Comparison
guidance vs jan
Verdict
Pick guidance if guidance is a specialized tool written in Jupyter Notebooks that provides a unique language to control large language models (LLMs) across multiple backends such as Transformers, llama.cpp, and OpenAI. It's open-source,轻; pick jan if jan is a TypeScript-based, self-hosted chatbot application that acts as an offline alternative to services like ChatGPT.
Markdown twin · guidance alternatives · jan alternatives
GraphCanon updated today
Trust & integrity
| Signal | guidance | jan |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Steady (50d since push) As of 1d · github_public_v1 | Very active (1d since push) As of 1d · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of 1d · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of 1d · github_public_v1 |
| Security (OSV) | No lockfile As of 1d · none | No lockfile As of 1d · none |
Tagline
- guidance
- A guidance language for controlling large language models.
- jan
- open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs offline locally
Stars
- guidance
- 22k
- jan
- 43k
Forks
- guidance
- 1.2k
- jan
- 2.9k
Open issues
- guidance
- 303
- jan
- 387
Language
- guidance
- Jupyter Notebook
- jan
- TypeScript
Adopt for
- guidance
- Guidance is a specialized tool written in Jupyter Notebooks that provides a unique language to control large language models (LLMs) across multiple backends such as Transformers, llama.cpp, and OpenAI. It's open-source,轻
- jan
- Jan is a TypeScript-based, self-hosted chatbot application that acts as an offline alternative to services like ChatGPT.
Persona
- guidance
- -
- jan
- -
Runtime
- guidance
- -
- jan
- -
License
- guidance
- MIT
- jan
- Other
Last pushed
- guidance
- May 21, 2026
- jan
- Jul 10, 2026
Categories
- guidance
- Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
- jan
- Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Maintenance
- guidance
- Steady (60%)
- jan
- Very active (96%)
Days since push
- guidance
- 50d
- jan
- 1d
Open issues (now)
- guidance
- 303
- jan
- 387
Full report
- guidance
- Trust report
- jan
- Trust report
Choose guidance if…
- guidance is primarily Jupyter Notebook; jan is TypeScript.
- License: guidance is MIT, jan is Other.
- Tags unique to guidance: backend support, control language, language models, pip-installable.
- When you need a specific language to finely control various LLM backends including Transformers, llama.cpp, and OpenAI
When NOT to use guidance
- When your project is strictly confined to using only one type of backend which you can manage without a specialized control language
- If your development environment does not support or prefer Jupyter Notebooks, Guidance may not be the best choice
Choose jan if…
- jan is primarily TypeScript; guidance is Jupyter Notebook.
- License: jan is Other, guidance is MIT.
- Tags unique to jan: chatgpt, gpt, llamacpp, llm.
- - If you require an offline-capable AI assistant for environments without internet access.
When NOT to use jan
- - If you require real-time updates to the AI model, since Jan uses static local models which may not get frequent updates.
- - When a vast knowledge base or continuous learning capabilities are essential, as Jan's offline nature constrains its ability to stay current with new information.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (guidance-ai/guidance) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (guidance-ai/guidance) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (guidance-ai/guidance) · observed May 21, 2026
- License file (MIT) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (janhq/jan) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (janhq/jan) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (janhq/jan) · 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: guidance 22k · jan 43k (synced Jul 11, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between guidance and jan?
- guidance: A guidance language for controlling large language models.. jan: open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs offline locally. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose guidance over jan?
- Choose guidance over jan when guidance is primarily Jupyter Notebook; jan is TypeScript; License: guidance is MIT, jan is Other; Tags unique to guidance: backend support, control language, language models, pip-installable; When you need a specific language to finely control various LLM backends including Transformers, llama.cpp, and OpenAI.
- When should I choose jan over guidance?
- Choose jan over guidance when jan is primarily TypeScript; guidance is Jupyter Notebook; License: jan is Other, guidance is MIT; Tags unique to jan: chatgpt, gpt, llamacpp, llm; - If you require an offline-capable AI assistant for environments without internet access.
- When should I avoid guidance?
- When your project is strictly confined to using only one type of backend which you can manage without a specialized control language If your development environment does not support or prefer Jupyter Notebooks, Guidance may not be the best choice
- When should I avoid jan?
- - If you require real-time updates to the AI model, since Jan uses static local models which may not get frequent updates. - When a vast knowledge base or continuous learning capabilities are essential, as Jan's offline nature constrains its ability to stay current with new information.
- Is guidance or jan more popular on GitHub?
- jan has more GitHub stars (43,499 vs 21,656). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are guidance and jan open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (guidance: MIT, jan: Other).
- Where can I find alternatives to guidance or jan?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at guidance alternatives and jan alternatives (guidance markdown twin, jan 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, guidance or jan?
- guidance: Steady. jan: 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 guidance and jan?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: guidance trust report; jan trust report.