Comparison
surf vs open-webui
Verdict
Pick surf when surf is primarily TypeScript; open-webui is Python; pick open-webui when open-webui is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript.
Markdown twin · surf alternatives · open-webui alternatives
GraphCanon updated today
Trust & integrity
| Signal | surf | open-webui |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (6d since push) As of today · github_public_v1 | Very active (0d since push) As of 4d · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of today · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of 4d · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of today · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 4d · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- surf
- Personal AI Notebooks. Organize files & webpages and generate notes from them. Open source, local & open data, open model choice (incl. local).
- open-webui
- User-friendly AI Interface (Supports Ollama, OpenAI API, ...)
Stars
- surf
- 3.5k
- open-webui
- 145k
Forks
- surf
- 255
- open-webui
- 21k
Open issues
- surf
- 32
- open-webui
- 391
Language
- surf
- TypeScript
- open-webui
- Python
Adopt for
- surf
- -
- open-webui
- Suitable for developers working with large language models who require a user-friendly interface and support for multiple APIs including Ollama and OpenAI.
Persona
- surf
- -
- open-webui
- -
Runtime
- surf
- -
- open-webui
- -
License
- surf
- Apache-2.0
- open-webui
- Other
Last pushed
- surf
- Jul 8, 2026
- open-webui
- Jul 10, 2026
Categories
- surf
- Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
- open-webui
- Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Days since push
- surf
- 6d
- open-webui
- 0d
Open issues (now)
- surf
- 32
- open-webui
- 391
Full report
- surf
- Trust report
- open-webui
- Trust report
Choose surf if…
- surf is primarily TypeScript; open-webui is Python.
- License: surf is Apache-2.0, open-webui is Other.
- Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, knowledge-base.
When NOT to use surf
- Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic.
- LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves.
Choose open-webui if…
- open-webui is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript.
- License: open-webui is Other, surf is Apache-2.0.
- Tags unique to open-webui: ai, openai, self-hosted.
- When you need to integrate multiple AI services, such as Ollama and OpenAI, into a unified user interface.
When NOT to use open-webui
- When looking for tooling that exclusively supports APIs other than Ollama and OpenAI, as these are specific areas of focus for open-webui.
- If the requirement is a highly specialized interface tailored to specific tasks rather than a general AI interaction platform.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (deta/surf) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub forks (deta/surf) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- Last push (deta/surf) · observed Jul 8, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub stars (open-webui/open-webui) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (open-webui/open-webui) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (open-webui/open-webui) · observed Jul 10, 2026
- License file (Other) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: surf 3.5k · open-webui 145k (synced Jul 15, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between surf and open-webui?
- surf: Personal AI Notebooks. Organize files & webpages and generate notes from them. Open source, local & open data, open model choice (incl. local).. open-webui: User-friendly AI Interface (Supports Ollama, OpenAI API, ...). See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose surf over open-webui?
- Choose surf over open-webui when surf is primarily TypeScript; open-webui is Python; License: surf is Apache-2.0, open-webui is Other; Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, knowledge-base.
- When should I choose open-webui over surf?
- Choose open-webui over surf when open-webui is primarily Python; surf is TypeScript; License: open-webui is Other, surf is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to open-webui: ai, openai, self-hosted; When you need to integrate multiple AI services, such as Ollama and OpenAI, into a unified user interface.
- When should I avoid surf?
- Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves.
- When should I avoid open-webui?
- When looking for tooling that exclusively supports APIs other than Ollama and OpenAI, as these are specific areas of focus for open-webui. If the requirement is a highly specialized interface tailored to specific tasks rather than a general AI interaction platform.
- Is surf or open-webui more popular on GitHub?
- open-webui has more GitHub stars (145,029 vs 3,476). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are surf and open-webui open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (surf: Apache-2.0, open-webui: Other).
- Where can I find alternatives to surf or open-webui?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at surf alternatives and open-webui alternatives (surf markdown twin, open-webui markdown twin), 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 mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, surf or open-webui?
- surf: Very active. open-webui: 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 surf and open-webui?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: surf trust report; open-webui trust report.