Comparison
jan vs scaling-book
Verdict
Pick jan when jan is primarily TypeScript; scaling-book is HTML; pick scaling-book when scaling-book is primarily HTML; jan is TypeScript.
Markdown twin · jan alternatives · scaling-book alternatives
GraphCanon updated today
Trust & integrity
| Signal | jan | scaling-book |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (1d since push) As of today · github_public_v1 | Very active (2d since push) As of today · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of today · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of today · github_public_v1 |
| Security (OSV) | No lockfile As of today · none | No lockfile As of today · none |
Tagline
- jan
- open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs offline locally
- scaling-book
- Home for "How To Scale Your Model", a short blog-style textbook about scaling LLMs on TPUs
Stars
- jan
- 43k
- scaling-book
- 1.3k
Forks
- jan
- 2.9k
- scaling-book
- 179
Open issues
- jan
- 387
- scaling-book
- 8
Language
- jan
- TypeScript
- scaling-book
- HTML
Adopt for
- jan
- Jan is a TypeScript-based, self-hosted chatbot application that acts as an offline alternative to services like ChatGPT.
- scaling-book
- -
Persona
- jan
- -
- scaling-book
- -
Runtime
- jan
- -
- scaling-book
- -
License
- jan
- Other
- scaling-book
- MIT
Last pushed
- jan
- Jul 10, 2026
- scaling-book
- Jul 8, 2026
Categories
- jan
- LLM Frameworks, Inference & Serving
- scaling-book
- LLM Frameworks, Inference & Serving
Trust and health
Days since push
- jan
- 1d
- scaling-book
- 2d
Open issues (now)
- jan
- 387
- scaling-book
- 8
Full report
- jan
- Trust report
- scaling-book
- Trust report
Choose jan if…
- jan is primarily TypeScript; scaling-book is HTML.
- License: jan is Other, scaling-book is MIT.
- Tags unique to jan: tauri, self-hosted, llm, llamacpp.
- - 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.
Choose scaling-book if…
- scaling-book is primarily HTML; jan is TypeScript.
- License: scaling-book is MIT, jan is Other.
- Tags unique to scaling-book: llms, html, roofline, llm-inference.
When NOT to use scaling-book
- LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves.
- Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- 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 (jax-ml/scaling-book) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (jax-ml/scaling-book) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (jax-ml/scaling-book) · observed Jul 8, 2026
- License file (MIT) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: jan 43k · scaling-book 1.3k (synced Jul 11, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between jan and scaling-book?
- jan: open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs offline locally. scaling-book: Home for "How To Scale Your Model", a short blog-style textbook about scaling LLMs on TPUs. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose jan over scaling-book?
- Choose jan over scaling-book when jan is primarily TypeScript; scaling-book is HTML; License: jan is Other, scaling-book is MIT; Tags unique to jan: tauri, self-hosted, llm, llamacpp; - If you require an offline-capable AI assistant for environments without internet access.
- When should I choose scaling-book over jan?
- Choose scaling-book over jan when scaling-book is primarily HTML; jan is TypeScript; License: scaling-book is MIT, jan is Other; Tags unique to scaling-book: llms, html, roofline, llm-inference.
- 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.
- When should I avoid scaling-book?
- LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic.
- Is jan or scaling-book more popular on GitHub?
- jan has more GitHub stars (43,499 vs 1,258). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are jan and scaling-book open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (jan: Other, scaling-book: MIT).
- Where can I find alternatives to jan or scaling-book?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at jan alternatives and scaling-book alternatives (jan markdown twin, scaling-book 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, jan or scaling-book?
- jan: Very active. scaling-book: 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 jan and scaling-book?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: jan trust report; scaling-book trust report.