Comparison
ragflow vs LEANN
Verdict
Pick ragflow if rAGFlow is an open-source RAG engine that integrates agent capabilities to enhance context management for LLMs, built in Go under the Apache-2.0 license; pick LEANN if lEANN is a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) application that provides substantial storage savings and ensures privacy. It supports various models such as ColQwen2 and ColPali, making it easy to integrate into Python,.
Markdown twin · ragflow alternatives · LEANN alternatives
GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026
15views this month
Trust & integrity
| Signal | ragflow | LEANN |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Active (17d since push) As of Aug 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of Aug 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | Published findings As of Sep 18, 2026 · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Jul 11, 2026 · 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
- ragflow
- Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) engine with agent capabilities
- LEANN
- RAG on Everything with LEANN
Stars
- ragflow
- 91k
- LEANN
- 13k
Forks
- ragflow
- 11k
- LEANN
- 1.1k
Open issues
- ragflow
- 1.4k
- LEANN
- 45
Language
- ragflow
- Go
- LEANN
- Python
Adopt for
- ragflow
- RAGFlow is an open-source RAG engine that integrates agent capabilities to enhance context management for LLMs, built in Go under the Apache-2.0 license.
- LEANN
- LEANN is a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) application that provides substantial storage savings and ensures privacy. It supports various models such as ColQwen2 and ColPali, making it easy to integrate into Python,
Persona
- ragflow
- -
- LEANN
- -
Runtime
- ragflow
- -
- LEANN
- -
License
- ragflow
- Apache-2.0
- LEANN
- MIT
Last pushed
- ragflow
- Sep 18, 2026
- LEANN
- Jul 31, 2026
Categories
- ragflow
- AI Agents, Data & Retrieval
- LEANN
- Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools
Trust and health
Maintenance
- ragflow
- Very active (96%)
- LEANN
- Active (82%)
Days since push
- ragflow
- 0d
- LEANN
- 17d
Open issues (now)
- ragflow
- 1.4k
- LEANN
- 45
Stars delta
- ragflow
- +4.4k (30d)
- LEANN
- +81 (30d)
Open issues delta
- ragflow
- -553 (30d)
- LEANN
- 0 (30d)
OSV dependency advisories
- ragflow
- Published findings
- LEANN
- No lockfile (source not queried)
Full report
- ragflow
- Trust report
- LEANN
- Trust report
Typed relationship
ragflow alternative LEANNBoth LEANN and ragflow serve as engines for Retrieval-Augmented Generation, but they differ in implementation details; LEANN focuses on efficiency, privacy, and local storage.
Choose ragflow if…
- ragflow is primarily Go; LEANN is Python.
- License: ragflow is Apache-2.0, LEANN is MIT.
- Both LEANN and ragflow serve as engines for Retrieval-Augmented Generation, but they differ in implementation details; LEANN focuses on efficiency, privacy, and local storage.
- Tags unique to ragflow: agent-harness, agentic-ai, agentic-retrieval, agentic-search.
- Also covers AI Agents.
- ragflow ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
- When you need an open-source RAG engine that can integrate with external LLM and embedding services to enhance context management.
When NOT to use ragflow
- If your project does not require integration with external LLM and embedding services, as RAGFlow relies on these services.
- If you are looking for a lightweight solution, as RAGFlow's Docker image is approximately 2 GB in size.
- When you prefer tools that do not require building a Docker image, as RAGFlow's setup involves creating a Docker image.
Choose LEANN if…
- LEANN is primarily Python; ragflow is Go.
- License: LEANN is MIT, ragflow is Apache-2.0.
- Both LEANN and ragflow serve as engines for Retrieval-Augmented Generation, but they differ in implementation details; LEANN focuses on efficiency, privacy, and local storage.
- Tags unique to LEANN: ai, faiss, gpt-oss, langchain.
- Also covers Developer Tools.
- When you need significant storage savings, LEANN offers up to 97% reduction compared to other solutions.
When NOT to use LEANN
- Avoid using LEANN if you have strict hardware limitations since it requires the installation of both Python and C++ dependencies.
- LEANN may not be suitable for users who prefer tools that do not demand manual setup of vector databases or models like Ollama and ColQwen2.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (infiniflow/ragflow) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (infiniflow/ragflow) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (infiniflow/ragflow) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- GitHub stars (StarTrail-org/LEANN) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (StarTrail-org/LEANN) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (StarTrail-org/LEANN) · observed Jul 31, 2026
- License file (MIT) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: ragflow 91k · LEANN 13k (synced Sep 20, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between ragflow and LEANN?
- ragflow: Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) engine with agent capabilities. LEANN: RAG on Everything with LEANN. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose ragflow over LEANN?
- Choose ragflow over LEANN when ragflow is primarily Go; LEANN is Python; License: ragflow is Apache-2.0, LEANN is MIT; Both LEANN and ragflow serve as engines for Retrieval-Augmented Generation, but they differ in implementation details; LEANN focuses on efficiency, privacy, and local storage; Tags unique to ragflow: agent-harness, agentic-ai, agentic-retrieval, agentic-search; Also covers AI Agents; ragflow ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; When you need an open-source RAG engine that can integrate with external LLM and embedding services to enhance context management.
- When should I choose LEANN over ragflow?
- Choose LEANN over ragflow when LEANN is primarily Python; ragflow is Go; License: LEANN is MIT, ragflow is Apache-2.0; Both LEANN and ragflow serve as engines for Retrieval-Augmented Generation, but they differ in implementation details; LEANN focuses on efficiency, privacy, and local storage; Tags unique to LEANN: ai, faiss, gpt-oss, langchain; Also covers Developer Tools; When you need significant storage savings, LEANN offers up to 97% reduction compared to other solutions.
- When should I avoid ragflow?
- If your project does not require integration with external LLM and embedding services, as RAGFlow relies on these services. If you are looking for a lightweight solution, as RAGFlow's Docker image is approximately 2 GB in size. When you prefer tools that do not require building a Docker image, as RAGFlow's setup involves creating a Docker image.
- When should I avoid LEANN?
- Avoid using LEANN if you have strict hardware limitations since it requires the installation of both Python and C++ dependencies. LEANN may not be suitable for users who prefer tools that do not demand manual setup of vector databases or models like Ollama and ColQwen2.
- Is ragflow or LEANN more popular on GitHub?
- ragflow has more GitHub stars (90,923 vs 12,785). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are ragflow and LEANN open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (ragflow: Apache-2.0, LEANN: MIT).
- Where can I find alternatives to ragflow or LEANN?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at ragflow alternatives and LEANN alternatives (ragflow markdown twin, LEANN 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, ragflow or LEANN?
- ragflow: Very active. LEANN: 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 ragflow and LEANN?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: ragflow trust report; LEANN trust report.