--- title: "ChatFiles vs anything-llm" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/guangzhengli-chatfiles-vs-mintplex-labs-anything-llm" tools: ["guangzhengli-chatfiles", "mintplex-labs-anything-llm"] --- # ChatFiles vs anything-llm *GraphCanon updated Aug 15, 2026* ## Verdict Pick ChatFiles if chatFiles uses GPT and embedding technologies with LangchainJS for document interaction via a Supabase vector database; pick anything-llm if self-hosted AI agent experience with robust deployment scripts across multiple environments. [ChatFiles](https://github.com/guangzhengli/ChatFiles) reports 3.3k GitHub stars, 464 forks, and 18 open issues, last pushed Dec 17, 2024. [anything-llm](https://anythingllm.com) has 65k stars, 7.1k forks, and 319 open issues, last pushed Aug 13, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [ChatFiles's repository](https://github.com/guangzhengli/ChatFiles) and [anything-llm's repository](https://github.com/Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm). | | [ChatFiles](/tools/guangzhengli-chatfiles.md) | [anything-llm](/tools/mintplex-labs-anything-llm.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Document Chatbot powered by GPT and Embedding | Self-hosted agent experience with deployment scripts for multiple environments | | Stars | 3,341 | 64,716 | | Forks | 464 | 7,132 | | Open issues | 18 | 319 | | Language | TypeScript | JavaScript | | Adopt for | ChatFiles uses GPT and embedding technologies with LangchainJS for document interaction via a Supabase vector database. | Self-hosted AI agent experience with robust deployment scripts across multiple environments. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | MIT | | Categories | AI Agents, Vector Databases | AI Agents, Inference & Serving | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [ChatFiles](/tools/guangzhengli-chatfiles.md) | [anything-llm](/tools/mintplex-labs-anything-llm.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Dormant (18%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 605d | 1d | | Open issues (now) | 18 | 319 | | Stars delta | -3 (30d) | +1.4k (30d) | | Open issues delta | 0 (30d) | +2 (30d) | | Owner type | User | Organization | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/guangzhengli-chatfiles/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/mintplex-labs-anything-llm/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: ChatFiles - **Pricing:** freemium - Available under the MIT license, it is free to use. However, users might incur costs for hosting with Vercel and database usage on Supabase. - **Requirements:** Local setup requires setting environment variables as outlined in the documentation. - **Adopt for:** ChatFiles uses GPT and embedding technologies with LangchainJS for document interaction via a Supabase vector database. ## Decision facts: anything-llm - **Adopt for:** Self-hosted AI agent experience with robust deployment scripts across multiple environments. ## Choose when ### Choose ChatFiles if… - ChatFiles is primarily TypeScript; anything-llm is JavaScript. - Pricing: Available under the MIT license, it is free to use. However, users might incur costs for hosting with Vercel and database usage on Supabase.. - Requirements: Local setup requires setting environment variables as outlined in the documentation.. - Tags unique to ChatFiles: chatbot, embedding, gpt-api, supabase. - Also covers Vector Databases. - ChatFiles ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - You need to integrate file-based conversations into your web apps using TypeScript. ### Choose anything-llm if… - anything-llm is primarily JavaScript; ChatFiles is TypeScript. - Tags unique to anything-llm: agent-computer, agent-harness, agentic-ai, llm. - Also covers Inference & Serving. - When you need flexibility in deploying your AI agents on various cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, Digital Ocean, and more. ## When NOT to use ChatFiles - If you aim to use languages other than TypeScript for your document chatbot functionality. - Your deployment preferences prioritize platforms other than Vercel, which is highlighted in ChatFiles' documentation. - The project does not require or benefit from the specific combination of LangchainJS and Supabase as provided by this tool. ## When NOT to use anything-llm - Avoid if you require an agent without additional setup or prefer SaaS solutions over self-managed deployments. - Not suitable for users who are looking for no-code alternatives as setting up AnythingLLM might necessitate some coding knowledge despite offering multiple scripts and methods. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between ChatFiles and anything-llm? ChatFiles: Document Chatbot powered by GPT and Embedding. anything-llm: Self-hosted agent experience with deployment scripts for multiple environments. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose ChatFiles over anything-llm? Choose ChatFiles over anything-llm when ChatFiles is primarily TypeScript; anything-llm is JavaScript; Pricing: Available under the MIT license, it is free to use. However, users might incur costs for hosting with Vercel and database usage on Supabase.; Requirements: Local setup requires setting environment variables as outlined in the documentation.; Tags unique to ChatFiles: chatbot, embedding, gpt-api, supabase; Also covers Vector Databases; ChatFiles ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; You need to integrate file-based conversations into your web apps using TypeScript. ### When should I choose anything-llm over ChatFiles? Choose anything-llm over ChatFiles when anything-llm is primarily JavaScript; ChatFiles is TypeScript; Tags unique to anything-llm: agent-computer, agent-harness, agentic-ai, llm; Also covers Inference & Serving; When you need flexibility in deploying your AI agents on various cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, Digital Ocean, and more. ### When should I avoid ChatFiles? If you aim to use languages other than TypeScript for your document chatbot functionality. Your deployment preferences prioritize platforms other than Vercel, which is highlighted in ChatFiles' documentation. The project does not require or benefit from the specific combination of LangchainJS and Supabase as provided by this tool. ### When should I avoid anything-llm? Avoid if you require an agent without additional setup or prefer SaaS solutions over self-managed deployments. Not suitable for users who are looking for no-code alternatives as setting up AnythingLLM might necessitate some coding knowledge despite offering multiple scripts and methods. ### Is ChatFiles or anything-llm more popular on GitHub? anything-llm has more GitHub stars (64,716 vs 3,341). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are ChatFiles and anything-llm open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (ChatFiles: MIT, anything-llm: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to ChatFiles or anything-llm? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [ChatFiles alternatives](/tools/guangzhengli-chatfiles/alternatives) and [anything-llm alternatives](/tools/mintplex-labs-anything-llm/alternatives) ([ChatFiles markdown twin](/tools/guangzhengli-chatfiles/alternatives.md), [anything-llm markdown twin](/tools/mintplex-labs-anything-llm/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/guangzhengli-chatfiles-vs-mintplex-labs-anything-llm.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, ChatFiles or anything-llm? ChatFiles: Dormant. anything-llm: 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 ChatFiles and anything-llm? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [ChatFiles trust report](/tools/guangzhengli-chatfiles/trust); [anything-llm trust report](/tools/mintplex-labs-anything-llm/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=guangzhengli-chatfiles`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=guangzhengli-chatfiles) - 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/_