Comparison
ChainForge vs FastChat
Verdict
Pick ChainForge if web-based visual programming tool for prompt testing on LLMs; supports local installation and Docker for advanced feature access; pick FastChat if fastChat is a comprehensive open platform for managing large language models (LLMs) that includes capabilities for training, serving, evaluating, and comparing chatbot models via web UIs and RESTful APIs. It powers ChatB.
Markdown twin · ChainForge alternatives · FastChat alternatives
GraphCanon updated today
vs
Trust & integrity
| Signal | ChainForge | FastChat |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Steady (70d since push) As of today · github_public_v1 | Slowing (98d since push) As of 1w · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Personal account As of today · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of 1w · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 1mo · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 1mo · 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
- ChainForge
- An open-source visual programming environment for battle-testing prompts to LLMs.
- FastChat
- An open platform for training, serving, and evaluating large language models
Stars
- ChainForge
- 3.0k
- FastChat
- 40k
Forks
- ChainForge
- 256
- FastChat
- 4.8k
Open issues
- ChainForge
- 70
- FastChat
- 1.0k
Language
- ChainForge
- TypeScript
- FastChat
- Python
Adopt for
- ChainForge
- Web-based visual programming tool for prompt testing on LLMs; supports local installation and Docker for advanced feature access.
- FastChat
- FastChat is a comprehensive open platform for managing large language models (LLMs) that includes capabilities for training, serving, evaluating, and comparing chatbot models via web UIs and RESTful APIs. It powers ChatB
Persona
- ChainForge
- -
- FastChat
- -
Runtime
- ChainForge
- -
- FastChat
- -
License
- ChainForge
- MIT
- FastChat
- Apache-2.0
Last pushed
- ChainForge
- Jun 10, 2026
- FastChat
- May 1, 2026
Categories
- ChainForge
- Evaluation & Observability, LLM Frameworks
- FastChat
- Evaluation & Observability, Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks, Model Training
Trust and health
Maintenance
- ChainForge
- Steady (60%)
- FastChat
- Slowing (36%)
Days since push
- ChainForge
- 70d
- FastChat
- 98d
Open issues (now)
- ChainForge
- 70
- FastChat
- 1.0k
Stars delta
- ChainForge
- +14 (30d)
- FastChat
- Unknown
Open issues delta
- ChainForge
- +1 (30d)
- FastChat
- Unknown
Owner type
- ChainForge
- User
- FastChat
- Organization
Full report
- ChainForge
- Trust report
- FastChat
- Trust report
Shared compatibility
- Python · ChainForge: Python runtime · FastChat: Python runtime
Choose ChainForge if…
- ChainForge is primarily TypeScript; FastChat is Python.
- License: ChainForge is MIT, FastChat is Apache-2.0.
- Tags unique to ChainForge: ai, evaluation, llmops, prompt-engineering.
- ChainForge ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
- Need extensive features beyond web limitations
When NOT to use ChainForge
- Looking for a solution without local setup or Docker support
- Prefer not managing API keys via environment variable configuration
Choose FastChat if…
- FastChat is primarily Python; ChainForge is TypeScript.
- License: FastChat is Apache-2.0, ChainForge is MIT.
- Tags unique to FastChat: chatbots, distributed-serving, evaluation system.
- Also covers Inference & Serving, Model Training.
- - You are looking to train and evaluate state-of-the-art models such as Vicuna or MT-Bench.
When NOT to use FastChat
- - You require a proprietary or closed-source framework; FastChat is open-source under Apache-2.0 license and its use might be unsuitable for environments requiring proprietary solutions.
- - Your chatbot evaluation needs do not align with the types of data used in FastChat's datasets (e.g., human votes, MT-Bench evaluations).
- - You prefer a more user-friendly setup without the need to clone a repository and manually install dependencies; FastChat requires installation from source with additional steps for Rust and CMake on
- + Mac.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (ianarawjo/ChainForge) · observed Aug 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (ianarawjo/ChainForge) · observed Aug 20, 2026
- Last push (ianarawjo/ChainForge) · observed Jun 10, 2026
- License file (MIT) · observed Aug 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 12, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (lm-sys/FastChat) · observed Aug 7, 2026
- GitHub forks (lm-sys/FastChat) · observed Aug 7, 2026
- Last push (lm-sys/FastChat) · observed May 1, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Aug 7, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: ChainForge 3.0k · FastChat 40k (synced Aug 20, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between ChainForge and FastChat?
- ChainForge: An open-source visual programming environment for battle-testing prompts to LLMs.. FastChat: An open platform for training, serving, and evaluating large language models. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose ChainForge over FastChat?
- Choose ChainForge over FastChat when ChainForge is primarily TypeScript; FastChat is Python; License: ChainForge is MIT, FastChat is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to ChainForge: ai, evaluation, llmops, prompt-engineering; ChainForge ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; Need extensive features beyond web limitations.
- When should I choose FastChat over ChainForge?
- Choose FastChat over ChainForge when FastChat is primarily Python; ChainForge is TypeScript; License: FastChat is Apache-2.0, ChainForge is MIT; Tags unique to FastChat: chatbots, distributed-serving, evaluation system; Also covers Inference & Serving, Model Training; - You are looking to train and evaluate state-of-the-art models such as Vicuna or MT-Bench.
- When should I avoid ChainForge?
- Looking for a solution without local setup or Docker support Prefer not managing API keys via environment variable configuration
- When should I avoid FastChat?
- - You require a proprietary or closed-source framework; FastChat is open-source under Apache-2.0 license and its use might be unsuitable for environments requiring proprietary solutions. - Your chatbot evaluation needs do not align with the types of data used in FastChat's datasets (e.g., human votes, MT-Bench evaluations). - You prefer a more user-friendly setup without the need to clone a repository and manually install dependencies; FastChat requires installation from source with additional steps for Rust and CMake on + Mac.
- Is ChainForge or FastChat more popular on GitHub?
- FastChat has more GitHub stars (39,517 vs 3,027). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are ChainForge and FastChat open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (ChainForge: MIT, FastChat: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to ChainForge or FastChat?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at ChainForge alternatives and FastChat alternatives (ChainForge markdown twin, FastChat 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, ChainForge or FastChat?
- ChainForge: Steady. FastChat: Slowing. 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 ChainForge and FastChat?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: ChainForge trust report; FastChat trust report.