18, 2026*

## Verdict

Pick kotaemon if cinnamon's kotaemon is an open-source Retrieval-Augmented Generation-based chat tool that facilitates document interaction through a user-friendly chat interface; pick agentic-rag-for-dummies if agentic RAG for Dummies simplifies the setup of retrieval-augmented generation agents using LangGraph and Ollama models.

[kotaemon](https://cinnamon.github.io/kotaemon/) reports 26k GitHub stars, 2.1k forks, and 241 open issues, last pushed Jul 14, 2026. [agentic-rag-for-dummies](https://github.com/GiovanniPasq/agentic-rag-for-dummies) has 3.9k stars, 499 forks, and 0 open issues, last pushed Jul 25, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [kotaemon's repository](https://github.com/Cinnamon/kotaemon) and [agentic-rag-for-dummies's repository](https://github.com/GiovanniPasq/agentic-rag-for-dummies).

| | [kotaemon](/tools/cinnamon-kotaemon.md) | [agentic-rag-for-dummies](/tools/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tagline | An open-source RAG-based tool for chatting with your documents. | A modular Agentic RAG built with LangGraph for learning Retrieval-Augmented Generation Agents |
| Stars | 25,701 | 3,893 |
| Forks | 2,141 | 499 |
| Open issues | 241 | 0 |
| Language | Python | Jupyter Notebook |
| Adopt for | Cinnamon's kotaemon is an open-source Retrieval-Augmented Generation-based chat tool that facilitates document interaction through a user-friendly chat interface. | Agentic RAG for Dummies simplifies the setup of retrieval-augmented generation agents using LangGraph and Ollama models. |
| Persona | - | - |
| Runtime | - | - |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Categories | Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools | AI Agents, Data & Retrieval |

## Trust and health

_Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._

| | [kotaemon](/tools/cinnamon-kotaemon.md) | [agentic-rag-for-dummies](/tools/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Maintenance | Steady (60%) | Active (82%) |
| Days since push | 34d | 19d |
| Open issues (now) | 241 | 0 |
| Stars delta | +138 (30d) | Unknown |
| Open issues delta | +4 (30d) | Unknown |
| Owner type | Organization | User |
| Full report | [trust report](/tools/cinnamon-kotaemon/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies/trust.md) |

## Shared compatibility

- **Python**: [kotaemon](/tools/cinnamon-kotaemon.md) - Python runtime; [agentic-rag-for-dummies](/tools/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies.md) - Python runtime

## Decision facts: kotaemon

- **Adopt for:** Cinnamon's kotaemon is an open-source Retrieval-Augmented Generation-based chat tool that facilitates document interaction through a user-friendly chat interface.

## Decision facts: agentic-rag-for-dummies

- **Adopt for:** Agentic RAG for Dummies simplifies the setup of retrieval-augmented generation agents using LangGraph and Ollama models.

## Choose when

### Choose kotaemon if…

- kotaemon is primarily Python; agentic-rag-for-dummies is Jupyter Notebook.
- License: kotaemon is Apache-2.0, agentic-rag-for-dummies is MIT.
- Tags unique to kotaemon: chatbot, llms, open-source.
- Also covers Developer Tools.
- kotaemon ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
- When you need to customize the file types you can process beyond PDFs, HTML, MHTML, and XLSX by opting for the `full` Docker version which includes additional packages from 'unstructured'.

### Choose agentic-rag-for-dummies if…

- agentic-rag-for-dummies is primarily Jupyter Notebook; kotaemon is Python.
- License: agentic-rag-for-dummies is MIT, kotaemon is Apache-2.0.
- Tags unique to agentic-rag-for-dummies: agent, agentic-ai, bm25, gradio.
- Also covers AI Agents.
- When aiming to quickly develop a retrieval-augmented generation agent, thanks to its streamlined setup with LangGraph.

## When NOT to use kotaemon

- If you only need to process a limited set of file types (PDF, HTML, MHTML, XLSX) and prefer the smaller Docker image size, as the `lite` version lacks additional package dependencies.
- In environments with strict constraints on external dependencies where installing Docker or Python packages is not feasible.

## When NOT to use agentic-rag-for-dummies

- If smaller language model sizes are required as they might ignore retrieval instructions or hallucinate details.
- Projects sensitive about Docker and system requirements must carefully review the outlined conditions for deployment.

## Common questions

### What is the difference between kotaemon and agentic-rag-for-dummies?

kotaemon: An open-source RAG-based tool for chatting with your documents.. agentic-rag-for-dummies: A modular Agentic RAG built with LangGraph for learning Retrieval-Augmented Generation Agents. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.

### When should I choose kotaemon over agentic-rag-for-dummies?

Choose kotaemon over agentic-rag-for-dummies when kotaemon is primarily Python; agentic-rag-for-dummies is Jupyter Notebook; License: kotaemon is Apache-2.0, agentic-rag-for-dummies is MIT; Tags unique to kotaemon: chatbot, llms, open-source; Also covers Developer Tools; kotaemon ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; When you need to customize the file types you can process beyond PDFs, HTML, MHTML, and XLSX by opting for the `full` Docker version which includes additional packages from 'unstructured'.

### When should I choose agentic-rag-for-dummies over kotaemon?

Choose agentic-rag-for-dummies over kotaemon when agentic-rag-for-dummies is primarily Jupyter Notebook; kotaemon is Python; License: agentic-rag-for-dummies is MIT, kotaemon is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to agentic-rag-for-dummies: agent, agentic-ai, bm25, gradio; Also covers AI Agents; When aiming to quickly develop a retrieval-augmented generation agent, thanks to its streamlined setup with LangGraph.

### When should I avoid kotaemon?

If you only need to process a limited set of file types (PDF, HTML, MHTML, XLSX) and prefer the smaller Docker image size, as the `lite` version lacks additional package dependencies. In environments with strict constraints on external dependencies where installing Docker or Python packages is not feasible.

### When should I avoid agentic-rag-for-dummies?

If smaller language model sizes are required as they might ignore retrieval instructions or hallucinate details. Projects sensitive about Docker and system requirements must carefully review the outlined conditions for deployment.

### Is kotaemon or agentic-rag-for-dummies more popular on GitHub?

kotaemon has more GitHub stars (25,701 vs 3,893). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.

### Are kotaemon and agentic-rag-for-dummies open source?

Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (kotaemon: Apache-2.0, agentic-rag-for-dummies: MIT).

### Where can I find alternatives to kotaemon or agentic-rag-for-dummies?

GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [kotaemon alternatives](/tools/cinnamon-kotaemon/alternatives) and [agentic-rag-for-dummies alternatives](/tools/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies/alternatives) ([kotaemon markdown twin](/tools/cinnamon-kotaemon/alternatives.md), [agentic-rag-for-dummies markdown twin](/tools/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies/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/cinnamon-kotaemon-vs-giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.

### Which is better maintained, kotaemon or agentic-rag-for-dummies?

kotaemon: Steady. agentic-rag-for-dummies: 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 kotaemon and agentic-rag-for-dummies?

GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [kotaemon trust report](/tools/cinnamon-kotaemon/trust); [agentic-rag-for-dummies trust report](/tools/giovannipasq-agentic-rag-for-dummies/trust).

---

**Machine-readable endpoints**

- JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=cinnamon-kotaemon`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=cinnamon-kotaemon)
- 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/_