Comparison
jan vs open-webui
Verdict
Pick jan if jan is an open-source, self-hosted chatbot application that supports offline operation and is built using TypeScript; pick open-webui if open WebUI is a Python-based web interface for interacting with AI models and APIs, including Ollama and OpenAI. It supports self-hosting and can be installed via pip or Docker, with options for CUDA acceleration.
Markdown twin · jan alternatives · open-webui alternatives
GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026
27views this month
Trust & integrity
| Signal | jan | open-webui |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Very active (0d since push) As of Sep 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 Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Sep 18, 2026 · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Sep 18, 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
- jan
- Jan is an open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs 100% offline on your computer.
- open-webui
- User-friendly AI Interface
Stars
- jan
- 45k
- open-webui
- 152k
Forks
- jan
- 3.0k
- open-webui
- 22k
Open issues
- jan
- 530
- open-webui
- 300
Language
- jan
- TypeScript
- open-webui
- Python
Adopt for
- jan
- Jan is an open-source, self-hosted chatbot application that supports offline operation and is built using TypeScript.
- open-webui
- Open WebUI is a Python-based web interface for interacting with AI models and APIs, including Ollama and OpenAI. It supports self-hosting and can be installed via pip or Docker, with options for CUDA acceleration.
Persona
- jan
- -
- open-webui
- -
Runtime
- jan
- -
- open-webui
- -
License
- jan
- Jan is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license, which allows for free use, modification, and distribution of the software.
- open-webui
- Other
Last pushed
- jan
- Sep 18, 2026
- open-webui
- Sep 18, 2026
Categories
- jan
- AI Agents
- open-webui
- Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Open issues (now)
- jan
- 530
- open-webui
- 300
Stars delta
- jan
- +498 (30d)
- open-webui
- +3.6k (30d)
Open issues delta
- jan
- +77 (30d)
- open-webui
- -98 (30d)
Full report
- jan
- Trust report
- open-webui
- Trust report
Typed relationship
jan alternative open-webuiOpen-WebUI and Jan both provide user-friendly interfaces for interacting with AI models offline.
Choose jan if…
- jan is primarily TypeScript; open-webui is Python.
- Requirements: Min 8 GB RAM; For macOS, 8GB RAM is required for 3B models, 16GB for 7B models, and 32GB for 13B models.; Windows users need version 10 or higher with GPU support for NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel Arc.; Linux users can run Jan on most distributions, with GPU acceleration available..
- Open-WebUI and Jan both provide user-friendly interfaces for interacting with AI models offline.
- Tags unique to jan: chatgpt, gpt, llamacpp, localai.
- Also covers AI Agents.
- Use Jan when you need a self-hosted chatbot solution that can operate entirely offline on your local machine.
When NOT to use jan
- Do not use Jan if you require a cloud-based chatbot service with real-time updates and maintenance.
- Avoid Jan if your system does not meet the minimum hardware requirements, such as 8GB RAM for smaller models and up to 32GB for larger models.
- Jan may not be the best choice if you need a chatbot with extensive pre-trained models or continuous learning capabilities, as it operates offline and does not have access to the latest updates.
Choose open-webui if…
- open-webui is primarily Python; jan is TypeScript.
- Open-WebUI and Jan both provide user-friendly interfaces for interacting with AI models offline.
- Tags unique to open-webui: ai, llm-ui, llm-webui, llms.
- Also covers Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks.
- open-webui ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
- When you need a user-friendly web interface to interact with AI models and APIs, including Ollama and OpenAI.
When NOT to use open-webui
- If you do not require a web-based interface and prefer command-line interaction with AI models.
- When you are working with Python versions other than 3.11, as Open WebUI may have compatibility issues.
- If you do not have the necessary Nvidia CUDA container toolkit installed for CUDA support.
- When you need a solution that does not require preserving the 'Open WebUI' branding as per the license.
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 Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (janhq/jan) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (janhq/jan) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- License file (Other) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- GitHub stars (open-webui/open-webui) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (open-webui/open-webui) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (open-webui/open-webui) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- License file (Other) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Sep 18, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: jan 45k · open-webui 152k (synced Sep 20, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between jan and open-webui?
- jan: Jan is an open source alternative to ChatGPT that runs 100% offline on your computer.. open-webui: User-friendly AI Interface. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose jan over open-webui?
- Choose jan over open-webui when jan is primarily TypeScript; open-webui is Python; Requirements: Min 8 GB RAM; For macOS, 8GB RAM is required for 3B models, 16GB for 7B models, and 32GB for 13B models.; Windows users need version 10 or higher with GPU support for NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel Arc.; Linux users can run Jan on most distributions, with GPU acceleration available.; Open-WebUI and Jan both provide user-friendly interfaces for interacting with AI models offline; Tags unique to jan: chatgpt, gpt, llamacpp, localai; Also covers AI Agents; Use Jan when you need a self-hosted chatbot solution that can operate entirely offline on your local machine.
- When should I choose open-webui over jan?
- Choose open-webui over jan when open-webui is primarily Python; jan is TypeScript; Open-WebUI and Jan both provide user-friendly interfaces for interacting with AI models offline; Tags unique to open-webui: ai, llm-ui, llm-webui, llms; Also covers Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks; open-webui ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; When you need a user-friendly web interface to interact with AI models and APIs, including Ollama and OpenAI.
- When should I avoid jan?
- Do not use Jan if you require a cloud-based chatbot service with real-time updates and maintenance. Avoid Jan if your system does not meet the minimum hardware requirements, such as 8GB RAM for smaller models and up to 32GB for larger models. Jan may not be the best choice if you need a chatbot with extensive pre-trained models or continuous learning capabilities, as it operates offline and does not have access to the latest updates.
- When should I avoid open-webui?
- If you do not require a web-based interface and prefer command-line interaction with AI models. When you are working with Python versions other than 3.11, as Open WebUI may have compatibility issues. If you do not have the necessary Nvidia CUDA container toolkit installed for CUDA support. When you need a solution that does not require preserving the 'Open WebUI' branding as per the license.
- Is jan or open-webui more popular on GitHub?
- open-webui has more GitHub stars (152,445 vs 44,518). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are jan and open-webui open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (jan: Other, open-webui: Other).
- Where can I find alternatives to jan or open-webui?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at jan alternatives and open-webui alternatives (jan markdown twin, open-webui 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 open-webui?
- jan: Very active. open-webui: 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 open-webui?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: jan trust report; open-webui trust report.