--- title: "jan vs Ollamac" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/janhq-jan-vs-kevinhermawan-ollamac" tools: ["janhq-jan", "kevinhermawan-ollamac"] --- # jan vs Ollamac *GraphCanon updated Jul 15, 2026* ## Verdict Pick jan when jan is primarily TypeScript; Ollamac is Swift; pick Ollamac when ollamac is primarily Swift; jan is TypeScript. [jan](https://jan.ai/) reports 43k GitHub stars, 2.9k forks, and 387 open issues, last pushed Jul 10, 2026. [Ollamac](https://github.com/kevinhermawan/Ollamac) has 1.9k stars, 100 forks, and 46 open issues, last pushed Mar 12, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [jan's repository](https://github.com/janhq/jan) and [Ollamac's repository](https://github.com/kevinhermawan/Ollamac). | | [jan](/tools/janhq-jan.md) | [Ollamac](/tools/kevinhermawan-ollamac.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs offline locally | Mac app for Ollama | | Stars | 43,499 | 1,908 | | Forks | 2,896 | 100 | | Open issues | 387 | 46 | | Language | TypeScript | Swift | | Adopt for | Jan is a TypeScript-based, self-hosted chatbot application that acts as an offline alternative to services like ChatGPT. | - | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Other | Other | | Categories | Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks | Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [jan](/tools/janhq-jan.md) | [Ollamac](/tools/kevinhermawan-ollamac.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Dormant (18%) | | Days since push | 1d | 489d | | Open issues (now) | 387 | 46 | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/janhq-jan/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/kevinhermawan-ollamac/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: jan - **Adopt for:** Jan is a TypeScript-based, self-hosted chatbot application that acts as an offline alternative to services like ChatGPT. ## Choose when ### Choose jan if… - jan is primarily TypeScript; Ollamac is Swift. - Tags unique to jan: chatgpt, gpt, llamacpp, localai. - - If you require an offline-capable AI assistant for environments without internet access. ### Choose Ollamac if… - Ollamac is primarily Swift; jan is TypeScript. - Tags unique to Ollamac: ai, llama3, llma, llma2. - Leaner open-issue backlog (46). ## 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. ## When NOT to use Ollamac - Last GitHub push was 489 days ago (dormant maintenance, Mar 12, 2025). Validate activity before betting a new project on Ollamac. - Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. - LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between jan and Ollamac? jan: open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs offline locally. Ollamac: Mac app for Ollama. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose jan over Ollamac? Choose jan over Ollamac when jan is primarily TypeScript; Ollamac is Swift; Tags unique to jan: chatgpt, gpt, llamacpp, localai; - If you require an offline-capable AI assistant for environments without internet access. ### When should I choose Ollamac over jan? Choose Ollamac over jan when Ollamac is primarily Swift; jan is TypeScript; Tags unique to Ollamac: ai, llama3, llma, llma2; Leaner open-issue backlog (46). ### 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 Ollamac? Last GitHub push was 489 days ago (dormant maintenance, Mar 12, 2025). Validate activity before betting a new project on Ollamac. Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. ### Is jan or Ollamac more popular on GitHub? jan has more GitHub stars (43,499 vs 1,908). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are jan and Ollamac open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (jan: Other, Ollamac: Other). ### Where can I find alternatives to jan or Ollamac? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [jan alternatives](/tools/janhq-jan/alternatives) and [Ollamac alternatives](/tools/kevinhermawan-ollamac/alternatives) ([jan markdown twin](/tools/janhq-jan/alternatives.md), [Ollamac markdown twin](/tools/kevinhermawan-ollamac/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/janhq-jan-vs-kevinhermawan-ollamac.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, jan or Ollamac? jan: Very active. Ollamac: Dormant. 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 Ollamac? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [jan trust report](/tools/janhq-jan/trust); [Ollamac trust report](/tools/kevinhermawan-ollamac/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=janhq-jan`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=janhq-jan) - 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/_